SEAFAIR 2016 HIGHLIGHTS
SEAFAIR OVERVIEW
Seafair Fleet Week has been a tradition in Seattle since 1950 with multiple ships annually coming into the Port of Seattle to celebrate this region’s premier summertime festival. In partnership with Navy League Seattle Council and Port of Seattle, Seafair Fleet Week honors the men and women of the military who proudly and courageously serve our country! We are going to travel to Elliott Bay and welcome the fleet of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard and Royal Canadian Navy as they arrive in Seattle.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels were brought to Seattle in 1972 to perform their aerial stunts for the first time. Since then the festival has been dramatically expanded into a yearly summer celebration that includes events such as the Seafair Marathon and Triathlon, the Torchlight Parade and Run, the Seafair Cup featuring hydroplane races, and the Seafair Boeing Air showcasing the Blue Angels and other jet teams, and the Seafair Fleet Week.
SEAFAIR FUN FACTS
Seafair is:
– A 67 year tradition
– Ten weeks long
– Includes over 75 events
– Reaches nearly 2.2 million people
Flying Heritage Collection
Four rare vintage World War II aircraft will be flown by the Flying Heritage Collection, a foundation dedicated to restoring and preserving military aircraft and vehicles. It was established n 1990’s by the Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen.
You will see the speedy twin-engine North American B-25J Mitchell bomber, a plane made famous by Jimmy Doolittle’s raid on Tokyo in 1942.
The Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat Navy fighter that was called the “Aluminum Tank” by its pilots for its ability to absorb incredible punishment and still bring its pilot safely back to his ship. The aircraft is one of only a handful of airworthy Hellcats left in the world.
The sleek silver North American P-51D Mustang is a combat veteran that shot down a German Me 262 jet fighter over Europe in 1945.
The nimble Mitsubishi A6M3 Zero fighter will make an appearance as well, considered the best and most fearsome Japanese fighter in the beginning of the war.
U.S. Navy Blue Angels
These Boeing F/A-18 aircrafts will race overhead at speeds approaching 700 mph over Lake Washington. The team performs mentally and physically demanding maneuvers such as vertical rolls performed by the Opposing Solo, the Sneak Pass performed by the Lead Solo, and their trademark Diamond 360 formation, maintaining an 18 inch wingtip separation.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels participated in their first air show in 1946 and perform for an estimated 11 million spectators during air shows each year. A total of 16 officers voluntarily serve with the Blue Angels. The mission of the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
U.S. Navy Blue Angels’ C-130 Fat Albert
Last year, the Blue Angels welcomed its first female pilot since the team’s inception in 1946. U.S. Marine Corps Captain, Katie Higgins, a third-generation military aviator, is flying the Blue Angels’ C-130T Hercules aircraft, known affectionately as “Fat Albert.” Fat Albert supports the Angels by transporting equipment, parts and support personnel between shows
Sean D. Tucker and Team Oracle
Sean D. Tucker is a remarkable aviator and industry leading aerobatic pilot. More than half of Tucker’s Sky Dance maneuvers are unique and have never been duplicated by other pilots. For a thrilling 13 minutes Tucker expertly performs one-of-a-kind and precision maneuvers with curious names such as Centrifuge, Double Hammerhead, Alley OOP, Forward Flip, Harrier Pass and the Triple Ribbon Cut. Sometimes flying backwards – straight down, tail first – other times catapulting across the skies then descending in a controlled “tumble,” the Sky Dance performance is among the best in the world. During the Sky Dance, Tucker will pull more than nine positive g-forces and more than seven negative g-forces. Twice during the performance, Sean flies the aircraft backwards, straight-down, tail-first at more than 100 mph. The level of professionalism and discipline in Tucker’s air shows is no coincidence.
Lucas Oil Airshows featuring Pilot Mike Wiskus and Lucas Oil Skydivers
Aviation is adventure. Whether it be Michael Wiskus tumbling the Lucas Oil Pitts at dizzying rates with his own special brand of high-performance aerobatics, or the Lucas Oil Skydivers chasing one another in freefall before their precision landings, Lucas Oil Airshows aims to bring the adventure to you.
Like many of the show pilots, mike’s passion for aviation started when he was very young. Mike’s Dad took him to this first air show at their hometown in Iowa at the age of 10. Thirty eight years later, Mike has accumulated more than 24,000 flight hours. He has traveled the world performing.
UNLIMITED HYDROPLANE RACES
The Albert Lee Appliance Seafair Cup runs Friday, August 5th thru Sunday, August 7th on beautiful Lake Washington.
J. Michael Kelly with U-5 Graham Trucking will be going for a “three-peat” after winning the last two Seafair races in a row (and Graham Trucking is going after a “four-peat” as a sponsor), but he will face some stiff competition, including current High Points leader Jimmy Shane in the U-1 Miss HomeStreet Bank, the returning U-16 OH BOY! Oberto with veteran Jean Theoret driving, and Brian Perkins with U-21 Albert Lee Appliance. The Grand Prix West Hydroplane Finals will take place from 3:10 pm to 3:25 pm on Sunday, August 7.