We decided to go to the air show today. I can’t recall ever attending one before, and how often do you get an opportunity to see the Blue Angels?
I think the event was a slight net positive, but the negatives were non-negligible. Lunch was eight million dollars and mediocre, even for mobile vendor fare. The weather was a solid C (hot and humid; would have been a D+ without the breeze), and the parking situation was atrocious. It was three-quarters of a mile or so from where we parked to the gate. Worse, after we got to the truck, it took us two hours to get home (we live five miles from the airport), including a period of 50 minutes during which we moved about ten feet.
Bitch, bitch, bitch. Seriously, that was the worst event parking planning I’ve ever experienced. Responsible parties should be ashamed of themselves.
On the good side, we saw a lot of cool hardware, both on the ground and in the air, and I got to hang out with Tami. Lea sees her on girls’ night out, but I hadn’t seen her since we worked together ten years ago. It was fun catching up.
Incidentally, if you’re a scanner listener and you’re planning to attend tomorrow, let me know. I assembled a frequency list this morning from several online sources that wound up being good for the Golden Knights parachute team, and fantastic for the Blue Angels. It was exciting listening to the “show behind the show”—and a lot of the Angels’ comms were downright amusing. Send me email and I’ll give you my list.
Here are the boys in the cockpit of an OH-58D Kiowa Warrior:
The A-10 “Warthog” and a P-51 Mustang on a USAF “heritage flight”:
The B-25J World War II-era medium bomber:
“Fat Albert,” the C-130 that carries fuel, equipment, and crew for the Blue Angels:
The Blue Angels being the Blue Angels:
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Pretty kick ass, huh? There’s one every year here at Nellis AFB, and it rocks. Your boys look like they had a blast.
Cajunvegan: They did, mostly, though the day wore on them, particularly Aaron. We didn’t plan well. We showed up about 10:30, and the Blue Angels didn’t fly until after 3. We should have tried to get there about 1. However, we did drive right in when we went, and I understand it took an hour just to get parked later in the day. Whew. I can’t say enough about how poorly they handled the parking.
We’ll be watching them again today, but from our driveway.
Yep, by the time the Blue Angels came on, the boys were more interested in fighting over the umbrella (our only source of shade). They couldn’t have watched more then a few minutes of the show. I know this because I kept having to look down to keep them from hurting each other. Aaron started asking to go home about an hour after we got there. Nathan started asking to leave about 2:00. I knew Aaron was long done with this business but I thought Nathan’s interest would come back when the Blue Angels finally showed up. Not so much. Oh well, we have t-shirts and they can say we did it.
BTW, I brought my umbrella from home. If you buy one there they are around $25. Also, you might get busted sneaking in drinks but I’d seriously consider bringing in ice packs to keep your $3.00 drinks cold for longer then 15 minutes. Food is in the $5 to $8 range.
We endured the heat (the breeze did make it bearable) and the HORRIBLE parking, too. We got in line to park at 2:15, finally parked at 3 and trudged about a mile through the field. The parking could’ve been better organized. It was all worth it, though.
It’s been a long time since Hubby and I have seen the Blue Angels perform. It was a fantastic show. I just love it when they fly from different directions and do manuevers.
I wonder if it’s true that the impressions that people get of me and the reality of the things I enjoy are incongruous. I LOVE fast machines. I particularly love the ones that fly, which is why I’m not the least bit upset that we live right under the flight path for the Air National Guard base (a former AF base). And when I say “right under,” I mean RIGHT UNDER – when they flip on their landing lights at night, they light up my bedroom on the way by.
We get warthogs and refuelers and transports and F16s fairly regularly (and I LOVE the F16s – there’s never just one of ’em and they go SO FAST that I sometimes miss them going by – by the time I hear ’em coming and get out to see them, they’re already gone!). It was pretty busy around here immediately following 9-11, we occasionally get a presidential plane, and though we don’t get air shows anymore since the AF base officially closed, we still get some fun hardware flying right over the house.
I never saw the Blue Angels from my driveway today, and figured there was some wind condition or something that was keeping them grounded.
Unfortunately, that’s part of the reason, but with a far graver outcome. Apparently a microburst hit the area at about 2 today, collapsing a larger tent. A 5-year-old child is dead, and at least twelve other people are injured. God be with the child’s family and with everyone touched by this tragedy.
Hug ’em tight, everyone.
Members of my family were there today. Not pretty or fun for anybody. I was worried sick when I heard about the weather situation. Thankfully, all of ‘mine’ are currently safe and dry.
The weather ’round here can, frequently, suck.
Joani and I volunteered the info booth on Sat. Had a good day of it till the heat finally wore us out. I will say the organization of this show was terrible. Pretty sure many were pissed off by the parking and overly heavy handed beverage policy at the gate, only to be stymied by huge waits for $3 water at the vendor tents.
Although we didn’t discuss it until after the fact, before we went Bo and I thought about how air shows are one of those events where when things go wrong they can go spectacularly wrong. It usually involves the planes, though. Neither one of us imagined the scenario on Sunday. What an unexpected and tragic event. You think you’re taking your kid out to something fun…