Warriors Over the Wasatch

I know it has been a while since my last post. Life gets busy sometimes. I have lots of things I want to blog about, but they’ll just have to stay in queue until I get to them.

With the Memorial Day weekend under way, I thought it would be most appropriate to talk about the “Warriors Over the Wasatch” Air Show at Hill Air Force Base.

My family was able to attend on Friday, May 25th, 2012, and although it was technically just the dress rehearsal, we loved it because we didn’t have to fight the huge crowds. Not all of the tarmac was open, and cadets were still busy making preparations getting ready for the big show, but we were able to check out a few of the airplanes up close. Dawn and the children even got to climb up into the cockpit of a C130 airplane. However, the best part of the experience was definitely the air show itself. There was a little bit of down time here and there, but surprisingly, they kept the planes flying nearly non-stop for most of the afternoon. All of the planes and pilots were amazing, but two of the performances really stood out.

First, the Red Bull plane flown by Kirby Chambliss was so incredibly cool. The plane was constantly in motion, and I am not just talking about forward. It was flipping and turning and zipping up and down all the time. It really looked like a great big model airplane that someone from the ground was operating because you wouldn’t think a real airplane could do all of those maneuvers.

A couple of times, he would take the airplane straight up into the air until it seemed to just hover like a helicopter, and then he would roll it over and it looked like it was turning somersaults, nose over tail, three or four times as it descended towards the earth, and you would think to yourself, “How is he going to pull out of that?” But he always did. At the end of both of his runs, he would fly the plane across the length of the runway, just a few hundred feet off the ground, with the nose tipped up in the air and it looked like it was flying sideways. Sideways!! Planes aren’t supposed to fly like that! It was so incredible to watch!

The second performance that really stood out was the last one: the USAF Thunderbirds. Now when we first arrived on the tarmac, we were ushered into a viewing area along the edge of the runway, and just about one hundred yards away, all nine of the Thunderbird F-16s were lined up (see the picture). They were quite an impressive sight just sitting there. About one hour before their show time, they all started going through their pre-flight checks, and they all turned on their engines.

For about 25 minutes, eight of the planes sat there warming up their engines, and it was teeth-rattling, ear-numbingly cool. Of course, we all had ear plugs in, but when you’re that close, ear plugs only do so much, and you feel it rumbling even in your chest. Finally, when it was time for takeoff, one by one they started pulling out, and people began yelling and clapping and going wild even though the planes hadn’t even taken off yet. It was a very patriotic moment in many ways just cheering those skilled pilots onward.

Once in the air, what can you say but “Wow”? Their formations were precise, the afterburners were loud, and the planes were powerful. The whole experience made me incredibly grateful for all of our soldiers who bravely protect our freedoms day in and day out. I am certainly proud to be an American, and the show really made me grateful for the sacrifices of my father, uncles, grandfathers, and all those who have fought for this country.  Thank you to all of our military personnel. For the rest of you, if you ever get a chance to go see an Air Show, I would highly recommend it, especially if the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels will be flying. Happy Memorial Day.

USAF Thunderbirds Fly-By

© Copyright 2012 Jeff, All rights Reserved. Written For: Jeffrey Olsen