Saw The Great American Airshow, Received the Great American Air Fryer! (On my Skin!)

     

 This Sunday was a blast, in a literal and figurative sense! I got to see the Great American Airshow commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Air Force, and it was an all-day excursion for us. This was every year thing for me when I was a kid for about 5 years, and then periodically we went as I grew older.  This time, I got to bring my mother who used to organize this whole outing for us when we were kids and bring my son and wife who have never been to the one here in Texas. My son got to witness his first airshow, and he actually loved it! I loved it all too, so much in fact that I ignored the warning for sunscreen because I simply have a great disdain for the way the stuff feels on my skin, but now I'm having second thoughts! I got roasted alive, and my forehead now feels like a chicken crisper that got returned to the air fryer for an extra crispy coating! 

       The burns were one thing, but the walking was the next! I didn't mind walking the whole event, as I got shuttled by one of the Randolph AFB's busses in the morning, but when the show ended, we didn't want to wait for a few hours for the busses to load us back up, because the line for them was ridiculous, so we walked, probably an additional 2 miles or more to the 5 we probably walked around the whole base back and forth. Whew, it was a day to remember for sure! One, because I got quite a collection of photos, on my smart phone no less, and they came out overall really well! The second reason is because I can feel the heat radiating off of my skin as I type this blog. In fact, I was due to write this Sunday night as I was going to report on the whole of airshow, but I was so heat exhausted and crispy, it was a no go after much contemplation!

     The static displays were pretty cool, and I got a good number of shots of Johnny, my son, with the coolest of the cool out of the jets and aircraft. He wasn't sure at first, and kind of scared to go in them, as he is used to not being able to touch things, but some of the pilots and curators for these machines told him to go ahead, and he absolutely loved it! He enjoyed sitting in the old Vietnam era, Huey Helicopter and get to see all the cool instruments they use to control and navigate in the aircraft. He got to touch the gun and sit in the bottom machine gunner port of the PBJ-1, which was a naval bomber used in WWII.

      The Commemorative Air Force, which are a group that commemorate the old and retired planes of the past put on a brief reenactment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, called "Tora! Tora! Tora!", complete with American and Japanese fully restored and maintained fighters and bombers of the 1940's. They had blast charges going off and dog fight simulations that were just an honor to see. It wasn't really a glorification of war in my eyes, but a piece of history that we must never forget, and never repeat. They even explained that to the crowd, which I loved and agree that knowing our history, as painful as it is, will only make or future that much brighter. The realization worked for me personally, so I don't see why it can't help us all together as a people. Now discussing the different versions of history is a whole other story entirely and learning all sides of the history helps us fully complete our understanding of the circumstances, environments and positions of the people from that time.

     The Thunderbirds were an obvious hit, as they always are and remain the closing demonstration for the airshow. The red, white, and blue F-16 Fighting Falcons put on an amazing show that had the audience captivated and stopped in their tracks. Their nail-biting maneuvers of close calls, and precision, simultaneous movements make them a must see for any airshow! The other little treat that I enjoyed seeing, but did not capture in time was the heritage flight of the P-51 Mustang from WWII and the current top-dog in aviation the F-35 Lightning II. They flew side by side after an amazing demonstration from the F-35 that left me in awe! That thing can switch positions on a dime!  

Johnny in front of the F-35 Lightning II!

       Now that I am home, and burnt horribly and recovering from mild heat exhaustion, I can say that it was every bit worth it, but it can also wait another year before we decide to do that again!  Next time, I'll just get the dry sport sunscreen, as I was told, and deal with the fact I have stuff on my skin, cause now I have a new layer of air-fried chicken skin! Protect yourself outside this year guys, UV damage is no joke! LOL Have a good summer, guys!