Friday, February 29, 2008
Men in Their Super-Charged Flying Machines…
If you thought a Hornet was an insect to be feared with a barrel body and a big sting, think again. Picture a shiny azure-blue, jet propelled flying machine. This marvelous machine combines ”high power, light weight…maneuverability,” unmatched “climb and acceleration” and is devoted to both combat missions and the incredible choreography as demonstrated during the Blue Angels’ air shows.*
Standing on the ground while the Blue Angels perform their legendary and amazing maneuvers above diminishes the spectator to the realm of miniscule. The planes loop, dash, turn, return and spin while maintaining a distance of only 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart. Viewers must concentrate on the reality that what you are seeing are airplanes, not circus acrobats The Blue Angel pilots are trained with ultimate precision leaving no margin for error
I hadn’t given much thought to these magnificent men in their flying machines until we began trekking across country in our “driving machine” taking us to El Centro, Ca. and, most recently to Pensacola, Fl. The Big Bend campground in El Centro provided quite a surprise our first day there—the loud roar of jet planes. Paul and I ran out of our motor home to view blue streaks soaring on by. We were soon to discover that El Centro is the summer home of the Blue Angels, the Naval answer to the flying trapeze acts of the past but with intense precision and danger built in.
During our stay in this part of California, we could rub elbows with pilots, family members and friends of pilots and hear tales of their skills. Many of these encounters occurred in our favorite Mexican restaurant, located in a remote agricultural area about 30 minutes from the campground.
This year, we visited Pensacola, Florida, and the incredible Naval air museum. Pensacola is the winter home of the Blue Angels. Inside the museum, suspended high above our heads were 4 F/A-18 Hornets, the planes flown by this team of expert flyers. The story of this flying core and their support squadron is incredible. They have recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of their founding underlined by the 100th anniversary of powered flight. Their safety record is impeccable. I can’t imagine the concentration, skill and raw nerve it takes to fly “elbow to elbow” in this vast circus ring in the sky.
*Quotes taken from the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (Blue Angels) flyer from Pensacola, Florida
Standing on the ground while the Blue Angels perform their legendary and amazing maneuvers above diminishes the spectator to the realm of miniscule. The planes loop, dash, turn, return and spin while maintaining a distance of only 1 1/2 to 2 feet apart. Viewers must concentrate on the reality that what you are seeing are airplanes, not circus acrobats The Blue Angel pilots are trained with ultimate precision leaving no margin for error
I hadn’t given much thought to these magnificent men in their flying machines until we began trekking across country in our “driving machine” taking us to El Centro, Ca. and, most recently to Pensacola, Fl. The Big Bend campground in El Centro provided quite a surprise our first day there—the loud roar of jet planes. Paul and I ran out of our motor home to view blue streaks soaring on by. We were soon to discover that El Centro is the summer home of the Blue Angels, the Naval answer to the flying trapeze acts of the past but with intense precision and danger built in.
During our stay in this part of California, we could rub elbows with pilots, family members and friends of pilots and hear tales of their skills. Many of these encounters occurred in our favorite Mexican restaurant, located in a remote agricultural area about 30 minutes from the campground.
This year, we visited Pensacola, Florida, and the incredible Naval air museum. Pensacola is the winter home of the Blue Angels. Inside the museum, suspended high above our heads were 4 F/A-18 Hornets, the planes flown by this team of expert flyers. The story of this flying core and their support squadron is incredible. They have recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of their founding underlined by the 100th anniversary of powered flight. Their safety record is impeccable. I can’t imagine the concentration, skill and raw nerve it takes to fly “elbow to elbow” in this vast circus ring in the sky.
*Quotes taken from the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (Blue Angels) flyer from Pensacola, Florida
# posted by Ann Carol @ 2:42 PM 
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