WHEN? Friday · July 11
WHERE? Pensacola Beach, Florida · find us on the map
Organizers of the annual Pensacola Beach Air Show know how to plan for a crowd, and its performers sure know how to please one. Although the show is held on a Saturday afternoon each July, we attended its Friday dress rehearsal ... and congratulated ourselves for doing so! Saturday's 50% chance of rain forecast turned into a windy downpour that interrupted the show and prevented the Blue Angels from performing that afternoon. But the show must go on: The Angels quickly scheduled a same-time/same-place performance for the following day — and you betcha their fans returned to whoop and holler at it.
Outstanding performances:
= Opening number: Fat Albert, a Transport C-130 hercules aircraft that's permanently assigned to support the Blue Angels
= Aerobatics::
- Gary Ward's state-of-the-art MX2
- From Columbus, Mississippi: Ken "K9" Appezzato in his VORTEX Eagle
- The AeroShell Aerobatic Team
= Helicopter rescue demonstration by the U.S. Coast Guard
= Grand finale: The Navy’s famous flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels
The planes' white con-trails resembled roller coasters in the clouds, and were oftentimes the only photo I ended up with. Since their lightning-speed* maneuvers were more challenging to my amateur photography skills than I'd bargained on, I recommend Pensacola News Journal's Blue Angels full dress rehearsal photo gallery.
*And speaking of lightning ... according to local reports, four of Saturday's spectators ended up in a local emergency room for lightening-related injuries.
See more of today's photos:
Pensacola Beach air show on flickr
And if this looks sorta familiar ...
The Blue Angels have ended up on our travelblog several other times since last summer:
- Angels above 7/27/2007
- Return of the Blue Angels 10/25/2007
- Home of the Blue Angels 1/21/2008
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