2010 Sound Of Speed Air Show

This weekend’s air show at Rosecrans Memorial Airport was nothing short of impressive as the Blue Angels headlined this amazing event. Like I stated in a prior blog, I was really looking forward to taking my two daughters. I wanted them to feel the same kind of heart pumping excitement that I felt when my own father took me as a child.

We woke up early Saturday morning and got to the parking lot around 10am. Parking was already an issue and we had to take a shuttle bus to the airport. Once we got off the shuttle bus we had to stand in a line just to get on to the flight line. Once inside we gawked at all the airplanes and jets that were available to look at and take pictures of. My daughters posed in front of airplanes and even got the chance to take a photo in the cockpit of a United States Marine airplane.

The flying didn’t start till around noon so we had the chance to check out all the sights and I even watched them climb the wall at the Army National Guard booth. I am happy to say they both made it to the top and received a free t-shirt.

Once the flying started all eyes were on the sky as smaller airplanes twisted and turned as smoke came out their engines and covered the sky. My girls were simply amazed when they witnessed Captain Kryo flying a bi-plane and Scarlet wing walking as the plane did tricks in the air. Then there was the Flash Fire Jet Truck that had 10,000 horse power and shot flames out the back of the truck as it sped down the runway at 375 mph. To my excitement this truck won a race against the Air National Guard airplane flown by John Klatt.

Finally about 3pm they announced over the loud speakers that the Blue Angles were getting ready to take to the air. The crowd erupted once the jets were fired up as AC/DC blared through the speakers. The amount of work that goes into the Blue Angels performance is amazing; every detail from the start of the engines to take off is uniform and precise. The first Blue Angel plane to take the sky was the massive plane named "Fat Albert". Once the jets of the Blue Angels took off, I don’t think there was any one in the crowd whose eyes were not on the sky. The sounds of the jets were so loud as they came screaming by that if often drowned out the music coming from the speakers.  There performance is something viewers are not likely to ever forget.

This air show still brought me to the same excitement that I had experienced as a child. I was still in awe at the stunts and the sound of the jets as they blared by. I could feel the rumble of their engines pound against my chest. The weather was perfect for a bunch of high flying, low diving and wing walking stunts. My daughters fought each other for my attention, as they tapped on my shoulders telling me to look up in the sky. Having them there, watching their faces as the planes dived and spun in the air was simply priceless. Now I know what my father must have felt so many years ago as he watched me.