thedrifter
10-21-02, 08:12 PM
http://www.mca-marines.org/Leatherneck/BlueAngels.jpg
DARRIN MORTENSON
Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO ---- All eyes turned skyward Saturday as jets and other aircraft cut through the air and performed daredevil aerial stunts for the second day of the three-day air show at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, jets roared above the hundreds of thousands of spectators who came to watch the dozens of military and civilian performers, including the famous Navy Blue Angels, who took to the sky late in the afternoon.
http://www.nctimes.net/news/2002/20021020/1.jpg
Jamie Scott Lytle / Staff Photographer
Nick Roberts, sitting, and Greg Parker, watch the Blue Angles from the top of a wing of a US 130 E Hercules airplane at the Miramar Air Show Saturday afternoon.
Fiery explosions rocked the airfield as F-16 fighters swooped in low for a simulated attack. Lumbering KC-130 tankers refueled Marine helicopters in midair above the crowd. Antique "Red Baron" aircraft spun and stalled and painted the sky with plumes of smoke.
"This is much bigger and better than ever before," said Pete McDonough, a spectator and veteran of both the Korean conflict and Vietnam who said he has attended many air shows in the past. "A wonderful show, a really wonderful show. I'm glad we made it."
Because the popular event was canceled last year for security reasons in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, officials said they expected record crowds this year ---- as many as 400,000 spectators were expected before the day was up.
"We're expecting a huge crowd today, probably the biggest ever at Miramar," said Marine spokesman Lt. Greg Scott.
Scott said that more than 2,000 Marines and Navy personnel and more than 500 civilians participated in the event Saturday, including the many personnel needed to maintain the highest level of security ever at the air show.
Marine police turned away spectators with coolers, backpacks or other large bags, and small armed patrols cruised through the crowds with dogs.
Many drivers were randomly pulled over and politely searched. Marine police checked identification, registration and insurance, while others combed through vehicles, some with the aid of bomb-sniffing dogs. Drivers and passengers were frisked and examined with metal detecting wands.
The searches, however, did not seem too obtrusive for most folks, and droves of people continued to pour onto the base throughout the day, with attendance peaking in the late afternoon as the Blue Angels prepared to fly.
Motorists trying to enter the base from Interstates 805 and 15 idled in long lines throughout the day, some for more than an hour. Lines of traffic snaked nearly from freeway to freeway. Officials said they expect today's crowd to be lighter.
Traffic jams aside, spectators said they loved the show.
Mykal Johnson, 8, said that he liked the "loud noises," and that his favorite part of the show was a Red Baron biplane which was twisting and turning in the sky. The plane went into a stall and dropped toward the earth tail first before pulling out and buzzing the ground.
Holding a miniature balsa wood glider in both hands, Mykal imitated the trick flying above. "Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!" he said, swooping his glider just off the ground in front of his friends.
While thousands filled grandstands or sat on blankets to watch the action, thousands more wandered the sprawling taxiing area where military and law enforcement units displayed their wares and invited the public to walk through aircraft, climb aboard helicopters, mount tanks and aim weapons. Everyone from the Navy SEALs to the Los Angeles Police Department were on display and everything from unit patches to "terrorist body bags" were on sale at concession stands.
"This is the closest (to the military) they can be without being handed a shovel and being told to go dig a foxhole," McDonough said.
Navy diver Jerry Dugan said he was glad to see the interaction between military personnel and the public.
"It's good to see the public come out, especially when you're talking about sending our Marines to the Gulf," he said. "I think a lot of people come to see where all their money goes."
As his father practiced dry-firing an M-240 machine gun at a Marine infantry display, 11-year old Jesse Saunders spun around a bag of posters and other military goodies and begged his mom to move on to the next site ---- a nearby tank.
He and his sister Sandra, both with their faces painted in camouflage, said they were having a good time. He said he wanted to be a "Stealth" bomber pilot when he grew up. He said he hoped to see one fly in the show.
At 1:15 p.m., he got his wish as a Stealth bomber shot off from the runway and faded into the sky to the tune of the "Star Wars" theme song played on the public announcement system.
The Stealth was just one of the dozens of different aircraft and units that will return to perform at the air show today, including F-14 Tomcats, B-2 Stealth bombers, U.S. Army Golden Nights parachute team, Marine Air-Ground assaults, Russian MiGs and the Blue Angels.
The base opens to the public at 9 a.m. and the show continues until 4 p.m.
