Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Zoom Zoom

Though sore and bruised, I managed to attend the McConnell AFB Open House on July 14th along with over 101,000 (good heavens!!!) enthusiastic souls and it was well worth the extra effort. After all the excessive rain and constant clouds we endured during the week, a sunshiny Saturday greeted the assembled masses. Nothing quite beats uniting with a huge (sweaty), happy crowd watching the talented zoomies do their thang. Decked out in my Cleveland Browns regalia complete with Browns earrings (that look similar to this), I accompanied my bro-in-law, his son, and sis to the action-packed show. I even got a “Go Browns!” within the first 10 minutes of arriving thanks to "wearing the colors." No airshow is complete without refreshing beer and though I snubbed the ‘lites,’ I thoroughly enjoyed downing several plastic cups of "Flying Monkey" from the Miller tent. Good job, guys! Also, thanks to the sweltering day, bottled water was passed out with abandon. You all know the drill. First you stake out your spot and plunk down the folding canvas chairs (fittingly, mine is a Blue Angels one) for maximum viewing pleasure. Then you head for the static displays and ooh and ah over their sleek power and macho image (the planes, silly, though this could certainly apply to the sexy flight suits snugly covering their flirty owners.) And while you would love to take the time to walk through the wide array of choices, time is of the essence and your selection must be pared down to a limited few. This year, sis and I picked the Osprey and the AWACS plane (out of Tinker AFB) to scrutinize. While in line for the AWACS, we naturally got to visiting with fellow aircraft enthusiasts patiently waiting to snake their way to the front. Darn if I didn’t hear a voice in the back saying, “Indians.” I whipped around to discover the guy directly behind me sporting an Indians ball cap! Apparently this spot was Buckeye Central as the guy behind him also hailed from my home state. Of course, this started the conversational ball rolling and we yakked away the rest of the wait time with him and his wife. After the informative tour, it was back to our chairs to catch those high-flying daredevils, the ever-popular Blue Angels. I may have viewed their air acrobats many times before but they never fail to thrill, amaze and leave me with shivery goosebumps. It wasn’t until leaving the grounds that the true ramifications of the relentless, beating sun hit me with full force and I thought I was going to pass out from heat exhaustion before reaching the car. Apparently I wasn’t the only one as I heard from another coworker who was there who said she’d been told the base hospital was full of affected spectators who had succumbed and been rushed to the facility. Though getting somewhat sunburned and certainly dehydrated, I still had a wonderful time and am counting the days till the next one. ; )

10 comments:

thephoenixnyc said...

Air shows ROCK. Ther is one coming up here soon. They will have one of only 12 working B-17's left in the world. A 30 minute ride costs $400...

Circe said...

Wow! Sounds exciting!!! I just love airshows and if I had the time (and money though this one was free) would go to one every month. :)

CruiserMel said...

I've never been to an air show. I like the sound of it though. At least I like the sound of the other folks there. I'm sure they have stuff like that around here, but I just haven't paid attention. Very cool.

Are you from Cleveland? I'm going up there in a couple of weeks.....anything I should do of a touristy nature? (besides the R&R HOF)

Circe said...

Yes I sure am! Let me think...the last time sis and I flew back was a Labor Day weekend and we did an Indians game, a Browns exhibition game and the Cleveland airshow. Would have liked to have done Taste of Cleveland too. Definitely R&R HOF and just walking around the shore there is kinda fun. If you see East 9th St. Pier, you must think of little Circe fishing off it with her dad!!! (weren't we brave souls?) Oh, and walk around Tower City and go up the Terminal Tower. And check out the huge rubber stamp sculpture downtown that says "Free". Can I come too???!!!

TC said...

Please send rain to me.

It's been weeks.

Thank you.

Forever grateful,

TC

Queen of the Mayhem said...

The last time we went to an airshow...we found out the bottled water and beer cost the same amount of money. You can only imagine which one Mr. Mayhem chose to enjoy! By the end of the show...I was NOT loving him! :)

weatherchazer said...

Air shows are great! I've been to one- which is a shame considering how close I am to Cherry Point!

Kranki said...

My dad would have loved this show. He just went to the Arlington Air Show and said it was better this year. We used to go to the Abbotsford Air Show as kids. Frankly, I'd probably only go now to scope out the cute pilots.

CruiserMel said...

Circe - Okay, we're going to a concert at the Tower Amphitheatre (staying near that), so we'll check that whole area out. I think we're doing some big estate / botanical garden place, too??????? Thanks for the ideas.

SURE - get packing and I'll pick you up on the way!

Circe said...

Kranki--scoping out the cute pilots is at least half the fun, but don't forget your heart belongs to that fireman! :)

Cruiser--maybe it's here?
http://www.cbgarden.org/

*getting my party pants on* :)