thedrifter
07-17-09, 08:14 AM
July 17, 2009
2 Blue Angels help bring wows home
BY CECIL ANGEL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The six blue jets skillfully soaring across the sky Thursday morning over Willow Run Airport drew the eyes of motorists and employees at nearby businesses.
The Blue Angels were back in town.
As the main attraction of this year's Chrysler Jeep Superstores Thunder Over Michigan Air Show on Saturday and Sunday, the members of the world-renowned flight demonstration squad are expected to wow audiences with maneuvers such as the Diamond Dirty Loop and the Delta Break Out.
The U.S. Naval and Marine Corps pilots and support staff also are to visit hospitals and schools as they spread goodwill and do recruiting for the armed forces. For two of the members, the trip was an opportunity to return to the state where they grew up.
Sgt Adam Church, 33, a flight mechanic on Fat Albert Airlines, a C130 that carries maintenance personnel and 30,000 pounds of equipment for the Blue Angels, graduated from Belleville High School and has been in the Marines for 14 years. He has been a Blue Angel for more than a year.
"It's awesome being a part of it," Church said. "It's just exhilarating, the rush that you get from going out and doing our performance."
Maj. Nathan Miller, a Marine Corps pilot, is stationed at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., as are his fellow Blue Angels. He entered the U.S. Air Force Academy after he graduated from Lapeer West High School in 1991.
"I saw 'Top Gun' when I was 13," said Miller, 35. "I saw that movie and said flying looks pretty cool. I think I'd like to try that."
He's in his third and final year of his tour as a Blue Angel.
"I really believe in the mission of the Blue Angels" Miller said as he stood near his Boeing F/A18 Hornet. "It's really magical what you're able to do -- and very humbling at the same time."
Contact CECIL ANGEL: 313-223-4531 or angel@freepress.com
Additional Facts
If you want to go
What: Chrysler Jeep Superstores "Thunder Over Michigan" Air Show
Who: The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are to perform; and Vietnam and Battlefield Europe reenactments featuring vintage aircraft.
Where: Willow Run Airport in Van Buren Township
When: Gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Cost: $20 in advance for adults; $25 at the gate. Children under 15 years old free. Parking is $5.
To buy tickets: 888-695-0888 or www.yankeeairmuseum.org.
Ellie
2 Blue Angels help bring wows home
BY CECIL ANGEL
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
The six blue jets skillfully soaring across the sky Thursday morning over Willow Run Airport drew the eyes of motorists and employees at nearby businesses.
The Blue Angels were back in town.
As the main attraction of this year's Chrysler Jeep Superstores Thunder Over Michigan Air Show on Saturday and Sunday, the members of the world-renowned flight demonstration squad are expected to wow audiences with maneuvers such as the Diamond Dirty Loop and the Delta Break Out.
The U.S. Naval and Marine Corps pilots and support staff also are to visit hospitals and schools as they spread goodwill and do recruiting for the armed forces. For two of the members, the trip was an opportunity to return to the state where they grew up.
Sgt Adam Church, 33, a flight mechanic on Fat Albert Airlines, a C130 that carries maintenance personnel and 30,000 pounds of equipment for the Blue Angels, graduated from Belleville High School and has been in the Marines for 14 years. He has been a Blue Angel for more than a year.
"It's awesome being a part of it," Church said. "It's just exhilarating, the rush that you get from going out and doing our performance."
Maj. Nathan Miller, a Marine Corps pilot, is stationed at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., as are his fellow Blue Angels. He entered the U.S. Air Force Academy after he graduated from Lapeer West High School in 1991.
"I saw 'Top Gun' when I was 13," said Miller, 35. "I saw that movie and said flying looks pretty cool. I think I'd like to try that."
He's in his third and final year of his tour as a Blue Angel.
"I really believe in the mission of the Blue Angels" Miller said as he stood near his Boeing F/A18 Hornet. "It's really magical what you're able to do -- and very humbling at the same time."
Contact CECIL ANGEL: 313-223-4531 or angel@freepress.com
Additional Facts
If you want to go
What: Chrysler Jeep Superstores "Thunder Over Michigan" Air Show
Who: The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are to perform; and Vietnam and Battlefield Europe reenactments featuring vintage aircraft.
Where: Willow Run Airport in Van Buren Township
When: Gates open at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Cost: $20 in advance for adults; $25 at the gate. Children under 15 years old free. Parking is $5.
To buy tickets: 888-695-0888 or www.yankeeairmuseum.org.
Ellie