Itinerary

Itinerary
Lots of Driving

Friday, August 1, 2014

Thursday July 31st - Hot Planes and Thunderstorms


This morning we decided to ride the Harley up to the area that you need a bracelet to enter..this is where all the displays and planes are parked.  We took our chairs so we could put them on the flight line for the 2:30 PM show.  I know it has already been said..but this place is huge..we were so lost we got into a argument about where we were....damn it..June was right.  After she apologized for being such an jerk about it we moved on (no she really didn't apologize).

 I am pretty convinced if there is a plane you want to see it is here, but take the picture because when you go back someone moved it.  There are active taxi ways and runways that you cross...seems crazy but you are walking in front of running aircraft on the move...it is actually pretty cool.



Anyway, after walking our legs off, we decided to go back to camp for lunch, leave the Harley there and walk back.  Did I say this place is huge...gawd it took 30 mins to walk each way....and that is at June speed.

After lunch we went back for the show which opened with the Thunderbirds doing some really fast flybys, since they were not on the schedule..I assume they were just getting a feel for the airspace. Then the aerobatic demonstrations started, I have seen a lot of aerobatics with RC planes, seems they have nothing on some of these guys. Especially impressive is the low altitude stuff they do, it will put your heart in your throat, aileron rolls,  inverted two feet off the ground, you name it...they are just nuts. They even had a wing walker, her husband is the pilot.....I bet she doesn't give him a hard time when he is lost....


The show was interrupted by a thunderstorm, as it started to rain, we got the urge to go see the Honda hanger, as did about 1000 others...but they were nice and accommodating. The Honda Jet is very impressive. After waiting out the storm the show resumed, one of the highlights was the Redbull helicopter, the only approved aerobatic chopper in the country...yes it did loops rolls and everything the  Rcs do but fly inverted...it was impressive.



The jets are the finale, we got to see the mini Jet from James Bond fly, and some other cool stuff...you can't hear it until it is on top of you.

Unfortunately the show was called due to thunderstorms.  So we headed back to camp, thinking we were in good shape, since the rain had let up and we had the Harley to get back...no such luck, the sky just opened and it was a cold rain.  The roads in the camp ground turned to mud and June kept saying..don't dump us..it was a cardiac event but we got back wheels down.  We are lucky in that we have a van, there are hundreds and hundreds of tenters here, going to be a long cold night for them.

It was a fun day despite the rain and we look forward to the Thunderbirds show tomorrow.

2 comments:

  1. We are starting to get the lay of the land... I think? Huge place, lots of people, campers, bikes and planes, planes, planes! That is why we came. The rain cannot even get us down. :)

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  2. Did you rent out warm dry space by the hour?

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