The Blue Angels are a lot of fun to watch.

[Whazzup]

Only thing better than fighter jets is the Space Shuttle, although it's sort of a one-trick pony as far as the show it gives to spectators. But that's one hell of a show. If you've never seen it, go see a shuttle launch from the NASA Causeway.

We're doing the 3-day Disney cruise on December 6th and that afternoon there is a shuttle launch scheduled at NASA. We will be right across the river enjoying our Sailaway Party on the Disney Wonder when that shuttle lifts off. I sure hope it goes off as scheduled. It will be the most awesome thing I've ever seen, and almost close enough to feel the heat.

We were driving home from New Orleans one afternoon, heading east on I-10, when a 747 came flying overhead carrying the Columbia(?) space shuttle on its back. They must have been heading for a stop at Eglin AFB since they were flying so low. We were just coming up to the Florida state line when they flew over. I dove for the camera and hung out the window to take a picture.

[Eeyore Tattoo]

Here are a few of my pictures from the airshow..
Deb

[Whazzup]

Excellent photos!

[Shorty82]

As for the Blue Angels, love 'em, love 'em, love 'em!!! I love airshows in general, but they're my definite faves. My favorite move of theirs is when they have four jets do a slow fly-by in a diamond formation, and when every eye is on them at show center, one of the solos comes from behind them at full afterburner and scares everyone! And just when you barely gasp from that, the second solo comes from behind the crowd over their heads, again at full afterburner, for a second shock immediately after the first!! Even when I know it's coming it thrills me every time!!!

I LOVE that trick! Even though I was expecting it this time it still made me jump, along with the 1,000s of other spectators.

They just did that maneuver a few minutes ago! As we "speak" the Blues are flying their show and should be just about finishing up. Traffic is starting to pour out the gates of the Naval Air Station. If you don't get a running start, it will take hours to get home. Pensacola LOVES its BLUE ANGELS and they always get huge crowds at their two local air shows. We get one every summer on Pensacola Beach and their homecoming show in November at the Navy base. Woot!

That's why I went out the front gate instead of the back gate. :) When I got there yesterday afternoon the tarmac where they park most of the cars was full and the incoming traffic was directed to the next road and into a parking lot there. I wound up in the first lot on that road so was the farthest from the show area. Not sure what I parked outside of but I passed by what looked like where the pilots get their flight suits and the LOX plant walking to the show tarmac.

I joined the crowd exiting right after the Blues finished and didn't have to hard a time getting out of the lot (thanks to the MPs directing traffic). I saw they were letting people turn left so I went that way (most everybody was going right). I know the wayto go where the road forks by the museum that gets you directly to the gates but the "exit traffic" signs pointed to the right fork so I went that way. Passed by the front of Ft. Barrancas and went into the old section of the base, which is normally off limits to civilians, following the signs. I went that way partially because I can't normally without risking an unplanned visit to the brig and wanted to see the base some. I went past a sign saying to prepare to U-turn if not authorized personal just before the fort, a sign saying to U-turn if I wasn't authorized personal just past the fort, and later on a big red sign with a flashing light on it telling unauthorized persons to keep out (same type of sign as they had the entrance to the tarmac and the road I parked on for the show) but I wasn't worried as the exit signs said to go that way. I understand having to make the base more secure but I miss being able to explore and see some of the old buildings and what-not around.

Encountered an idiot driver where the two lanes become one, she stopped right where they came together (she was in the right and I was in the left lane) and wouldn't go, blocking me a little. I pull alongside and she says she is trying to find her way out. I told her so was I and to just follow the signs and went on. A sign said to turn left so I did and I saw in my mirror that she went straight and she looked like she was wondering where I was going. There were plenty of signs set up to get people to the exit and if she would have followed them she would have had no problems. I assume she found her way out eventually.

Here are a few of my pictures from the airshow..
Deb

Love the pictures! I'll have to link to my photos later, I'm having some trouble with my Flickr account ATM.

[Big Wallaby]

Those are very cool pictures.

Shorty, I have to say... a military base is not someplace I would want to be a SG like that lady you met...

[Shorty82]

Yeah, a military base would be a bad place to be a SG. I'm certain that normally being so far in a restricted area of the base (especially after she left the markd route) would result in an unplanned visit to the brig but I'm thinking that with the crowds on base and with the exit route going through normally restricted areas they MPs weren't being as strict as normal and would have sent her on her way with directions to the gate.

This wasn't a sensitive area or anything. Those were probably under even tighter security than normal. Except for the airfield of course. Normally civilians couldn't get near the main airfield.

I don't envy the MPs one bit during the airshow what with thousands of civilians coming onboard and being all over the two main tarmacs and the entire area in between and around them. Base security is fun enough normally probably what with there being three areas onboard that are open to the public, the National Museum of Naval Aviation, Fort Barrancas, and Barrancas National Cemetery.

[Shorty82]

Here's some pics from their 2005 show. I didn't go last year and I didn't worry with my camera this time.

I know I had more pictures than that but Flickr is giving me trouble. They restrict the number of images a LOT more than Yahoo! ever did and while they don't supposedly delete any images I can't get more to show up in there for some reason.

EDIT: Alright, I figured out part of my issue. I deleted a few unwanted sets thinking that got rid of the pictures too but it didn't. I'm going through and deleting the unwanted images now. I may not be able to get all of the images viewable tonight. I need to find some place I can transfer some of my pictures or no more than 50 airshow pics will show up (I don't remember how many I took) as I am not going to delete the 150 pictures from my brother's wedding and am limited to 200 pictures.

[Notatourist]

We're doing the 3-day Disney cruise on December 6th and that afternoon there is a shuttle launch scheduled at NASA. We will be right across the river enjoying our Sailaway Party on the Disney Wonder when that shuttle lifts off. I sure hope it goes off as scheduled. It will be the most awesome thing I've ever seen, and almost close enough to feel the heat.

We were driving home from New Orleans one afternoon, heading east on I-10, when a 747 came flying overhead carrying the Columbia(?) space shuttle on its back. They must have been heading for a stop at Eglin AFB since they were flying so low. We were just coming up to the Florida state line when they flew over. I dove for the camera and hung out the window to take a picture.

How many years ago was this? Remember that Columbia disintegrated a few years back on re-entry so...

[Whazzup]

How many years ago was this? Remember that Columbia disintegrated a few years back on re-entry so...

It's been several years, and the shuttle looked "well-used." It might have been Challenger or one of the others, I really can't remember. Can't even remember if the name of it was visible on the side of the shuttle. I just remember it was really cool that we got to see it so close. It must have landed on the west coast and they were flying it back to Kennedy Space Center.

[Whazzup]

When we left the base after the air show a couple years ago we tried to go out the front gate, and it still took us over an hour just to get off base.

Before 9/11, I used to drive over to the Blue Angels hangar and pick up autographed posters of the Blues from their Public Affairs office to give them to our VIP visitors and a few of my friends. You could just walk in the gate, cross the interior parking area, and go right up into their office spaces. Now there's a cipher lock on the gate. Everything in their hangar is painted blue and gold (BA colors), including the walls. The last poster I got, which I had monogrammed with my name, is of the Blues flying over the World Trade Center while it was still standing. I'm remodeling my spare bedroom into a Disney room, but will save a spot on the wall for that poster.