Performer Lineup
Lima Lima Flight Team
There's something special about a formation of golden yellow aircraft painting smoke trails through the deep blue Springfield summer sky. It's the kind of experience only Lima Lima Flight Team can deliver. And we can tell you as we welcome them back to Springfield Air Rendezvous for their fifth appearance, they deliver with style and grace.
The four aircraft appearing this year, though they appear identical to the ones who flew here in 2002, may not be the same. That's because the pilot and aircraft roster of team members exceeds the number of aircraft that appear at any given air show. This allows greater flexibility in being able to fly often and throughout the US and Canada. Each member scheduled to fly a performance is qualified by the team leader close to the show date, and if he doesn't demonstrate the needed proficiency, the team doesn't fly. This kind of attention to professionalism on the ground and in the air make Lima Lima one of the most highly regarded acts flying today.
The planes they fly are ex-military Beech T-34 Mentors, former US Navy trainers used to teach the basics of flight to "shave-tail" cadets streaming into the process that led to distinguished careers wearing the "wings of gold." The design, particularly the wings and landing gear, was similar to the V-tail Beech Bonanza, a popular light plane for decades. Instead of carrying a pilot and four passengers, the Mentor placed the instructor in the back seat and the student up front. After mastering the basics, pilots graduated to additional training in advanced aircraft. The Mentors that once filled the skies over Pensacola and other training bases in the fifties and sixties are diminishing in numbers and becoming increasingly rare. So Lima Lima's appearance at SAR 2006 has a historical significance, perhaps previously unappreciated during years past. Be sure to visit them in the autograph tent following their performance to welcome them back to Lincoln Land.
*Night Show Participants