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Just the warbirds - Thom Richard in his P-40N 'American Dream' with Lou Horschel in his TP-51D 'Mad Max' flying high over Geneseo during the weekend of 'The Greatest Show on Turf'. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
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by Tom Pawlesh
The National Warplane Museum held their annual “Greatest Show on Turf” air display in Geneseo, New York over the weekend of July 10/11, 2021. after a year off due to Covid 19. This was the event’s 40th anniversary, which they titled Operation Thanks From Above to honor the countless first responders, essential workers and medical personnel who have helped others throughout the pandemic. This year, the air show adopted a drive-in style arrangement, with each vehicle assigned a 20’ x 20’ square for viewing. The drive-in style seemed to be well-accepted by attendees; visitors spread out their blankets, chairs and food and picnicked next to their cars. Restrooms were spread out for social distancing and to eliminate long walks from vehicles. While most people brought their own food and drinks, food trucks were present on the field.
Air show attendees enjoying the event from their socially-distanced parking spots. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
This year had a great lineup of performers, as always. Greg Koontz and the Alabama Boys put on a comedy routine where Greg landed his Piper Cub on a moving pickup truck. Greg also flew an aerobatic display in his Decathlon. Rick Volker put on a spirited display in his Sukhoi Su-26M while Rob Holland did similarly in his MXS-RH. Warbird aerobatics were also on hand with Thom Richard in his Curtiss P-40 Warhawk American Dream and Lou Horschel in P-51D Mad Max. The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association also flew a four ship routine.
Just the warbirds – Thom Richard in his P-40N ‘American Dream’ with Lou Horschel in his TP-51D ‘Mad Max’ flying high over Geneseo during the weekend of ‘The Greatest Show on Turf’. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
A parachutist from the Misty Blue’s formally opening the event while the National Anthem played below. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Greg Koontz preparing for an inverted ribbon cut in his American Champion 8KCAB Super Decathalon at Geneseo. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Greg Koontz about to cut the ribbon! (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Greg Koontz landing his Piper J3 Cub on the back of The Alabama Boy’s modified pickup truck. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Greg Koontz poses for the crowd following a successful landing on the truck. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
The Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association’s four-ship comprising (from left to right) Harvard 4 RCAF 20422, Harvard Mk.II AJ583, Harvard Mk.II RCAF 3830 and Harvard 4 RCAF 20242. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Just the acros – from left to right – Rob Holland in his MXS-RH, Rick Volker in his Sukhoi Su-26M and Greg Koontz in the Super Decathalon. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
An unusual five-ship featuring (from bottom to top) Lou Horschel’s TF-51D Mustang ‘Mad Max’, Thom Richard’s P-40N, Rob Holland’s MXS-RH, Rick Volker’s Su-26M and Greg Koontz in his Super Decathalon. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Another nice shot of the five-ship. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Acro-mirror with Rob Holland and Thom Richard. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Rob Holland in his MXS-RH leading Thom Richard in his P-40N and Lou Horschel in his TP-51D. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Mad Max and the MXS-RH. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
A fine study of Lou Horschel’s beautiful TP-51D Mustang. This aircraft, while largely new-build, is based upon the remains of P-51D 45-11559. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Mad Max taxies in following an early-evening ride. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
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The rest of the show consisted of fly-bys from liaison and training aircraft, a replica Fokker D.VII, and then ‘heavy iron’ in the form of the National Warplane Museum’s D-Day veteran C-47A Whiskey 7 and Air Heritage Museum’s WWII combat-veteran C-47B Luck of the Irish. Whiskey 7 also provided rides to customers both before and after the show. The all-female Misty Blues skydiving team rounded out the main air show program, while the finale featured the F-22 Raptor Demo Team from Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Langley, Virginia.
A nice aerial shot of Jeff Brooks magnificent Fokker D.VII (replica). For a time, the type was the nemesis of all Allied aircraft during the latter stages of WWI. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Jeff Brook’s marvelous replica of a Fokker D.VII. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
This beautiful Fairchild Cornell moved to nearby Danville, New York last year. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Quentin Marty’s beautiful Boeing N2S-2 Kaydet (BuNo.3600) takes to the skies from Geneseo’s grass airstrip. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
A Vultee Valiant taxiing along beside the famous Geneseo corn field which runs parallel to the airstrip. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
The Vultee Valiant taxiing in after landing. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
A Wag-Aero CUBy L21B-135 dressed to represent a Piper L-21B Seneca on the grass at Geneseo. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Air Heritage Museum’s C-47B Skytrain 43-48716 ‘Luck of the Irish’. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
A close-up of the Air Heritage Museum’s C-47B depicting some of her WWII mission tallies on the forward fuselage. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
The National Warplane Museum’s C-47A Skytrain 43-30652 dressed much like she would have been during D-Day. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
‘Whiskey 7’ following her landing. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Quentin Marty about to take a passenger up for a ride in his N2S-2 following the show’s conclusion. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
The F-22 Raptor heads skywards, afterburners lit. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
A marvelous profile of the F-22 Raptor Demo Team’s aircraft during its display. (photo by Tom Pawlesh)
Adding to the weekend’s festivities, the Geneseo Rotary Summer Festival was also taking place in the Village Park. This fun family event included outdoor concerts, art, crafts and food vendors. Add this to The Greatest Show on Turf and you come up with a fantastic summer weekend for the whole family, not to mention a great reason for visiting Geneseo.
I would like to extend a big thank you to all of the volunteers who made the air show possible, and especially to the National Warplane Museum’s Dave Cooper for his help with my coverage of the show. I had the privilege to fly in Whiskey 7 for a photo-shoot on Saturday evening, so a big thank you must also go to the pilots of the photo plane, Chris Polhemus and Pete Triecler. Lastly, thank you to some of the best pilots in the world, Rob Holland, Greg Koontz, Rick Volker, Lou Horschel and Thom Richard for their help with the air-to-air photography!
Richard Mallory Allnutt's aviation passion ignited at the 1974 Farnborough Airshow. Raised in 1970s Britain, he was immersed in WWII aviation lore. Moving to Washington DC, he frequented the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, meeting aviation legends.
After grad school, Richard worked for Lockheed-Martin but stayed devoted to aviation, volunteering at museums and honing his photography skills. In 2013, he became the founding editor of Warbirds News, now Vintage Aviation News. With around 800 articles written, he focuses on supporting grassroots aviation groups.
Richard values the connections made in the aviation community and is proud to help grow Vintage Aviation News.
