2025 Wings Over Houston Performers
Mike "Spanky" Gallaway
www.facebook.com/mike.gallaway
Mike began flying aerobatics 25 years ago. It was the fear of stalls that convinced Mike to take an aerobatics course. Since then, Mike has been a regular at the US National Aerobatic Championships, having earned a place on two US Advanced teams and two Unlimited Teams.
Today, Mike flies about 12 air shows per year in his modified Extra 300/SX. His routine is filled with plenty of tumbles and snaps. He holds a surface waiver, so most of the action is close to the audience.
When Mike is not flying, you can see him on the announcer stand, in fact Mike has been the commentator for the Red Bull Air Race World Series since its inception. He has literally been around the globe with Red Bull, having narrated in 16 races. In addition to flying , Mike is a licensed skydiver having made over 250 jumps.
Messerschmitt Me 262 "Swallow"
Messerschmitt Me 262 “Swallow”
“The Messerschmitt Me 262, nicknamed Schwalbe (German: “Swallow”) in fighter versions, or Sturmvogel (German: “Storm Bird”) in fighter-bomber versions, was the world’s first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Design work started before World War II began, but engine problems, metallurgical problems and top-level interference kept the aircraft from operational status with the Luftwaffe until mid-1944. The Me 262 was faster, and more heavily armed than any Allied fighter, including the British jet-powered Gloster Meteor. One of the most advanced aviation designs in operational use during World War II, the Me 262 was used roles including light bomber, reconnaissance and experimental night fighter versions.
Me 262 pilots claimed a total of 542 Allied kills, although higher claims are sometimes made.The Allies countered its potential effectiveness in the air by attacking the aircraft on the ground and during takeoff and landing. Engine reliability problems, from the pioneering nature of its Junkers Jumo 004 axial-flow turbojet engines—the first ever placed in mass production—and attacks by Allied forces on fuel supplies during the deteriorating late-war situation also reduced the effectiveness of the aircraft as a fighting force. In the end, the Me 262 had a negligible impact on the course of the war as a result of its late introduction and the consequently small numbers put in operational service.
While German use of the aircraft ended with the close of the Second World War, a small number were operated by the Czechoslovak Air Force until 1951. Captured Me 262s were studied and flight tested by the major powers, and ultimately influenced the designs of a number of post-war aircraft such as the North American F-86 Sabre and Boeing B-47 Stratojet. A number of aircraft have survived on static display in museums, and there have also been several privately built flying reproductions.”
Source/Link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Me_262
A-1D Skyraider
“The Douglas A-1 Skyraider (formerly AD) is an American single-seat attack aircraft that saw service between the late 1940s and early 1980s. The Skyraider had a remarkably long and successful career; it became a piston-powered, propeller-driven anachronism in the jet age, and was nicknamed “Spad”, after the French World War I fighter.
Douglas A-4 Skyhawk
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk is a single-seat subsonic carrier-capable light attack aircraft designed and produced by the American aerospace manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Company, later built by McDonnell Douglas. It was originally designated A4D under the United States Navy’s pre-1962 designation system.
The Skyhawk saw combat in several conflicts. The Navy operated the type as its principal light attack aircraft during the Vietnam War, carrying out some of the first U.S. air strikes of the conflict. The Skyhawk was the Israeli Air Force’s main ground attack aircraft during the War of Attrition and the Yom Kippur War. In the Falklands War, Argentine Air Force Skyhawks bombed Royal Navy vessels, sinking the Type 42 destroyer Coventry and the Type 21 frigate Ardent. Indonesian Air Force Skyhawks were used for counterinsurgency strikes in East Timor. Kuwaiti Air Force Skyhawks saw action during Operation Desert Storm. In 2022, nearly seven decades after the aircraft’s first flight in 1954, a number of Skyhawks remained in service with the Argentine Air Force and the Brazilian Naval Aviation.
B-25 Mitchell "Doolittle Raiders" edition from Lone Star Flight Museum
lonestarflight.org/fly/north-american-b-25-mitchell/
The LSFM B-25 remained stateside during World War II and was converted into a trainer after the war for the USAF where it flew until the late 1950s. Acquired by the CIA, it flew covert missions during the Bay of Pigs invasion from Central America. Later, it would pass through several owners and was eventually restored in the late 1970s. LSFM founder Robert L. Waltrip purchased the B-25 in 1984 as the first of his collection that would serve as the basis for the Lone Star Flight Museum. Known as Special Delivery for many years, the LSFM repainted the airplane in 2007 in the colors of the Doolittle Raiders. It is the only flying B-25 painted in the colors of the Raiders and is the only civilian aircraft to feature the Doolittle Raider emblem. It is the official B-25 of the Doolittle Raider Association.
