Luke Days 2026

Report and photos by Jeremy D. Dando

May 3, 2026

Luke AFB, Ariz – The 2026 version of Luke Days Air Show was held March 21 and 22. The bi-annual Open house and Air Show looked good on paper with a solid line up of military flying and statics. The airshow line-up got a whole lot better with the late addition of the Blue Angels. This would be only the seventh time both the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels would perform at the same airshow!

Aviation Photography Digest was on hand to capture all the wispy cotton and shimmering jelly that the fast movers could create in the desert air.

Cool morning temperatures and some wispy clouds were on tap for arrival day. Airbase training activities were put on hold so all the airshow performers and static displays could fly in. A good crowd of local spotters (and some from France and Switzerland) were on hand to capture some great photos of some “irregular” traffic for an Air Force Base. Having a Stearman Bi-plane in the pattern would put a bit of a hitch in the traffic flow of supersonic fighters doing unrestricted climbs to 16,000 feet. It is not too often an Ercoupe, Grumman Tiger and Cessna aircraft get to fly into an active base. The Arizona Cardinals football team (AKA Gridiron Air) sent one of their Boeing 777’s in for static display. The highlight of arrival day was the RC-135 from Offutt Airbase. It is always nice when the show organizers can bring in special/un-announced aircraft. The RC-135 is a variant of the KC-135 airframe was built in 1962 and has been highly modified/retrofitted to SIGINT mission duties. Some of the jet traffic included T-38 and L-29 trainers coming in for static display.

Luke AFB is home to the 56^th Fighter Wing and is the largest F-35A training base for the United States Air Force. It also trains pilots from; Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy, Denmark and Norway. Luke AFB trains over 75% of the worlds F35A pilots.

Airshow weekend typically includes a family/DOD/media on Friday. The schedule is similar to show days, but the crowds are less and things seem a lot more relaxed. This report contains photos from all three days of the weekend. The weather forecast for the weekend was CAVU and hot temperatures, 107F or 42C! Hydration and shade were the key factors for the weekend.

The Airshow started with a C-17, parachuters and Aaron Deliu circling the jumpers.

The Combined Arms Demonstration (CAD) showcased a variety of rotor-craft and fixed wing assets including; F-35A Lightning II, and, A-10C Thunderbolt II. The CAD demo included pyro, flares, smoke and broadcasted radio traffic. This demo highlights the coordination of various assets required to secure an area, to allow “boots on the ground” to get in and out safely. One of the highlights of this demonstration was the use of conventional thermal flares by the F35A. Flares are only allowed in airshows over water or on military bases here in the States.

The airspace remained hot with the F35A demo delivering some shock and awe.

The first civilian performance was Greg “Wired” Colyer and Robert “Scratch” Mitchell piloting their T-33 jet trainers. Greg has flown the “ACEMAKER” trainer in airshows across the North America and in Australia. This two-ship demonstration showed off the great lines of the T-33 in a splendid fashion.

The next performance was the US Navy Blue Angels.

The second civilian act was “The Pink Jet”. The Pink Jet represents a remarkable transformation—a military aircraft repurposed as a beacon of hope for breast cancer awareness, supporting survivors and raising funds for research. The Aero Vodochody L-39C in bright pink paint, with unique pink smoke and stood out on the tarmac and sky amid a sea of gray and stealth aircraft at the show.

The airshow was only half over and we switched gears the amazing aircraft in the Tora, Tora, Tora demonstration. This demo re-enacts the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japan in 1941. The demo included lots of pyro and smoke from “attacking” aircraft.

After the smoke cleared from Tora, Tora, Tora the crowd put on their hearing protection for the F35B demo. Major Andrew Sanchez was the demo pilot putting the Marine F-35B through it’s paces. It had been almost 10 years since I have seen an aircraft hover. After a couple of zoomy passes, Major Sanchez brought the aircraft down the flight line at a very slow speed and “stopped” at show center. Seeing an aircraft hover, fly backwards and “wing wave” to the crowd was a surreal site.

Day 2

Due to the excessive heat forecasted the show schedule was adjusted slightly hoping to mitigate any heat related incidents. I was on the airfield just after sunrise and was able to capture some images of some of the static aircraft with the White Tank Mountains as a backdrop.

Rutledge Aviation had two of their AT802-F’s on hand for the Single Engine Air Tankers demonstration. The idea of dropping 800 gallons of water sounded especially appealing with temperatures in the +100F forecasted.

There was another AT802 on the field. Besides it’s roll as an Agricultural plane, Fire fighter, it is now being up-armored to be a “light counter-insurgency aircraft”.

The Army Aviation Heritage Flight put on an awesome demonstration with their Huey and Cobra helicopters. Simulating the rescue of a downed pilot, complete with smoke, pyro and some close up flying. It was a great tribute to these Vietnam War era aircraft being demonstrated to the crowd.

The Blue angels put on their usual stellar display. Fat Albert was still in the UK undergoing spar repair. Ship 763 was filling in as “Bert 10” handling the logistics role, however it is not permitted to fly a demo.

The Thunderbirds in their brilliant red/white and blue F-16’s put on a great performance in the clear blue Arizona skies.

Aviation Photo Digest would like to thank Brigadier General David J. Berkland the Commander, 56th Fighter Wing, Luke Air Force Base, , the staff of the PA office and all the volunteers of Luke Days for putting together an awesome airshow for the aviation enthusiasts of Phoenix-Metro area, Arizona.

The show by the numbers;18 acts. 200K attendees. All services. 13 community towns. One lethal display of global airpower. Luke Days 2026 demonstrated why the 56th Fighter Wing is the premier fighter wing in the world. From the precision of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels to the unmatched dominance of the F-35A and U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Demo Teams, the flightline was a testament to total force readiness. The strength of the 56th FW is built on the integration of all our partner nations stationed here. Together, they are training the world’s most elite fighter pilots and projecting power that is felt across the globe. To the 13 community towns and 200,000 neighbors who joined us: thank you for standing with us. The roar of the jets you heard is the sound of your Air Force remaining mission-ready, 24/7.