Gavin and I went to the air show while Kristyn stayed home with Austin. This is the second year in a row that Kristyn has missed it: Last year because Austin was less than a month old, and this year because it was a little hot and Austin was still not quite old enough to tolerate the noise and appreciate the airplanes. Anyway, Gavin and I had a great time together.
First we went into a CH 53 helicopter, where Gavin got to check out the controls. You don't appreciate how large these helicopters are until you get inside (or see a four year old next to one).
Next we saw one of my favorite bombers from WW II, the B-25 Mitchell. The nose art was a bit risque, but I don't think Gavin noticed.
Then it was time for a photo next to the P-51, painted in Tuskegee Airman colors. This plane did a demonstration flight.
Up next, we found a spot on the tarmac to set up our chairs and take in the flight demonstrations.
The jets got a little loud, especially the F/A 18, which made a couple of passes at 700 mph. I thought it was great. Gavin apparently hoped that putting his hat down over his eyes would somehow block out the sound. I'm not sure how that was supposed to work, but I ended up covering his ears for him. This, of course, made taking photos difficult.
Even though it was loud, Gavin still showed respect for the F/A 18 pilot by waving as he taxied by.
The loudest demonstration of all by far was the AV-8B Harrier. When it is hovering in front of the crowd, the noise is overwhelming. The last time the Harrier was at this air show as about ten years ago. I was at that air show as well, so I had an idea what to expect. Gavin had no idea. This photo was taken before the demonstration.
As usual, there was a "heritage flight," this time with the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the P-38 Lightning flying in formation. I shot some decent video of that, but it takes a long time to upload. Anyway, I had a great time at the air show with Gavin!
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