TBM-3E Avenger
lonestarflight.org/fly/general-motors-tbm-3e-avenger/
The Avenger was the largest single engine aircraft of WWII. Avengers first saw combat during the Battle of Midway in June 1942 and quickly equipped every U.S. Navy carrier operating in World War II, as well as many carriers of the British Royal Navy. Because Grumman was being pushed to produce F6F Hellcat fighters, production of the Avenger was turned over to General Motors’ Eastern Aircraft Division which built 7,546 aircraft under the designation TBM. These aircraft would go on to drop more tonnage in bombs and torpedoes than any other naval aircraft and would sink dozens of enemy ships including the Japanese super-battleships Yamato and Musashi. TBMs also accounted for 30 German and Japanese submarines as well as 98 enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat.
The key to the Avenger’s success was its versatility. In addition to its role as a torpedo bomber, TBMs were used for dive bombing, level bombing, night attack, photo reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, radar surveillance and light transport duties. Nicknamed the “turkey” for their slow lumbering movement and large ungainly appearance while coming in to land, the Avenger served into the mid-1950s and were supplied to allied nations such as Canada, France, England, Brazil, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Uruguay.
Info: Lone Star Flight Museum
T-6 Texan – Lone Star Flight Museum
lonestarflight.org/fly/north-american-t-6-texan/
The North American T-6 Texan was known as “the pilot maker” because of its important role in preparing pilots for combat. The T-6 was the classroom for most of the Allied pilots who flew in World War II. The T-6 trained several hundred thousand pilots from the United States and many other countries for over three decades. A total of 15,495 of the planes were made. Although not as fast as a fighter, it was very maneuverable and challenging enough to fly making it a great transition aircraft for the powerful and sophisticated fighters that would follow. The AT-6 was easy to maintain and repair and allowed pilots to train in all types of tactics, from ground strafing to bombardment and aerial dogfighting.
RE/MAX Skydive Team
www.facebook.com/Skydiveremax/
The Official Open to Wings Over Houston 2025!
The RE/MAX Skydiving Team is delivering it’s show-stopping performance to thousands of Texans this fall at some of our region’s grandest outdoor event venues. This year, the team will officially open the 2025 Wings Over Houston Airshow, October 18 & 19, with a skydive choreographed to the National Anthem.
According to RE/MAX of Texas, between the four jumpers, they have more than 100 years of jump experience and more than 15,000 jumps. These experienced jumpers will leap from a plane at 4,500 feet and experience a 120mph free fall. You can easily find these jumpers in the air by looking for Texan and American flags flying down with them.
US Coast Guard Air Station — Houston
www.facebook.com/USCoastGuardAirStaHouston
Air Station Houston will demonstrate the team work it takes to provide rescue services. Providing an all-weather 24/7 Search and Rescue (SAR) capability to the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast since 1963. With three MH-65D “Dolphin” helicopters, AIRSTA Houston’s AOR extends from the Colorado River to White Lake, Louisiana.
TORA! TORA! TORA!
TORA! TORA! TORA!
A Living History Museum.
Americas oldest civilian air show performance. 52 years and counting!
Many people have the opportunity to travel to visit a museum but rarely does the museum come to visit you. Attending an air show where “Tora Tora Tora” is performing is like having a 3-D museum come to visit you. “Tora Tora Tora” is the Commemorative Air Force’s recreation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor that signaled the beginning of the American involvement in World War II. Designed as a living history lesson, “Tora Tora Tora” is intended as a memorial to all the soldiers on both sides who gave their lives for their countries.
Wings Over Houston is proud to be considered it’s home air show.
Commemorative Air Force
Air Power Demonstration
Featuring famous battle reenactments with pyrotechnics simulating a near real experience.
Aircraft from Commemorative Air Force, Houston Wing-CAF, Tora! Tora! Tora!-CAF, Gulf Coast Wing-CAF, Vietnam War Flight Museum