air show 2008

Last Sunday, I went to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho with Candice and Spencer. I really really wanted to go to a show this year, and since I'll be out of town over the Nellis show, Mountain Home was the next closest. Candice and Spencer were nice enough to come too, even though we left Layton at 7am. If you know any of us, you know that being awake that early is painful.
Mountain Home is kind of a weird place. The base is out in the middle of no where. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of people there though. The sun was shining, the sky was pretty clear, and yes, I got a sunburn. But it was worth it.
Here's a few pictures from our Idaho adventure:

They had a lot of static displays, where you could get close to military aircraft and vehicles. This is me and Candice on an Army tank. We got to go inside too. It was pretty small. There was a soldier who showed us how they would hypothetically load the cannon. That is a serious piece of hardware that means some serious business.

They let us into the cockpit of a C-17, which is a massive cargo plane. You can tell from the heads up display that I'm in the pilot seat. I'm sure it's quite an experience to fly a plane as big as a C-17.

This is such a beautiful jet -- the F-22 Raptor! It's the one of the most advanced aircraft in the world. It has stealth technology with the agility of a combat fighter jet. This thing can turn on a dime! It was really awesome to get to be so close to it. So pretty!

Now for the really great part, my most favorite, and the main reason for driving to Idaho of all places...the Thunderbirds!

This is the Diamond in Review.

This is the Delta Formation, where the two solo pilots join up with the Diamond.

I wish we would have gotten a picture of one of the spectators who was near us. She was probably about two, this cute little red-headed girl who was watching from her dad's shoulders. She was so excited! Every time one of the Thunderbirds crossed by show center, she would clap and wave and cheer. Spencer called her a "mini Ames." That was one of my favorite parts, just seeing how happy this girl was, because I was feeling the exact same thing.

This is my favorite picture from the show. Good job Candice! This is the Diamond in Trail Formation. Major Malachowski, from last year, said that this was one of the most complicated moves, because if you move upward or downward too much, there's another jet right there. These pilots are absolutely amazing and I have so much respect for what they do, not just as demonstration pilots, but as combat aviators who defend our great country.

And at the end of the day, a good time was had by all.