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Friday, December 19, 2014

Formation Flying

My ex-husband was a Navy pilot, and our fist duty station as a married couple was at the Naval Air Station - Patuxent River in Patuxent River, Maryland, commonly known as NAS Pax River. We lived there for three years, and it's where Ben was born.

One of my most vivid memories of the place was a runway that ran crossed through a section of the base, such that, when a plane was taxiing to take off, we had to stop at an intersection to let the plane go by.  These were jets, so the planes, nor their wing span, were as big as commercial planes, but they were still massive compared to our vehicles.  Anyway, what I remember most is the fire coming out of the engines as they moved by.  It was so intense, and so hot. I marveled at the ingenuity of it all, from a safe distance back, of course.

Each year, the base sponsored an air show, which was pretty amazing in the scope of the featured planes, from old bi-planes, to the sleekest newcomers.  Even though it was a great event, the first one I attended was my last.  There was something about being that close to them that didn't leave me with excitement, but with a practical realization that if something ever went wrong at one of these events, it would go terribly wrong, and I for one, didn't want to be a witness to it.

I'm glad I attended the one, but I'm also glad I had the courage to say no thank you when they came around again each year.

Those feelings hold true even now.

For example, I'm glad that I went on a desert safari when I first arrived in the UAE, but that's not something I ever want to do again.  It was a harrowing experience better left to the adrenaline junkies.

Anyway, the click below is of massive jumbo jets flying in formation to advertise their newest model.

http://cameras.reviewed.com/news/watch-airbus-risk-15-billion-in-a-wild-airplane-stunt?utm_source=roundup&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=collab

It is worth it?

Do you think they achieved their goal?

Or it is a case of guys being guys, showing off?

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