Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Blue Angels over Brunswick


Living near a former naval air base, we always knew when the Blue Angels were in town. The pilots practiced aerial stunts over our house, roaring like thunder. In a mixture of irritation and glee, I'd abandon my work to watch the jets barely clear the white pines in our yard.


As a young boy, my son (right) found the jets too loud, but home from college, he wanted to watch the Great State of Maine Air Show in person. To avoid the notorious traffic, we biked to the Brunswick Executive Airport, where we met up with his childhood friend. Both boys are majoring Physics so it was as interesting listening to their commentary as the announcer's. 


It was also fascinating looking inside the nearly windowless transport jet. The nose of the plane tilted up so that tanks could drive off like exiting a ferry boat. The ladder leads to the cockpit.


There were a lot of people, but the crowd was as well mannered as a kids' soccer tournament. Cadets in camouflage fried up delicious steak and cheese sandwiches. Beer was served, but no one was drunk or loud, at least not compared to the jets. The show opened with slow older planes, and I quite enjoyed the biplane. The stunts reminded me of Black Dove, White Raven by Elizabeth Wein.


The Blue Angels were the climatic act. Captain Higgins is the first female pilot to fly for the Naval squadron. This veteran of the war in Afghanistan pilots Fat Albert, the transport plane. Only men fly the F/A-18 Hornets (in a diamond formation 18 inch apart!) Oddly enough, they sounded louder from my house. Maybe that was the din of glasses rattling in our cupboards.


The show ended with a five jet nose dive, separating into a gorgeous Fleur de Lis. It was a ballet in the sky.

I wish that combat jets flew only for entertainment and not for war, but this is the world that we live in now. I'm grateful to the men and women who serve our country while my son is at college. Maybe one day he'll design a spaceship that doesn't burn so much fossil fuel.

16 comments:

tina said...

I remember these coming to Brunswick from my childhood and was always enthralled with air shows (I was an air traffic controller in the Army). That all changed when the crash in Ramstein happened in 1988. I can clearly still remember the terror and how the local news in Germany called for blood donors for weeks. It hit us really hard over there. Ever since then I will never, ever be at an air show. The footage was really scary and it hit quite close to home.

Sarah Laurence said...

Safety concerns kept me away from air shows when my kids were small (not just the planes but the crowds) but curiosity won us over. Even so, we chose to sit far back from the runway. I value your warning as an air traffic controler all the more.

Petra Pavlátková said...

Sarah, the last capture is wonderful.
It’s true that there have been several accidents at air shows in the last years and it's surely something to think about before setting off. The shows are very impressive though and those 18 inch you've mentioned takes my breath away…

A Cuban In London said...

Unbelievable shots. Thanks. Agree with you on the display vs war.

Greetings from London.

thecuecard said...

Wow the photos are so clear and capture the jets so well. Gorgeous, thanks for sharing these.

Haddock said...

That inside shot of the transport jet is really great.

E Wein said...

this has nothing to do with planes, but my goodness your kid looks like you! :D

We go to a lot of air shows - the biplane stunts really were the inspiration for BDWR, so it makes sense they should call it to mind for you! We have seen this act in several different incarnations (they've had different sponsors over the years) and I just think they are so awesome! (I got to try it myself last year. Yup.):

http://www.aerosuperbatics.com/

Sarah Laurence said...

Petra, thanks! It wasn't easy to capture with my Canon point and shoot. My son thought they wouldn't allow cameras with detachable lenses, but there were a few there. I used a 12X optical zoom, high shutter speed and panned, but it took some practice since the jets were so fast. I had to click as the nose entered the frame. There were no safety problems at this show.

ACIL, cue, Haddock, thanks!

Elizabeth, it's the hair although mine is a bit grayer. I wish I'd gotten a shot of the biplane, but I was too enthralled to remember my camera. I can see how acts such as these could inspire your marvelous novels.

Donna said...

How fun! I would love to see one of these shows someday. I'm glad you got to experience this and that you shared it on your blog for the rest of us to see.

troutbirder said...

What fun! I think I saw the Canadian version of this type of show once in Winnipeg.

Deepika said...

This is wow! nice shots

Rose said...

Great photos, Sarah! When I was younger, my father would always take us to the open house at the Air Force Base near our home. We'd often see air shows, too, and I remember seeing a few with my boys when they were young. But the base closed 20-25 years ago, and it's been a long time since I've seen one. I remember watching them in awe.

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I went to a local air show a few years ago. Such fun. I had no idea. I've seen the Blue Angels once, while driving through Iowa. They were overhead and everyone had stopped on the freeway to see them. Brave pilots. Smart pilots. Brave pilots.

cynthia said...

Fantastic photos, Sarah!

Bee said...

Fabulous pictures, especially the last one!

Sarah Laurence said...

All, thanks! It was fun hearing how some of you have seen this show in other places/times.