One of the most famous jock jams of all time gives us the lines: "Hold tight, 'cause the show is not over / If you will, please move in closer / You're about to be bowled over / By the wonders you're about to behold here." Only a few times before has this verse rang so true for a performance in the world of YSFlight airshows, but this past weekend, at Tropic Thunder 2024, we had our collective minds utterly blown by a solo display flown with a simple Super Hornet. While its pilot, Ripley (or "Swift", to those of us veterans), has had a hand in the behind-the-scenes workings of VCAP since we started, having created iconic aircraft like Raindancer and Whizzing Arrow III, they've also flown in a handful of YS shows over the years, with Tropic Thunder marking their first display since 2021.
Chameleon, as it was called, was a physics-breaking showstopper in the vein of Raindancer, and this alone would have made it worthy of note. Instead, it went a step further by implementing a never-before-seen feature of switching mid-flight between the liveries of 8TFS Grun, VFA-131, and VFA-49, three of the most important combat squadrons in YSFlight history. What started out as an already-impressive performance from a YS veteran had every member of the audience, us at VCAP staff included, floored by the end, and made for a moment in YS airshow history that will be remembered for years to come.
This display embodied damn near everything that we encourage at VCAP: unorthodox routine profiling, a unique soundtrack, good appeals to emotion, and an overall novel concept that also paid tribute to our community's rich history. It's with that in mind that I can think of no more appropriate recipient for our first-ever VCAP Standout Performance Award. Congratulations, Ripley!
I am in EST time and am most often on YSFlight on weekends, excluding holidays.