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US NAVY BLUE Angels - 10/22/06

All images below are links to larger photographs. Click the image to view the larger photo.

If you read my Blog Posting on 10/22 then you know that it was a day of strange encounters... Fighting Artichokes as well as Fighter Jets. For those who don't have a clue what I'm talking about then here's a recap: not only did I discover the absolute strangest school nickname when I rode over to Scottsdale Community College to see a friend play basketball but I also had an unexpected and close (enough) encounter while leaving my neighborhood w/the US Navy's Blue Angels. The ride started like this:

I was just meandering down the road, listening to Gwen Stephanie tell me “It's My Life” while enjoying the 80 degree “fall” weather here in AZ. As I topped a small hill I was passed by a fighter jet. Let me repeat that. A fighter jet. Yeah, as in Top Gun, Tom Cruise, machy-mach freakin' F-A-S-T jet airplane. Of course, I elected to pull to the side of the road since I couldn't keep my eyes on the road while this jet proceeded to fly by me again, do a twirling loop of some kind then go straight up and fall straight down. Since I had my camera in the tank bag I thought getting a photo or two would be kinda cool given I know a youngster who is an airplane fanatic. I had just dismounted the bike when the pilot was making another seemingly eye level pass and though I was unable to get the “eye level” pic I did get this:

As soon as he passed I heard a roar from the other side of the road and saw this:

I wasn't the only person who had pulled over with jaw dropped. There were several of us standing rather dumbfounded staring into the sky. Statements ranged from “maybe they're looking for Osama” to “does our HOA (Home Owners Assoc) allow this?” to my offering that perhaps it was the latest version of the US Border Patrol. Thankfully a more informed resident later arrived and explained the F/A-18s were the US Navy's Blue Angels who were practicing for an upcoming show.

So, I got the information about the show and headed on to my friend's hoop event. Once inside the gym what I saw on the playing floor left me once again jaw dropped and staring! This is what I saw:

Fighting Artichokes? You gotta be kidding?! As a former hoopster myself I've been in countless gyms from coast to coast and NEVER, EVER have I seen (or heard) such a strange school nickname. C'mon, most school nicknames at least have a pulse like the Bears or Tigers or Mustangs... but a vegetable? (Ok, well, they did play with a lot of, er, heart). In my opinion Fighting Artichokes tops the UC Santa Cruz “Banana Slugs” for the top spot in the weirdest school nicknames category.

Once back to my house a friend called and asked about my day. I told him it involved Fighting Artichokes and Fighter Jets. At first I thought the call dropped since I didn't hear a response but after a long pause he said “please tell me you're doing a ride report on this?!”

I did drop by the air show but I have to say that trying to take a photo of jets doing close to mach-1 is not very easy, especially for someone who has the photography skills of, say, an artichoke but here are a few pics:

I was told they fly 18” apart-YIKES! Here's four together:

and then a blink of an eye later the same four, which looks like just a pair:

The Blue Angels version of a wheelie:

Ok, so you fly upside down and I'll fly right beside you, ok?

Hey, that was cool let's get a third in here to join this fun!

Hey, let's fly upside down towards each other!

I really don't know how these pilots do these tricks since I got dizzy just watching them!

Webmaster Note: As a former pilot I'd just like to interject that while I've seen the Blue Angels (as well as the USAF Thunderbirds, the RCAF Snowbirds, and several other exhibition and aerobatic teams) fly, I have NEVER been fortunate to see a freebie airshow. These guys, all of the military exhibition teams, are the absolute best at what they do. They make the difficult look easy and the impossible look simple, and I admire them greatly for their abilities. If you've ever been in an airplane pulling G's and trying to retain spatial awareness you know what I mean. It's a lot like riding a bike at night, in the rain, with your helmet on backwards, or in other words not something that a normal person would do.

For those who would like a little more information about the Blue Angels, check out their official web site at This Link