Orlando Airshow : The Blue Angels and the F-22 Raptor

Where to begin… The F-22 Raptor has been on top of my bucket list since I started photography. And well it’s hard to name a more famous team than the Blue Angels. So yes, I was quite excited to be able to saw them both over Orlando Sanford airport last April. But as you will find below, they were not the only interesting aircrafts flying this day.

The first thing you noticed upon arrival was the glorious pair of F-22 Raptor parked along side a beautiful P-51 Mustang.

Things started to kick off around noon as the first performers took to the skies. We were treated with the display of “Panchito”, a beautiful B-25.

Then the demos successively took place with a KC-135 Stratotanker and a aerial rescue demonstration from the U.S. Coastguard.

Then it was time for the most anticipated act (at least for me), the USAF F-22 Raptor Demo team.

My favourite moment was the end of the demo as the P-51 joined the F-22 for the now traditional “Heritage Flight”. Since I was a kid, I had this comic book drawing engraved in my mind, and now, about 15 years later I could finally take this picture myself.

Extract from “Buck Danny - Sabotage au Texas “

Then came the time to end this airshow day with nothing less than the Blue Angels, but first we got the traditional Fat Albert passes.

Having followed most of their training flights remotely on Youtube, watching them build the demo, flying closer and closer, what a feeling it was to finally watch them in person. A great demonstration of the most precise flying you can find around the world. I can’t wait to see them again, that’s for sure !

Thank you for reading this far !