thedrifter
05-06-07, 10:03 AM
May 6, 2007 - 12:00AM
Stealth bomber draws eyes
SUE BOOK
FREEDOM ENC
CHERRY POINT - Now you see it. Now you don't.
The star of the skies for many at the Cherry Point Air Show Saturday was a first real-life look at a Stealth bomber.
Agile, quiet and lightening fast, it was a hit for Jonathan Baker, a high school ROTC member who traveled with his family from Oxford, a town north of Raleigh, for the weekend air show.
The B-2 Spirit Bomber was the essence of "awesome," the word that came to the lips of countless sky-gazers whose spirits soared with the experience.
The 69-foot long plane with a 172-foot wingspan flies at top speeds and altitudes that are still classified. It gained its stealth name because it leaves a low-visibility radar signature that makes the plane virtually undetectable.
Baker said he was also impressed with the F/A-18C Hornets and the AV-8B Harrier.
"A military career is a possibility for me," he said, though he admitted his mind isn't set on becoming a pilot.
More than 100,000 people had filed through the gates for the Friday night show and Saturday's events, according to estimates from Cherry Point spokesmen.
The weather was mild, with overcast skies and winds still slow enough to let stunt planes perform and the skies glitter with aerobatics.
That may not be the case today. The National Weather Service is calling for rain in the morning and some gusty winds, possibly as high as 40 mph for the last day of the air show.
Thunder was heard Saturday, but it was no thunderstorm. Explosions from Tora, Tora, Tora, the World War II re-enactment group, as well as the Marine Air Ground Task Force, rumbled through the air.
The MAGTF demonstration featured Marines making a mock landing with air support by Marine aircraft and backed on the ground by artillery.
"It shows how we do all these things," said Cpl. J.D. Hamel, Cherry Point spokesman. "We can do it all. It's good to see."
Those attending wandered through planes on the ground and got close-up looks at the weapons Marines use in their jobs.
"People are happy they were able to come on the base and see what we do, especially after what happened Thursday," Hamel said of the US-2B Grumman Tracker that crashed on the way to the air show and left two of five crewmen hospitalized.
The show continues today with gates open at 8 a.m. and flight demonstrations beginning at 9:45 a.m.
Ellie
Stealth bomber draws eyes
SUE BOOK
FREEDOM ENC
CHERRY POINT - Now you see it. Now you don't.
The star of the skies for many at the Cherry Point Air Show Saturday was a first real-life look at a Stealth bomber.
Agile, quiet and lightening fast, it was a hit for Jonathan Baker, a high school ROTC member who traveled with his family from Oxford, a town north of Raleigh, for the weekend air show.
The B-2 Spirit Bomber was the essence of "awesome," the word that came to the lips of countless sky-gazers whose spirits soared with the experience.
The 69-foot long plane with a 172-foot wingspan flies at top speeds and altitudes that are still classified. It gained its stealth name because it leaves a low-visibility radar signature that makes the plane virtually undetectable.
Baker said he was also impressed with the F/A-18C Hornets and the AV-8B Harrier.
"A military career is a possibility for me," he said, though he admitted his mind isn't set on becoming a pilot.
More than 100,000 people had filed through the gates for the Friday night show and Saturday's events, according to estimates from Cherry Point spokesmen.
The weather was mild, with overcast skies and winds still slow enough to let stunt planes perform and the skies glitter with aerobatics.
That may not be the case today. The National Weather Service is calling for rain in the morning and some gusty winds, possibly as high as 40 mph for the last day of the air show.
Thunder was heard Saturday, but it was no thunderstorm. Explosions from Tora, Tora, Tora, the World War II re-enactment group, as well as the Marine Air Ground Task Force, rumbled through the air.
The MAGTF demonstration featured Marines making a mock landing with air support by Marine aircraft and backed on the ground by artillery.
"It shows how we do all these things," said Cpl. J.D. Hamel, Cherry Point spokesman. "We can do it all. It's good to see."
Those attending wandered through planes on the ground and got close-up looks at the weapons Marines use in their jobs.
"People are happy they were able to come on the base and see what we do, especially after what happened Thursday," Hamel said of the US-2B Grumman Tracker that crashed on the way to the air show and left two of five crewmen hospitalized.
The show continues today with gates open at 8 a.m. and flight demonstrations beginning at 9:45 a.m.
Ellie