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Excitement in the air
By JOSH ZIMMER © St. Petersburg Times, published April 8, 2001
"Nighttime is when the F-117A shines," the announcer said of the stealth aircraft. "The F-117A has dropped 2,000 tons of laser guided missiles," with a high success rate. The angular, black F-117A was among the planes perched Saturday under the hot spring sun on MacDill's huge tarmac for Air Fest 2001, the latest annual open house that draws hundreds of thousands. The planes on display ran the gamut from the bulkiest cargo and troop planes, such as the monstrous C-5 Galaxy, to the slickest fighters, such as the F-15. About 70 planes were displayed Saturday. Typically, Air Fest has about 50. Arriving from air bases all over the country, the aircraft thrilled the crowd with stunts, including neck-stretching vertical climbs and dizzying turns. The show culminated with the Blue Angels, the Navy's showcase team of top-notch pilots who fly as close as 18 inches from one another while screaming by at hundreds of miles an hour. "Oh, my gosh," said 11-year-old Paul Butler of Apollo Beach as four of the Blue Angels' F/A-18 Hornets flew by with two of the planes upside down. Organizers estimated attendance at 350,000 people. As large a crowd as that is, it is behind the pace to fulfill the MacDill forecast of up to 1-million visitors to the two-day event. "When you predict a million people that may scare some people away," said Air Fest spokesman Chris Miller, a tech sergeant. The show is more than a chance for the military to trot out its gee-whiz hardware. It is a recruiting tool -- and recruitment numbers have been falling, Miller said. The military branches set up tables with brochures and glitzy videos. Announcers rarely missed the opportunity to link a fantastic air trick with a pitch to join the armed forces. "It gets so many young people out here," Miller said of Air Fest. "That's our target audience." Many people clearly relished the opportunity to glimpse at some of the nation's expensive defense inventory, but other, lower-tech models impressed as well. Spewing thick, white smoke from their tails, the Stearman Red Baron Squadron biplanes managed to draw a gigantic heart in the sky. The larger of the stationary display planes also were crowd-pleasers, but in a different way: They provided some shade. People picnicked under the B-1B bomber and other behemoths. Elsewhere, Tampa resident Marvin Spates took an approving look at some jet-propelled model airplanes that zoomed by at 150 mph. "I love anything that flies, including birds," he said. The event also gives less-heralded military units a moment in the sun. While F-117A pilot Maj. Steve Pedrotty signed autographs, Tech Sgt. Dave Foutch, a 17-year Air Force veteran, explained the support role of the MC-130P. The 99-foot-long cargo plane specializes in helicopter refueling, along with clandestine troop and material drops. "They're pretty much the Air Force's workhorses," he said. "We don't really get a lot of attention." As smoothly as the demonstrations went Saturday, the traffic on and off the base was typically slow. Lines of cars arriving were backed up all the way to Interbay Boulevard, a distance of 1 mile or more. Leaving was no easier, as cars jockeyed for space on the exit roads. Motorcyclists encountered another obstacle. Riders without helmets were turned away. Miller said Department of Defense rules say motorcyclists cannot enter a federal installation without head protection. If you goThe show resumes today at MacDill Air Force Base. The first fly-by is at 9:20 a.m. The Red Baron Squadron performs at 12:30 p.m. and the parachute jump team soars at 1 p.m. The Blue Angels fly at 2 p.m.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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