Wings Over Houston

The weekend before last, Toby's dad managed to hook us up with some VIP passes to the Wings Over Houston airshow. (Because, well, we're kind of a big deal.) I must admit, it's probably been somewhere close to 15 - 20 years since I've actually gone to a real airshow, but I remember the Blue Angels like it was yesterday. I have no idea where my fascination of jet engines originated, but when I hear one roar over head (a rare occasion), and so close to the ground, it absolutely captivates me.

After fighting through two hours of traffic to finally get to the hanger where we could park, our anger and road rage eased a bit with a great BBQ lunch provided by some aviation company at Ellington. We had pretty good seats where we could sit in the shade and still have a good view of the show. When we arrived, they began with a Pearl Harbor reenactment - complete with Japanese and American planes and bombs (no, not real ones).

There were several planes that served as a tribute to the many generations of planes that participated in various wars. Apologies for not being more of an airplane or history guru; otherwise, I could probably tell you what each of the planes are.

If I remember correctly, what was unique about this formation was that it captured 4 generations of planes that played a significant role in the wars from our history. And of course, the loudest and coolest of all, was the F-15. It was by far my fave... only because of its purr... or roar.

There was also this insane stunt pilot who had me convinced several times that he had actually lost control of his plane. It was seriously crazy, but we were definitely intrigued that a plane could perform those maneuvers and recover before crashing into the ground.

And yes, in the pictures below, there is actually someone on the top of the plane. She.. yes... SHE... (girl power!) was doing loops and flips and all sorts of things on the top of that plane.

And of course, the highlight of the show... the Blue Angels. They started off with Fat Albert - that's the C-130 that has the capability to take off on short runways and climb at a 45 degree angle and it flies at an incredibly high rate of a speed for a C-130.

I'm not sure I had as much appreciation for the Blue Angels when I was a kid... in fact, I know I didn't - not as much as I do now. Did you know that they can actually fly with their wings merely 18 inches apart??? Below is a picture. They look as though they're just one unit - or flying on top of one another.

Other pics of the Blue Angels.... Yay Navy!