2021 Imagi-Nation Fighter Rodeo

[MechCommander]

I'll just watch this years Fighter Rodeo on the TV screen at home. Maybe i can learn something from this.

[redleg]

Welcome pilots, ground crews, distinguished visitors, and international media to Vulture Field and the 2021 International Fighter Rodeo! This past year has been a challenge for everyone. Maintaining combat readiness and honing your aerial warrior skills has been even tougher than usual, but now we have a chance to put those skills to the test.

The competitors are arriving throughout the day and settling into their respective hangars and billets that will serve as their home for the next week. Less important for combat proficiency, but nevertheless of particular interest to the pilots, the Avatar beer tanker has its own secure location near the flight line.

This is promising to be an exciting event! Please make yourselves at home…..visit the petting zoo in hangar 14….and show up to the formal dinner tonight in your best dress uniform! Tomorrow the competition begins with the fighter squadron low level course, the attack squadron pit-stop, and we jump right in to the first round of the fighter pilot head-to-head competition!

[MechCommander]

This televised event will give our best combat Pilot training firm in the NC, Top Aces, the chance to study the courses in this competition in order to better train our pilots in both the RCN and the RCAF. This is the same firm who Creates the awesome flight simulator programs that our pilots train with constantly to help hone their skills.

[chrisswim]

The CoC is looking forward the Fighter Redeo.
Those that unable to make the trip are looking forward to the instructional videos.

[chrisswim]

The team leader of the Alumni Swedish Bikini Team mentioned that beer consumption is up 23% over last year.
Avatar Entertainment is dispatching another 737-800 Beer Keg to the Rodeo by flight over the Arctic. The beer should remain cold. The 737 at RODs Fighter Redeo will depart in the morning dispensing its tanks.

[chrisswim]

Emergency session of the The Balzac Republic Senate has been called by Senate President, Drinc’em.

[chrisswim]

The team leader of the Alumni Swedish Bikini Team mentioned that beer consumption is up 23% over last year.
Avatar Entertainment is dispatching another 737-800 Beer Keg to the Rodeo by flight over the Arctic. The beer should remain cold. The 737 at RODs Fighter Redeo will depart in the morning dispensing its tanks.

[redleg]

23%? Those are rookie numbers! Come on guys you can do better than that!!

[redleg]

What a great formal dinner last night….I think. It started out alright, but it got very blurry later in the evening. We appreciate the effort that everyone put into pressing and shining and getting their fancy dress uniforms all put together. We’re not really sure when everyone started taking their uniforms off, but the reporters got embarrassed and left about 2230.

For those personnel, from all of the competing countries, who woke up someplace strange and are unable to locate various articles of clothing, a temporary lost and found has ben set up next to the Vulture Field control tower. Please feel free to climb up into the back of that 5-ton truck and rummage around for your clothing.

Today the fighters are up early participating in the low level course while the attack squadrons are all taking their turn at the pit-stop competition.

The fighter pilot head-to-head competition has also begun already. His is the first day of round 1, leading up to one pilot being named the Top Dogfighter of 2021!

[redleg]

Here are a few pics of the KDF contingent from yesterday. The ground crews flew in on a pair of spectacular looking C-130s! Shortly afterward the fighters flew in: 12 Phantoms (call sign Pongo 1) and then 12 Gripens (call sign Cruelle 7). Very nice looking aircraft KDF – especially the Phantoms which are a collection of “mutts” as you call them!

[redleg]

The Fighter Rodeo is off to a great start! Day One saw some great performances by the fighter pilots as they put their aircraft through the paces at altitude in head-to-head aerial combat, and also down on the deck as they maneuvered through the low level course. No one crashed as they negotiated the low level course, and there were some really great times! After all 110 fighters completed the course, penalties were added and times recorded, the winners were announced:

1st Place: Bulgariadom Fighter Squadron MiG-29 Aircraft #3
2nd Place: Romaniadom Fighter Squadron Su-35 Aircraft #12
3rd Place: Monacodom Fighter Squadron F/A-18D Aircraft #11

The Doms are dominating so far!

The attack pilots were not idle today. All attack squadrons competed in the pit-stop competition, with the ground crews showing off their skill. After all attack squadrons competed the event the winner was announced:

ROD 11th Fighter Squadron F-4E

An interesting development at this year’s Fighter Rodeo is the crowd’s fondness for the venerable F-4 Phantom. Several competitors are flying this aircraft and they quickly became the overall fan favorite. While no official announcements have been made, the air traffic control team has let the pilots know, through word of mouth, that any F-4s returning to Vulture Field from competition are welcome to perform a low altitude, high speed pass in front of the spectator stands.

Tomorrow the fighter pilots will be busy again with round 1 continuing for the head-to-head competition in the morning, and the fighter pit-stop competition in the afternoon. The attack pilots will get to take their turn at the low level course.

[chrisswim]

Vulture Field, ROD
A few pictures from the Fighter Rodeo

Fling Kegs, fighters in the background, A US C-5 Galaxy just took off, better duck so the wing doesn’t take your head off.

[redleg]

The flying kegs are a beautiful sight, and a marvel of engineering! Keep them coming!

[redleg]

The pilots really let their hair down last night, heading into town for some entertainment. As is customary, they found their way to the now-famous karaoke bar called Twinkle Toes, located a few blocks from the Vulture Field main gate. Extra security was added this year, and initially everyone stayed civil, but an argument erupted between two pilots over whose rendition of Welcome to the Jungle was better. Sober bystanders intervened and a brawl was averted, but then the fire marshal showed up and announced that the bar was over capacity and would to be shut down. This did not sit well with the pilots who dragged the fire marshal outside and duct taped him to a light pole.

Today the pilots are back up in the air. Fighters compete in the pit-stop competition, and they continue round 1 of the head-to-head competition. Attack pilots are negotiating the low level course today.

[redleg]

Day 2 of the competition is in the books! It was a great day, with all pilots participating in at last one event. The attack pilots got to show off on the low-level course today, and there were some really great runs from our competitors. After all the penalties were assigned and the times calculated, the winners were announced:

1st Place: ROD 11th Fighter Squadron F-4E Aircraft #12
2nd Place: Moroccodom Attack Squadron A-4 Aircraft #8
3rd Place: CoC Attack Squadron F-111 Aircraft #12

The fighter pilots were very busy as well. In addition to all fighter squadrons performing the pit-stop competition, all of the fighter pilots engaged their fellow fighter pilots in the conclusion of round 1 of the head-to-head competition.

The winner of the fighter squadron pit-stop competition is Karmanaskis 7th Squadron (JAS-39).

And after 2 days of vicious aerial combat, the 20 highest scoring fighter pilots will move on to round 2. Those pilots will be named tomorrow.


There will be no competition tomorrow since it is Saint Patrick’s Day – a national holiday in the ROD! Tomorrow the pilots and crews can relax and enjoy a barbecue and concert, as well as an air show! Thursday the pilots will be back in the air for round 2 of the head-to-head competition, as well as the attack canon shoot and the maintenance competition.

Pictured here is a trio of F-4Es from the ROD's 11th Fighter Squadron topping off from a KC-135 while waiting for their turn on the low level course.