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(Rev. 9/19/02)
RAF Nimrod arrived to bagpipes played by George Harrison. Mr. Harrison is a W.W.II vet that worked with the British on anti-submarine operations during the war. He played the bagpipes upon the arrival of the Nimrod, a British anti-submarine aircraft, as a "thank you" to the English men and women who he worked with during the war.
In a special, surprise presentation held Sunday, Mrs. Henderson presented the Clifford W. Henderson Award that is traditionally awarded at EAA's AirVenture to Cleveland National Air Show volunteer, Society of Air Racing Historian activist and Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum Advisory Committee Member Tony Ambrose. Tony's schedule did not permit him to attend this year's AirVenture so Mrs. Henderson hand carried the award to Cleveland and the presentation was kept secret until Air Show emcee Danny Clisham announced Tony's name at Show Center. Tony Ambrose (right) is pictured with Mrs. Henderson and his personal hero, Bill Turner.
Mr. John Marshall of Marysville, Ohio used the 2002 Cleveland National Air Show as the venue to propose marriage during Monday's events (she said "YES!"). John and his fiancée had their first date at the Cleveland National Air Shows a few years prior. Coincidentally, approximately 30 minutes later reports of another engagement came from the Labatt Cabin. (Photos by Paul Niedermeyer)
As many Cleveland National Air Show fans know, at 6,200 feet Burke Lakefront Airport's runway cannot accommodate the USAF's F-16 Fighting Falcon. That is unless the F-16 pilot(s) get a special waiver to land on a runway that is shorter than their 7,000 foot minimum which is precisely what Major Dave Macdonald and Euclid-native Lt. Matt Hopkins did. So fans at the 2002 Air Show were treated to a special, and rare, static display of two F-16 jets from the 127th FW based at Selfridge ANG Base.
Even though this special waiver is possible, it does not influence the Thunderbirds' (also flying F-16s) requirement to operate out of Hopkins International Airport. The F-16 arrival and subsequent departure from Burke Lakefront Airport was accomplished under nearly "perfect" weather conditions. In fact, Lt. Hopkins received the same waiver in 2001 but less-than-perfect weather conditions on the planned Friday arrival caused him to cancel at the last moment. Not only is weather an important factor in operating an F-16 from Burke Lakefront Airport, the special needs of the USAF Thunderbirds -- uniform take-offs and landings, make Hopkins International Airport a better choice of the team. Where were they? While the Cleveland National Air Show makes every effort to ensure acts and aircraft featured in our promotional materials and advertising do indeed appear at the event, from time to time unscheduled maintenance, poor weather in various parts of the country or a change in military orders does cause the cancellation of featured aircraft. Such was the case for two of our featured acts -- the B-1 Flyby scheduled for Saturday and the US Army Golden Knights Parachute Team. The B-1 experienced smoke in the cockpit en route to Cleveland for their fly-by. The aircraft landed safely and the crew and aircraft are fine however, it forced the cancellation of the flyby. The aircraft used by the US Army Golden Knights had undergone a recent repair. Unfortunately, poor weather where the aircraft was based (not in Cleveland) prevented not only the mandatory test flight but also the team's departure for Cleveland. The team did finally arrive in Cleveland at approximately 10am on Monday morning just in time to perform at Monday's event. Canadian Air Forces CF-18 Demonstration Aircraft The Canadian Air Forces traditionally paints their demonstration aircraft in a unique color scheme each year. This year was no exception and features a remarkable paint scheme that not only showcases the demonstration aircraft but also commemorated the squadron's 20th year of using the CF-18 Hornet as their front-line fighter. The Canadians also showed their support of their American neighbors with a special tribute to 9/11 on the vertical tails of the aircraft. Be sure to check out details of the 2002 CAF CF-18 demonstration aircraft here. (Photos by Paul Niedermeyer)
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The Air Force demonstration aircraft, included the A-10 Warthog seen here (left) carry a special "Let's Roll" logo commemorating the 9-11 attacks. The Canadian Forces CF-18 Hornet 2002 Demonstration Aircraft (right) also pays homage to the events of 9-11.
Mrs. Marian Henderson, widow of National Air Races General Manager, presents the 
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