Houston airshow
We went to the "Wings over Houston" air show held at Ellington Field on Sunday. It was a real treat. The highlight was the Canadian Snowbirds, which fly nine planes in tight, death-defying precision. If you haven't ever seen them fly, it's definitely worth the trip.
The main difference between this and other air shows I've been to was the pyrotechnics. I've been to the Rhode Island Quonsett Point air show many times to help man the RI NASA SpaceGrant educational booth. Wings over Houston had many of the same demonstrations (e.g., F-16s, F-18s, a Harrier jet, a and my personal favorite, a jet-propelled truck), but they also had several simulated live-fire and bombing demonstrations. For example, a group called Tora, Tora, Tora presented a re-creation of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in WWII, complete with restored Japanese planes "Zeros", authentically-dressed American anti-aircraft crews, and over 1000 gallons of gasoline used for a series of simulated bombs.
But the largest single explosion was the simulated B1-B bombing run. For those not up on your military lingo, the B1-B Lancer is a strategic long-range bomber. Anyway, this huge gray plane cruised in from our right as it approached the "target," which was a stretch of empty runway about 100 meters in front of us. Just after it passed, the pyrotechnical people set of a huge chain of simultaneous explosions. We could feel the heat on our faces as the flames shot three stories into the sky. The announcer on the loudspeaker then exclaimed, "Folks, that is truly the sight and sound of freedom!"
I kid you not - it was like a scene straight out of Apolcaype Now. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like victory." Who knew freedom looked, sounded, and smelled like buring petrochemicals? Take that, unoccupied runway!
I guess this helps explains why SUVs and trucks with crappy gas mileage are such strong sellers in Texas. They smell more like victory than our whimpy little fuel-efficient sedans. I wonder if I can at least get the smell of freedom/victory sprayed in my car the next time I get it detailed? Hey, if they can make a "New Car Smell," why not "Freedom Smell?"
The main difference between this and other air shows I've been to was the pyrotechnics. I've been to the Rhode Island Quonsett Point air show many times to help man the RI NASA SpaceGrant educational booth. Wings over Houston had many of the same demonstrations (e.g., F-16s, F-18s, a Harrier jet, a and my personal favorite, a jet-propelled truck), but they also had several simulated live-fire and bombing demonstrations. For example, a group called Tora, Tora, Tora presented a re-creation of the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in WWII, complete with restored Japanese planes "Zeros", authentically-dressed American anti-aircraft crews, and over 1000 gallons of gasoline used for a series of simulated bombs.
But the largest single explosion was the simulated B1-B bombing run. For those not up on your military lingo, the B1-B Lancer is a strategic long-range bomber. Anyway, this huge gray plane cruised in from our right as it approached the "target," which was a stretch of empty runway about 100 meters in front of us. Just after it passed, the pyrotechnical people set of a huge chain of simultaneous explosions. We could feel the heat on our faces as the flames shot three stories into the sky. The announcer on the loudspeaker then exclaimed, "Folks, that is truly the sight and sound of freedom!"
I kid you not - it was like a scene straight out of Apolcaype Now. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning. It smells like victory." Who knew freedom looked, sounded, and smelled like buring petrochemicals? Take that, unoccupied runway!
I guess this helps explains why SUVs and trucks with crappy gas mileage are such strong sellers in Texas. They smell more like victory than our whimpy little fuel-efficient sedans. I wonder if I can at least get the smell of freedom/victory sprayed in my car the next time I get it detailed? Hey, if they can make a "New Car Smell," why not "Freedom Smell?"
posted by Bradley Thomson at 6:36 AM
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