My dad’s company has a couple of branches, and one is in Carmel. Last year I guess they had VIP Presidential passes to the Salinas airshow, and this year decided to do it again, only sans presidential passes and PLUS a private chalet. PLUS family members. So that is how I found myself at the international airshow featuring none other than the Blue Angels!
The airshow is held (and has been held for the last 30 years) at the Salinas Airport. It seems pretty big for a municipal airport. I live across the street from my county’s municipal airport, and that seems fairly puny in comparison. So, there were a lot of vendors and funnel cake and all that good stuff. The vendors sold aviation-related swag.
I of course did not put “there will be vendors” together with “bring some money” so I didn’t buy anything. Also I had no money, having just paid ye olde mortgage. However, not being an aviation buff, I didn’t really need to buy anything anyway. Except, maybe, like… funnel cake.
So we got to our chalet and hung out for awhile – they put out some appetizers of chips and guacamole and salsa. The show got started with a parachutist.
Then, other acts followed by some of the biggest names in the aviation/air show industry!
(not that I’d heard of any of them.)
They had various planes parked on the tarmac, some you could go through – we went into an Air Force cargo plane and also an Air Force radar (?) plane that had funny little cubicles in it for the soldiers to look at radar screens. I’m assuming these were radar screens, anyway. I didn’t take a picture of it, alas. I peeked into the cockpit and there are SO MANY switches and dials and crap. Props to the people who fly these planes, for reals.
Then, the PIECE DE RESISTANCE.
ROBOSAURUS!
That was seriously one of the most awesome things I have seen in a long time. My dad, not up on his pop culture, called it a Transformer. And he was totally right!
My day included a transformer. Truly, a pinnacle of awesome was achieved.
Lastly, the Blue Angels performed their flight demonstration. At one point, four of the fighter jets were in formation and were 18 inches from each other. Going 300 miles per hour. That is just so amazing. The precision involved in flying those things… I am impressed.
All in all, a pretty great day, though now I’m sunburned and wishing I had worn sunscreen, but… oh well. Worth it.