Blue Angels prepare for weekend shows
It was the sound of F-18 Hornet fighters, the brightly decorated first of the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy’s flight demonstration squadron practicing for free air shows Saturday and Sunday at Barksdale Air Force Base.
“I was at Lowe’s, and everyone was watching them as they flew overhead,” said Suzanne Patterson, a financial adviser at the Chase Bank branch in the 1600 block of Line Avenue. “Everyone was just puzzled and first and we thought something was going on, but then we realized it was the Blue Angels” she said. “They were so pretty. It makes you proud to be an American.”
The airplanes were a familiar sight to people after a series of practice runs that took them over most of the major historic neighborhoods, including Highland and Broadmoor.
The Blue Angels continued to practice formation flying above the base flight line as a group of curious Air Force members and families watched, enjoying a free show.
Pamela Hale was there with her 14-year-old daughter, Hannah, and with friend Kelly Hall and her children Katy, 12; Joey, 7; and Josh, 4.
“It’s exciting for the kids to see and experience this firsthand,” Pamela Hale said.
“I think they’re really interesting,” said Joey Hall, who has seen the Blue Angels once before, at Andrews Air Force Base. “They’re pretty cool.”
The Blue Angels pilots are Cdr. Kevin Mannix, of Lindenhurst, N.Y.; Lt. Cdr. Paul Brantuas, of San Diego; Lt. Mark Swinger, of Warrenton, Va.; U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Clint Harris, of Senath, Mo.; Lt. Cdr. Craig Olson, of Kirkland, Wash.; and Maj. Nathan Miller, of Lapeer, Mich.
Pilots of the unit’s support C-130, nicknamed “Fat Albert,” are U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Russ Campbell, of Houston, U.S. Marine Corps Maj. Drew Hess, of Rockford, Ill., and U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Brendan Burks, of Auburn, Ala.
Tags: air, andrews, base, force, show
Wednesday 14 May 2008 | Sissy | Uncategorized
Bulls are not conscious, they are stupid. They don’t have an opinion on being butchered because they are too stupid to have opinions. You might think this point is pedantic but actually it isn’t. What it is is very VERY important. Extremely important. Because what you are doing is anthropomorphizing animals, assigning human characteristics to animals, and this is wrong. Animals are not stupid human beings, animals are not human beings at all. Animals are closer to inanimate rocks than they are to things capable of higher cognition. Not only is it intellectually wrong for you to anthropomorphize animals but it is MORALLY wrong for you to do so. Because by anthropomorphizing them you give them a moral status when in fact animals have NO moral status whatsoever. Morality cannot apply to non-conscious things.
But the pilots take that risk, they know it, they want to do it. Let them do it.As far as money, lets compare this to sports.
It’s an international arms market. Hardly something as inoffensive as bullriding.
My guess is that bulls don’t find the international arms trade offensive even the tiniest of whits.
sometimes, a lot of certain taxes/fees go to fund sport arenas.
I’m not happy it happened, but are we supposed to really care? It is an air-show–an entirely unnecessary show of bravado with insane dangers. This is like putting in the news the injury of a bullrider.
When a NASCAR driver dies it is big news. Really any big spectacular crash is news. It’s a big loss for the Navy, Blue Angel pilots are some of the best trained airmen in the world. RIP.
Geez… the title of this post scared the heck out of me. You meant to say that: One of the Blue Angels crashed. This title makes it sounds like they all crashed together like the USAF thunderbirds did a long time ago.
Compared to the thousands of human victims of that international arms trade? I suppose this is like that “prison rodeo” story where PETA was complaining about the stupid animals and nobody was complaining about the prisoners being tortured. You’re an American, aren’t you?
“In their entire history, 24 pilots from the group have been killed in air show or training accidents.”I had though they never had until today. My condolences. Whether it’s a propaganda stunt or not these are talented airmen.Details at Wiki on the crash and Blue Angels/seen them twice years ago, willow grove
Actually not at all, the crash happened towards the end of the scheduled routine (so the plane functioned fine for some time). Every move they make is highly coordinated. Maybe you haven’t seen them in action, it’s quite impressive.