With jumpsuits zipped and helmets secured, the Air Force Thunderbirds took to the sky Thursday and Friday, preparing for the weekend’s Chennault International Airshow.
And two flights in the F-16 fighter jets included guest passengers: Barbe baseball coach Glenn Cecchini and softball star Jennie Finch.
After suiting up in “Thunderbird Celebrity” jumpsuits — and engaging in three hours of training on the plane’s various buttons, gauges and safety features — Cecchini and Finch each jetted off for hourlong flights full of twists, loops and rolls.
Each plane soared over 14,000 feet, with an acceleration exceeding 9 G’s.
The feeling, Cecchini said, was “exhilarating.”
“Besides getting married and having kids, it was the best experience of my life,” he said.
The Thursday afternoon flight was intense, Cecchini said: high speeds, quick turns and “so much pressure you felt like you were going to burst.”
Flying with the Thunderbirds has been a lifelong bucket list item, Cecchini said.
Cecchini’s pilot, Lt. Col. Kevin Walsh, said the team takes civilians up in flights weekly.
“Some people love it, and some people don’t,” Walsh said. “And some people have a hard time but still love it anyway.”
Walsh, in his second year with the Thunderbirds, has been flying F-16 jets for 13 years.
Finch’s flight, piloted by Capt. Erik Gonsalves, took off Friday morning, embarking on the same round of twists and turns and passing over Finch’s Sulphur home, where her three kids watched.
Finch, a longtime supporter of the Wounded Warrior Project, was particularly touched by the chance to engage with military members.
“I have the utmost respect for every single one of you — just gratitude for everything you do, the way you do it,” Finch told the Thunderbirds assembled after the flight. “It’s been an honor to be around you today.”
After their respective flights, Finch and Cecchini each received framed photos of the Thunderbird jets in flight over Las Vegas, plus a certificate signed by their pilots.
When asked if she’d fly again, Finch smiled: “I would.”
from American Press: Your Best News And Advertising Source - Home http://ift.tt/2pxjIYc
0 التعليقات:
Post a Comment