July 4th, the American Independence Day, was a quiet day around our house.
At least it was, until the fighter jets showed up.
These weren't a worry, though, fortunately. This weekend, our local airport is going to have an air show, and the featured act is the United States Navy Blue Angels.
We probably aren't going to attend, so we had to settle for what I jokingly call the Cheapskate's Air Show - watching the Blue Angels practice.
After hearing their thundering roars several times, and not getting any pictures, I discovered the secret. By the time you hear the thundering, it's too late. I finally, standing in the 90 degree F (32.2C) sun, started to get some pictures, over two practice sessions a couple of hours apart.
On this pass, there was only one.
Yes, these are real fighter jets, built by Boeing. They are decommissioned but I understand they could be readied for combat in about 72 hours if the need arose.
Let's hope the need never arises.
It's been years since I've been to an air show. It was more fun, really, when I had my then young son with us. Nowadays, it's just the two of us.
Plus, it's going to be another day in the 90's, humid, and there's no shade.
I hope (if you live in the United States) that you had a great Fourth of July. For my other blogging friends and readers outside the United States, I hope yesterday was special for you, too.
Joining each Friday with Yogi and other skywatchers for #SkywatchFriday.
...our 4th was as hot as a firecracker.
ReplyDeleteAirshow is always that exciting
ReplyDeleteMagnificent , aren’t they?
ReplyDeleteI’ve seen the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds (Air Force counterpart), both have done air shows at Jones Beach — I’ve been to the show, and have also seen the occasional flyover since I live not too far from the beach. And during the pandemic both groups did a flyover of Long Island to salute our medical professionals and first responders. That boom …
It's great to have a free show!
ReplyDeleteOur day ended as predicted, with a landslide victory for Labour.
Great shots! We live in an area where the AF base is located, so we often hear the jets fly overhead.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the secret with us!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you figured out the difference between the speed of fighter jets and the speed of sound. We didn't have any jets overhead, but did have noisy fireworks all around us until about midnight.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to catch them after you hear the sound coming! We get two from a base about an hour and a half away fairly often, and there's a woman who privately owns one locally. I am still trying to get good photos of more than just a tiny bit on the edge of the picture!
ReplyDeleteLooks exciting to watch!
ReplyDeleteI think I would opt for the Cheapskate's Air Show too.🤣 They are incredibly fast and hard to capture, but you got some good ones!
ReplyDeleteGreat blue sky and photos of the planes
ReplyDeleteAwesome sky show ~ they are always impressive ~ neat photos ~ thanks,
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
In October they do an air show near the Huntington Beach pier. My dad lives a couple miles away, so we get the freebie show--stand in the backyard and watch as the planes come back around. Much better than braving the crowds, and you can see it all from the comfort of your own home. You got the best of the show :)
ReplyDeleteWe're in the middle of a heatwave, sigh!
ReplyDeleteWorth a Thousand Words
There's nothing wrong with this, in fact, it seems we did something similar one year when one of these airforce flying groups was in our areaa. I can't remember which group it was but it's one of the biggies. I would like to go to actual event someday, though. It's really impressive to watch them overhead. :)
ReplyDelete