Jennifer, Beth and I got moving early to go see the largest air show in southwest Florida, held at the Punta Gorda Airport. This is an annual show (32nd) and the monies from this show are entirely used to support local charities including the "Make a wish Foundation." which helps kids with cancer and other serious illnesses (including my grandson, Blake).
" Make a Wish" Formation.
This was not just an air show for flying enthusiasts, it was family entertainment, a forum for civilian and military flight demonstrations and a friendly environment for military recruiting. There were inflatable slides, rock climbing walls, zip lines and trampolines for the kids, automotive displays, helicopter rides, boxing robots and airplane displays for the adults, and a front and center beer tent for us!
The show was spectacular! Everything from world war two fighter planes to F18 jets whizzing silently by, followed 30 seconds later by their screaming turbo jet sound. The U.S. special operations command parachute team opened the event by dropping from 12,500 feet at a speed of 120 miles an hour, opening their chutes and turning on their smoke canister at 4,000 feet to land in precisely designated spots on the tarmac in front of us. One jumper carried the Canadian flag and landed while all stood as a soloist sang "Oh, Canada." The next carried the American flag and landed as everyone stood for the American National Anthem...very touching.
As the fighter pilots strafed the infield there were fiery explosions and sonic booms, but one of the most dramatic demonstrations was an F4U Corsair fighter (think war time carrier based fighter) racing Jerry McCart's jet powered car, "Wicked Willy" This car is powered by a 12,000 hp GE turbo jet engine that is more commonly used in F-5 fighter jets. As the car pulled ahead of the plane at around 300 miles per hour the entire infield exploded with flames 20 feet high, the car winning the race! We could feel the heat on our faces!
Gary Ward, stunt pilot, thrilled us with flipping his MX2 carbon fibre aerobatics plane foreword and backward and even making it go sideways almost at a standstill! I was nauseated just watching him. He is obviously in great physical condition to be able to withstand the G-forces inherent in doing this kind of performance.
The finale, was of course the precision flying of the U. S. Navy's Blue Angels. Everyone was on their feet in anticipation even as the pilots were getting strapped into the cockpit. And what a show it was! They screamed past the field in multiple formations, sometimes two planes so close together that you didn't realize it until their jet streams separated, sometimes one upside down on the bottom with one right side up precisely above it, and always as if they were locked together with a tether at 18 inches apart.....doing 300 miles per hour! No question, these boys are at the top of their game. They are a credit to not only American skill and technology but an example to all of mankind of what hard work, persistence, education, practice and technology can accomplish.
If you have never seen an airshow do yourself a favour, put it on your bucket list and go see one. You will be thrilled.
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