10/20/02
Sempers,
Roger
DARRIN MORTENSON
Staff Writer
SAN DIEGO ---- All eyes turned skyward Saturday as jets and other aircraft cut through the air and performed daredevil aerial stunts for the second day of the three-day air show at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, jets roared above the hundreds of thousands of spectators who came to watch the dozens of military and civilian performers, including the famous Navy Blue Angels, who took to the sky late in the afternoon.
http://www.nctimes.net/news/2002/20021020/1.jpg
Jamie Scott Lytle / Staff Photographer
Nick Roberts, sitting, and Greg Parker, watch the Blue Angles from the top of a wing of a US 130 E Hercules airplane at the Miramar Air Show Saturday afternoon.
Fiery explosions rocked the airfield as F-16 fighters swooped in low for a simulated attack. Lumbering KC-130 tankers refueled Marine helicopters in midair above the crowd. Antique "Red Baron" aircraft spun and stalled and painted the sky with plumes of smoke.
"This is much bigger and better than ever before," said Pete McDonough, a spectator and veteran of both the Korean conflict and Vietnam who said he has attended many air shows in the past. "A wonderful show, a really wonderful show. I'm glad we made it."
Because the popular event was canceled last year for security reasons in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, officials said they expected record crowds this year ---- as many as 400,000 spectators were expected before the day was up.
"We're expecting a huge crowd today, probably the biggest ever at Miramar," said Marine spokesman Lt. Greg Scott.
Scott said that more than 2,000 Marines and Navy personnel and more than 500 civilians participated in the event Saturday, including the many personnel needed to maintain the highest level of security ever at the air show.
Marine police turned away spectators with coolers, backpacks or other large bags, and small armed patrols cruised through the crowds with dogs.
Many drivers were randomly pulled over and politely searched. Marine police checked identification, registration and insurance, while others combed through vehicles, some with the aid of bomb-sniffing dogs. Drivers and passengers were frisked and examined with metal detecting wands.
The searches, however, did not seem too obtrusive for most folks, and droves of people continued to pour onto the base throughout the day, with attendance peaking in the late afternoon as the Blue Angels prepared to fly.
Motorists trying to enter the base from Interstates 805 and 15 idled in long lines throughout the day, some for more than an hour. Lines of traffic snaked nearly from freeway to freeway. Officials said they expect today's crowd to be lighter.
Traffic jams aside, spectators said they loved the show.
Mykal Johnson, 8, said that he liked the "loud noises," and that his favorite part of the show was a Red Baron biplane which was twisting and turning in the sky. The plane went into a stall and dropped toward the earth tail first before pulling out and buzzing the ground.
Holding a miniature balsa wood glider in both hands, Mykal imitated the trick flying above. "Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!" he said, swooping his glider just off the ground in front of his friends.
While thousands filled grandstands or sat on blankets to watch the action, thousands more wandered the sprawling taxiing area where military and law enforcement units displayed their wares and invited the public to walk through aircraft, climb aboard helicopters, mount tanks and aim weapons. Everyone from the Navy SEALs to the Los Angeles Police Department were on display and everything from unit patches to "terrorist body bags" were on sale at concession stands.
"This is the closest (to the military) they can be without being handed a shovel and being told to go dig a foxhole," McDonough said.
Navy diver Jerry Dugan said he was glad to see the interaction between military personnel and the public.
"It's good to see the public come out, especially when you're talking about sending our Marines to the Gulf," he said. "I think a lot of people come to see where all their money goes."
As his father practiced dry-firing an M-240 machine gun at a Marine infantry display, 11-year old Jesse Saunders spun around a bag of posters and other military goodies and begged his mom to move on to the next site ---- a nearby tank.
He and his sister Sandra, both with their faces painted in camouflage, said they were having a good time. He said he wanted to be a "Stealth" bomber pilot when he grew up. He said he hoped to see one fly in the show.
At 1:15 p.m., he got his wish as a Stealth bomber shot off from the runway and faded into the sky to the tune of the "Star Wars" theme song played on the public announcement system.
The Stealth was just one of the dozens of different aircraft and units that will return to perform at the air show today, including F-14 Tomcats, B-2 Stealth bombers, U.S. Army Golden Nights parachute team, Marine Air-Ground assaults, Russian MiGs and the Blue Angels.
The base opens to the public at 9 a.m. and the show continues until 4 p.m.
10/20/02
Sempers,
Roger