One of my favorite things to do has always been watching planes take off and land. I'm a huge fan of air shows too . . . the Navy's Blue Angels and the Air Force's Thunderbirds . . . are the coolest of the cool! These two teams of special forces pilots have been doing demonstrations for years, and to be selected to fly one of their jets, you've got to be the cream of the crop where pilots are concerned!
Of course, being a Navy Pilot was always a dream of mine . . .
In Spain, after church, Dad would occasionally take us to the base air terminal for lunch; this was HUGE for me! Not only did I get to watch planes land, but I'd also be allowed to get my favorite treat . . . a sugar cookie that was bigger than my hand!
Rota was a huge airbase, so lots of different types of planes could land. The jets were so fast, and they spit fire on takeoff! Just hearing their engines rev made my heart pound . . .
. . . as I watched, I'd crush my cookie to pieces . . .
. . . so I could eat it with a spoon!
Who knows why I did that.
Out of all the planes that were housed on base though, the C-130 Hercules was the one I looked forward to seeing the most! IT. WAS. HUGE. It certainly wasn't the largest plane used in the military (it ranks about #9 currently) around the world, but it was the largest one that landed on the base when we were there. 98' long . . . 133' wingspan . . . it was capable of using unprepared runways . . . holds the world record for the heaviest plane to land on an aircraft carrier . . . will carry utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles inside . . . can airdrop loads up to 42,000 pounds! It's been used for aerial refueling, maritime patrol, airborne assault, search and rescue, a gunship, aerial firefighting, troop transport, medevac, and cargo transport. It's been used in civilian and humanitarian aid operations as well . . . is still being built today! The C-130 Hercules is the longest continuously produced military aircraft . . . built by Lockheed and Lockheed-Martin . . . at over 60 years!
She looked so graceful landing . . . and I watched . . . nose and hands pressed to the windows . . . the last of those cookie crumbs on my chin.
The Blue Angels even have one that they use in their air shows. We were lucky to live on a Naval Air Base . . . at least I thought we were!
And they are capable of creating "angel wings" with the flares they carry . . . purported to have a practical military purpose: a defensive decoy to defeat surface to air missiles! Look how beautiful it is!
No comments:
Post a Comment