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Bob Dingley
04-03-2014, 02:07 PM
Yesterday, I took my visiting in-laws out to Pensacola NAS to watch the Blue Angel's 11:30 practice session.They had never seen them perform before. The paper reported 25,000 showed up for last weeks practice and everyone says that yesterdays count was even more. We parked at the Naval Aviation Museum and walked through the gate to the museum's parking ramp. I set up my lawn chair next to the wreckage of the latest SBD to come out of Lake Michigan. Regrettably, Fat Albert was parked nearby, now in retirement.


The practice was great. Started with all six. #4 dropped out after 10 minutes, but rejoined later. I expected the flat show because I estimated Wx as 10 mi and 2,500 thin scattered that went to thin bkn. But they did the high show anyway. Highlight was an inverted (300 ft) low pass by a solo ship that snuck up behind us. Low point was when I had camera failure. We all missed the Blues during their year long stand down.


We passed up the autograph session and lunch in the museum and went direct to McGuires Irish Pub & Brewery for burgers and stout. Earlier years it would have been at Trader Johns, rest his soul.


Bob