Japan Air Shows 2015

[Uni]

Hi, all.

This is not the Air show schedule, but I think it maybe useful info. when you visit Tokyo, Japan.

***Aircrafts Gallery of the Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology（TMCIT）***
(former F.A.M.E. Gallery)

***Collections***
More than 10 A/Cs, including one F-86D and some civil-prop. planes made in Japan.

***Open Day(to the public, 1000am-1600pm, Admission Free)***
15 Apr.
18 May.
1 Jun.
18 Sep.
14 Oct.
31 Oct.
1 Nov.
1 Dec.
17 Dec.
25 Mar.(2016)

***URL(Japanese only)***
https://www.metro-cit.ac.jp/information/pavilion/

***Location and Access to the Arakawa Campus***
https://www.metro-cit.ac.jp/english/inf ... ccess.html

That's all.

Uni

[Uni]

There are no infos. about Hyakuri O.H., by now.
When I get the info., I'll update the schedule that I wrote my 1st. message.

Uni

[Uni]

25 Oct. JASDF Hyakuri, Gifu and Tsuiki airshows on the same day!

[Stilwell]

Has it been announced that the Blue Impulse will be displaying at both Tsuiki and Hyakuri?
A very busy day for them if they do.

Jonathan.

[Uni]

Hi Jonathan,
The Blue Impulse will fly only at Tsuiki.

Uni

[simongrigor]

Hello Uni

Thank you for all your very helpful information on the 2015 show calendar.

One question. Iruma is open on the public holiday on Tuesday 3 November. When a Japanese public holiday falls on a Tuesday, what tends to be the status of air bases on the Monday - do they fly as normal or do they create a 'four day weekend'?

Best wishes

Simon

[Uni]

Hi Simon,

It is "normal week day" on 2 Nov, this year.
But a lot of people will use their own "paid holiday", so the activity will be poor than usual, I think.
I expect that the a/cs for the static display will come on 2 Nov.
The B.I. will come in the morning(about 1000am), and will have rehearsal flight about 30 min. during the 1300-1600pm.

Best wishes

Uni

[digpictaker]

I have never been to a Japanese Air Show but hoping to go this fall. Can anyone give me some insight as to the best air show to go to in terms of flying activity? I have seen great pictures with the colorful F-15's but didn't know what show they were from.

Any help or information would be great. I have tried to look at the Japanese websites but obviously they're in Japanese.

Thanks for any help anyone can give.

Trevor

[Stilwell]

Trevor,
"Colorful" doesn't necessarily help as many squadrons will paint a special scheme on an aircraft for their show, but on the assumption you are talking about the camouflaged F-15s of the Aggressor flight, the show you want is the open house at Nyutabaru Air Base.
http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/nyutabaru/
https://www.google.com/maps/@32.0871823 ... 123,15.06z

This year the show is on Sunday the 6th December. The local railway station is called "Hyuga Shintomi", Miyazaki is the nearest local town and civil airport.
If you, with the help of an online translator like Bing Translator, can navigate the Japanese language website, the closest hotel is AZ Shintomi:
http://www.az-hotel.com/shintomi/
Which is about 30 minutes walk up the hill to the eastern end of the runway, and the north facing room overlook the turn from base leg onto finals for runway 28. Which is the runway in use most of the time at that time of the year.
But AZ Shintomi are already fully booked for the show weekend.
There are several hotels on Booking.com or with English language websites near Miyazaki railway station:
http://www.toyoko-inn.com/e_hotel/00101/index.html
But it also looks like many are also already booked up.

I push the railway station as cars tend to be excluded from the immediate area around the base from the Friday afternoon. Parking tends to be off-base with shuttle buses, but the queues for the buses look terrible. It's a very popular show.
The ticket machine at Miyazaki Station has an English language option; a one-way ticket to Hyuga Shintomi costs 370 yen, but you have to put the money in the machine before you can select the destination. If the station isn't manned, take a ticket from the machine by the door as you get on the train, then present it with the fare at the ticket gate if at Miyazaki, or to the driver if getting off at a small station.
http://www.hyperdia.com/
The first train from Miyazaki, at 06:05, will be packed for the 21 minute journey to Hyuga Shintomi, but once there you have the choice of taxi or shuttle bus to the show.

