Warbirds with Eugene and Friends

(Written by Jared)

"Warbirds over Monroe" is the Historical Airshow that comes to Monroe, NC every year. The airshow didn't happen in 2020 (for obvious reasons) but it was back this year! What made this year even more special was William, a good friend of mine, was able to come with us this year!

After getting our front row seats (advantage of coming early) we explored the different planes. IT WAS COLD!!! We all were shivering, except William who came perfectly prepared with his layers, scarf, and hat.

This year there were different planes from last time. The majority of planes were trainer versions of the Douglas Dauntless Dive Bomber, and A TON of P-51 Mustangs. William and I being WW2 lovers, this was very special. One disappointment was the "Memphis Belle" B-17 Bomber was not there this year. The Bomber was too expensive to keep with the airshow, but we were glad to hear that it is safe and sound in a museum.

I was also able to purchase sketches of General Patton and Field Marshal Rommel, two of the best Field Commanders in history! It was a great find!

As we walked around looking at the different planes, a squad of German Soldiers (reenactors) walked towards us. William and I walked over to them. As a joke, I said, "Is the Third Reich planning on expanding anytime soon?" Without hesitation, one of the soldiers responded "Well, Czechoslovakia went pretty well." And another chimed in, "I think Poland is next." We all had a good laugh and then started talking about the different clothing and equipment they were featuring. We were even able to take pictures with the "German Officer" who let us hold his MP40 Sub Machine Gun.

We turned to our right and saw a whole camp of different WWII, Vietnam, and even Modern reenactors. The first camp was a WWII American camp. They had a lot of small arms, and a WWII Jeep with a .50 caliber machine gun! We were even able to go onto the bed and touch the gun! One of the reenactors gave us strips of cloth to help camouflage the tent. One of the other tents was a Vietnam era camp. Interesting thing about this was the weapons were disguised airsoft guns! They said it was a lot cheaper than getting the real ones! The other camps included the German and British camps.

By that point we needed to run back to our seats, and we had root beer and food waiting for us when the airshow began!

The first planes were solo flights of the heavier planes. All of these were propeller, and the sound was deafening! Hearing all those engines with the low passes was an indescribable experience. Next was the only jet plane there, a soviet jet that was MUCH FASTER but much less exciting. There's just something about propeller planes that will always be special. While the jet engine was in the air, the WWII planes also took off. It was so much fun watching all the Mustangs flying together.

The next 3 performances were the best! The first one was a stunt helicopter, the same from the previous show and just as impressive! The second was a group of synchronized stunt planes. Each pass they made, they created a different shape. The third and final was the stunt plane with a smoke trail. What we weren't expecting was the ROCKET CAR to come out onto the runway! The plane and rocket car had two races, each one taking a victory. The stunt plane finished it off by flying upside down through a streamer!

The final performance was the warbirds' strafing runs. ALL the warbirds made passes and TNT already on the ground made it look like they were dropping bombs! Finally they all grouped together for the missing man flight formation. As the crowd remained deathly silent, all the planes flew in formation, then one of them flew into the distance, commemorating all the brave airmen who didn't come home.

And then, THE WALL OF FIRE!!! Lance was prepared this time, as last time he was in the bathroom when it happened and the blast almost knocked over his porta-potty. The blast was EVEN BIGGER this year! It felt like we were having our faces burnt off!

With that, the airshow was over. As we all drove home we related our favorite experiences; one thing we all agreed on, we need to go back!