Pushing the Envelope.
Flying at 700 mph with wingtips just 18 inches apart takes a certain kind of pilot, and six of them put it all on the line
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
E-mail this story | Print this page | Archive | RSS |
Del.icio.us
|
greater than 10 percent, and that’s a pretty significant risk factor when you weigh it,” says Kartvedt.
He recalls two days, Jan. 16, 2001 and March 10, 2002, when things got a bit too close for comfort.
“It’s a high-performance, demanding environment, and at 800 knots of closure, things can happen very fast,” he says. “I remember thinking when I landed, ‘Whoa, I want to hug my wife and kids.’”
Aside from the obvious dangers, the life of a Blue Angel pilot seems pretty sweet. You fly around the world doing what you love in front of adoring crowds. But, really, the air time is only a small part of the job. The biggest - and Kartvedt says the most rewarding - aspect is representing all United States military forces. It’s why standards of dress, demeanor and military bearing are strictly enforced for all team members whether they are pilots or ground crew.
|
“You’re representing not just sailors and Marines, but the 2.2 million members of our all-volunteer service, and that’s a huge burden but it’s an even greater honor,” he says.
“We flew a show in October 2001, one month after the World Trade Center went down. We were at Alliance Field in Dallas/Fort Worth, and you could look down at the crowd, and all you could see was red, white and blue. Highway 35 was at a dead stop ... because people had pulled over to watch. They were waving huge American flags on the side of the highway.
“After we flew the show and landed, the people gave us a standing ovation, and the people weren’t applauding for Scott Kartvedt, they were applauding for our U.S. armed forces and I just had the honor of representing them.”
|
Admission to the daylong events is free, but if you’re looking for a bit more comfort or to rise above the crowd, several options are available that include grandstand seating, box seats and chalets that offer a shady view of the event along with food and beverages for a nominal fee.
Show times are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Go to bluesonthebay.org for details.
And the Pacific Aviation Museum is offering air-conditioned shuttles from Ford Island with no traffic hassles and a dropoff right at the flight line - easy and convenient. The cost is $4 for kids and $8
for adults, and includes admission to the museum and the air show. And everyone riding is entered into prize drawings.
Page 2 of 2 pages for this story < 1 2
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