Or not. Miyazaki has a south facing crowd and farmland crossed by numerous tracks along the southern side.
So if the weather is good, and you want to take photographs, and you are prepared to accept the risks associated with standing underneath military jets doing high speed formation aerobatics, your best bet is to walk (or take a taxi as far as you can, to the junction at Cho Shudai, then walk) from the station to the southern side of the base. Which attracts a large assortment of Japanese photographers. Just watch out for the pushbikes.

As well as the Aggressor F-15s, which for the last few years have done a 2-ship display, Nyutabaru has the F-15 conversion unit, 23 Hikotai, which have also been doing 2-ship displays recently, and the F-4EJkai Phantoms of 301 Hikotai, which on the last two shows have done 2-ship strafing runs for their flying display. Plus the Search and Rescue flight, which do a demo with a UH-60J and a U-125A. It is also normal to have a display from a Tsuiki based F-2A, the T-4s of the Blue Impulse team, parachuting from a C-1 transport and possibly a display from a USAF F-16C from Misawa. The based aircraft open the show with a massed flypast, including T-4 trainers from the F-15 and F-4 squadrons.

In the week leading up to the show there are a number of rehearsals, usually with two each from the fast jets, and one from the flypast, the SAR demo and the F-2. Arrivals are mostly on Friday afternoon, with a few late on Saturday and the JMSDF P-3 and SH-60J early in Sunday morning. Saturday is usually a dress rehearsal with most but not all of the flying programme taking to the air.

But as with most weeks at that time of year, expect to lose between a half and one day of the week to weather. If the sun is out it will be very pleasant, but any wind or cloud can turn it cold - warm clothing is recommended.
And that's the main problem with visiting Japan in December - the days are short and the weather can be cold /bad, especially further north. But if you do decide to go, you can head to Okinawa which is further south, hence warmer (but not necessarily dryer) and which is the location for the open house show at Naha Air Base the following Sunday, 13th December. If flight schedules remain the same as the last few years, there is one daily flight from Miyazaki to Naha - ANA Flight 3767 departing at 08:45.
At Naha, rehearsals tend to take place in the civil traffic lull between 08:30 and 09:30, but the aircraft movements at Naha, Futenma and Kadena should be sufficient to keep you occupied for the rest of the time.

I hope this helps,
Jonathan.

[digpictaker]

Jonathan,

Thank you very much for your response. Sorry for my delay in responding back to you.

That sounds like a great open house! Thanks again for all the information!!

Trevor

[Lifeliner 3]

Info on Hyakuri Open House now online:

http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/hyakuri/H27air.html

and

http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/hyakuri/img/H27/27panfu.pdf

[dutchphantom]

Is Naha open house cancelled? Or is only Blue Impulse cancelled for this open house?

[Stilwell]

It looks like only the Blue Impulse have cancelled. The Naha show is still listed on the central JASDF event page:
http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/pr_report/event/
and the Naha base page:
http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/naha/kouhou_event/index.html

But the Blue Impulse page:
http://www.mod.go.jp/asdf/pr_report/blu ... /schedule/
says (courtesy of Microsoft Translate):

"For Impulse in the Naha base Airfest 2015, had been scheduled to 12/13 (Sunday) flight was cancelled due to circumstances beyond our control."

The Blue Impulse display doesn't work too well at Naha, being quite different from their normal display to fit in between the civil movements.

If the opportunity presents itself, it is better to catch the Saturday rehearsal and Sunday show at Nyutabaru the previous weekend.

Jonathan.

[dutchphantom]

Thanks Jonathan. But Naha works better for me. I can combine it with a day at Kadena. And I hope to catch some 304 Hikotai F-15's at their new home base.

Reinier

[wizard 51]

Hi DutchPhantom

So you believe 304 are already operating from Naha in some form?

I see Tsuiki are launching 8/9 .... F15s for the air show on the 25th October