My spouse and I went to the Fort Wayne Air Show today. It was a great show with lots of exciting acts. The Thunderbirds (officially the United States Air Force Demonstration Squadron) were spectacular. This was the first air show I've gone to in a long time and I learned some things from it.
Here are my take-aways from the show (some we did, some we should have done):
Arrive really early. The lines are exceedingly long about 10am.
Be sure you have your picture ID with you. It will be a long walk back to your car to get it.
Wear a big floppy sun hat, use lots of sunscreen.
If, after standing in line for an hour and finally getting inside the gate, two cute young coeds in a golf cart offer you a ride to the area you have tickets for, say "Yes, please," hop on, and hold on tight. It will be a wild ride but worth every bounce.
Try to spot some landmarks to help you remember where you parked your car. This is not easy when the "parking lot" is a huge field of trampled down weeds.
Drink more water, less beer and wine.
Wear sturdy walking shoes.
I have decided that I never ever want to ride in an airplane that flies straight up, then straight back down, leveling out at the last possible moment. Never, not even if it is a cute little bi-plane.
I'm pretty sure that several of the stunts we saw were optical illusions. Planes are simply not made to flip over or spin around while plummeting from ridiculous heights.
Thunderbird pilots are insane.
If a kind person offers you a bottle of water, take it with thanks.
Hiking through the horrible weed field, finding your car and bouncing your way across the field to finally reach a road to take you towards home will not be the best part of your day, but the AC will feel so good that you just won't mind.
My wonder spouse took this picture, another aerial act not the Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds moved much too fast for good pictures, at least on a phone camera.
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