Saturday, April 18, 2009
At the Corpus Christi Airshow I had an opportunity to take a media ride in Fat Albert Airlines.
I was allowed to photograph not only the aircraft close up but the pilots,crew, and what goes on behind the scenes as they got ready to start the show. What an amazing experience!
Checking in at the designated meeting point with MC1 Joseph Reynoso, Public Affairs Supervisor and SK2 Josh Rivera, Logistics.
After the paperwork was signed we were escorted out to the aircraft by GySgt Donny Pharr. We were allowed to walk around and check out Fat Albert up close while we waited to be further briefed by the pilots. The heat was oppressive on the black asphalt tarmac and yet every member of the crew managed to look crisp in their uniforms. They answered any questions we had while they prepared for our flight. They seemed genuinely happy to share this experience with everyone especially with their fellow members of the military.
I couldn’t find a chip in the paint anywhere!
It was so clean you could see the pilots reflections as they walked by the aircraft.
The pilots Major Drew Hess and Major Brendan Burks arrived and briefed the crew in preparation for the flight. After the briefing, he gave us a “cliff notes” version of the maneuvers so the rest of us would understand on what was going to happen during the flight.
The crew members say any seat in Fat Albert is a great seat and they were right. I was assigned one of the window seats in back. There are also a couple of seats up front with the pilots and a seat in the back called “The Bubble” that you need a ladder to get to…it’s an observation window on top of the aircraft!
Once I was buckled in and my airsickness bag placed in a strategic spot for quick access (we had been briefed earlier on the proper technique). I watched the crew run some pre-flight checks and then we were off with a slow taxi to the runway.
You really sense the speed as you start down the runway. The noise is almost deafening but you can still hear over it the loud cheers of all the passengers on board. The landing gear is raised while only inches off the runway and after accelerating in “ground effect” for a few seconds the aircraft pitched rapidly to 45 degrees nose up rocketing into the sky. You become instantly aware of the weight of your body as you sink back into the chair.
(left: AE1 Richard Fenters, center: GySgt Adam Church, and right: AM2 Nathan Widner)
After climbing a few thousand feet in just seconds, the pilots pushed the nose over to level off causing the 3 crew members in back to experience Zero G… floating weightless heels over head for seconds.
A sharp bank allowed me to grab a photo of the runway where we had just taken off.
It was amazing opportunity to experience the capability of the Hercules C-130. The flight was a demonstration of teamwork, professionalism, and precision at every point of contact with members of the Blue Angels.
Special thanks to Captain Tyson Dunkelberger, Blue Angels Public Affairs Officer for the opportunity to document the Blue Angels crew and Fat Albert Airlines, MC1 Joseph Reynoso Public Affairs Supervisor for helping coordinate the flight, Major Drew Hess and Major Brendan Burks for the amazing demonstration of the extreme capabilities of the C-130 Hercules and the crew for ensuring that Fat Albert Airlines was ready for take-off.
Thanks for the opportunity to document the view of the airshow from your perspective!
To see more images from the flight please visit the attached link
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