As I've said before, probably too much, the Grissom Air and Space Expo was absolutely fantastic. Two days of food and fun, crowds and excitement, intriguing ground displays and, of course, airborne entertainment that kept us risking a sunburn to keep from missing a moment of the action. The flying acts were practically non-stop on Saturday, with one staged on the tarmac, one airborne a few miles distant, and one putting on a show over our heads at any given second. So since they didn't keep us waiting for the next act, why should I keep you waiting?

One bright sunny Saturday, the Golden Knights exited a plane high in the Hoosier sky…but they weren't the only ones in the air! Helping us spot the tiny specks of people hurtling towards the ground were the dynamic duo that is the Redline Airshow team. Ken Rieder and Shaun Roessner played the part of the herd dog well, circling the jumpers high in the sky, smoke on, following them down till they popped their chutes and no longer needed someone else to draw the crowd's attention.

Not content just to draw attention to others, the Redline team put on a mini show before landing; sort of a movie trailer announcing what was "coming soon to an airshow near you." While that was the first we saw of the Redline team, it was definitely not the last we would see of them. Like kids hanging on the airport fence, they were ready to pounce into the cockpit whenever they were given the go-ahead. But that would come later. After Greg Koontz, who I covered in the last article, the next act into the sky was one I'd never seen before.

Airshow pilot Lee Leet took to the air in an airplane that was unknown to me but seems vaguely familiar. Like running into your doppelganger on the street, seeing the Short Tucano in action will either put you in mind of the T-6 Texan II, the Pilatus PC-9 or PC-21, or, of course, the Tucano by Embraer, who licensed the plane to the Short Brothers Aircraft Company for use by the RAF. Leet's Tucano has the same effect on me as when I see someone in the crowd who I swear I should know. But my memory and the various similar aircraft aside, the Tucano is an amazing performer, and Lee Leet is no slouch. The performance on Saturday put the advanced military trainer and, undoubtedly, the pilot through their paces.

Following the modern military equipment, the classics took to the sky. A mix of fly-bys in various configurations, tandem and solo maneuvers, and a wrap up with some Corsair-obatics, made the warbird demonstration one not to miss.

And after the old birds flew, it was back to some high speed modern fighter action. The F-16 Viper demonstration team amped up the party with high altitude, high speed, and high power action. The thunder of the afterburner and the scream of the turbine kept the audience alert.

Of course, high speed isn't all there is to see at an airshow. There is something to be said for low speed aerobatics. With his high horsepower, low airspeed (compared to the F-16) Super Stearman, Greg Shelton can keep the airplane low, the airshow close to the audience, and the wing walker on the wing. Try that on an F-16.

I believe I said it enough; the airshow at Grissom Air Force Base was an amazing spectacle. You couldn't get any better, and there was even an encore performance. This was, sadly, a typical Indiana weekend. Rain on Friday, sunshine Saturday, and show stopping rain and low ceilings again on Sunday. But it wasn't quite a rain out. Remember Redline? Remember how they're always willing to hop in the cockpit?

The last day of the show was all but a rain out. The grounds were wet, the clouds were low, and spirits weren't much higher. But in came our constant companions, Redline Airshows to keep us entertained and enthused. Under the guise of checking to see where the actual cloud levels were, these boys hopped into their planes and ripped into the sky. The joys of performing low level aerobatics, they were able to put on a great performance between the ground below and IMC above. Their RV-8s are amazing little planes that can really perform, and I would be remiss if I didn't tell you that yours is waiting for you in the ads of Barnstormers.com. Of course, so are other aerobatic planes, some warbirds, a Short Brothers Tucano... But if you don't buy your own airshow plane to get out in front of the rest of us, at least make sure you put Grissom on your radar. It's been a while since they last had an airshow, so it may take some time to build up to the next. But when you hear it is coming, make sure you come over to the Hoosier state for this really great show, on the ground and in the air!