F/A-22 to make appearance at U.S. Air Force Academy parade

"Kurt R. Todoroff" wrote in message
...
How far do you live from the Zoo? Did you have an opportunity to see the
F/A-22 from your house? Every current and former USAF pilot in the stands
was
talking about the Raptor incessantly after its appearance. A friend of
mine,
who has been my childrens' Academy sponsor for the previous five years,
and I
seldom talk about flying in our former USAF days when we met during my
trips to
visit my children. However, neither one of us could stop talking about
the
Raptor during and after its appearance. It was breaktaking.

What, exactly, was the breath taking about it?
Seriously, I understood it to just be a fairly routine flyby.

What, exactly, was the breath taking about it?
Seriously, I understood it to just be a fairly routine flyby.

John,

Had the Raptor made a simple unaccompanied pass over the parade field, as is
often done by other aircraft during USAFA parades, then "routine" might
describe the event. However, this Raptor made the flyby as an adjunct to a
USAF photographic flight over the Academy. The white and orange chase F-16 was
a station wagon model that carried a USAF photographer in the back seat. The
Raptor made numerous passes over the parade field, the Cadet area, near the
chapel, near the mountains while performing steep banks and climbs for the
benefit of the photographer. The F-16's position during these passes was
clearly to photograph the Raptor with the Academy buildings and environment as
a backdrop.

However, even after 1,600 hours of fighter time, countless open houses and
airshows that I have attended as well as participated in, and many Thunderbird
performances that I have watched, a low altitude flyby for my benefit (as a
spectator) still puts a lump in my throat and gives me a strong exhilaration.
I'm sure it will do this to me until I take my last breath. Flying is in my
blood! I got excited at the anticipation of flying my father's Cessna 172
after I left the USAF prior to each flight up until he recently sold it. The
pilot of the aircraft need not throw the machine all over the sky for the flyby
to excite me (although it certainly helps!). For me, a flyby may be routine,
but being "routine" does not diminish the pleasure and excitement that it gives
me. I'm not alone.



Kurt Todoroff


Markets, not mandates and mob rule.
Consent, not compulsion.

However, even after 1,600 hours of fighter time, countless open houses and
airshows that I have attended as well as participated in, and many
Thunderbird
performances that I have watched, a low altitude flyby for my benefit (as a
spectator) still puts a lump in my throat and gives me a strong exhilaration.

I'm sure it will do this to me until I take my last breath.

Well Kurt, if we can get the tankers back up, I could probably arrange for you
to ride along in the C-54 at some point.
Certainly not during the fire season, but during a reposition back to the
tanker base at the end of season.

Not quite a D model Vark, but at least you can get up, walk around.




Ron
Tanker 65, C-54E (DC-4)
Silver City Tanker Base

Well Kurt, if we can get the tankers back up, I could probably arrange for
you
to ride along in the C-54 at some point.
Certainly not during the fire season, but during a reposition back to the
tanker base at the end of season.

Not quite a D model Vark, but at least you can get up, walk around.

Ron,

Bring that bird by here and I'll accept!

You don't need cosmic avionics and big cookers to have fun slipping the
surlies. My restaurant customers often ask me to compare flying an Air Force
fighter to a Cessna 172. I reply that it is better to be up there flying
"anything" than it is to be down here flying "nothing". They usually get the
message.

How is that C-54 floor treating your knees?

;-)



Kurt Todoroff


Markets, not mandates and mob rule.
Consent, not compulsion.

Ron,

Bring that bird by here and I'll accept!

You don't need cosmic avionics and big cookers to have fun slipping the
surlies. My restaurant customers often ask me to compare flying an Air Force
fighter to a Cessna 172. I reply that it is better to be up there flying
"anything" than it is to be down here flying "nothing". They usually get the
message.

How is that C-54 floor treating your knees?

;-)

Well you would probably have to bring yourself out to wherever the plane it,
providing we can get them back in duty, at the end of the season.

Did give some women tours of the plane, season got cut short before I could
give them that kind of tour!


Ron
Tanker 65, C-54E (DC-4)
Silver City Tanker Base