Capsun's Corner – by Capsun M. Poe

I love airplanes – and even airlines.  In fact, my favorite parts of a flight are take-off and landing – I think most people like those parts least.  Maybe it’s the thrill that comes from it.  So, I’m always fascinated when the military brings out their fighter jets for airshows.  And there’s one coming up this weekend as part of Hickam Air Force Base’s “Wings Over the Pacific” Open House.  The open house is a free event which will include airplane static displays, local stage entertainment, food and drink vendors, and family activities.

Officially the United States Air Force Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds are an elite flying unit and they use specially-marked jets.  They are often confused with the Navy’s Blue Angels (officially the United States Navy Flight Exhibition Team). Don’t ever make this mistake in the presence of someone in the Air Force! I’m not sure how someone could make this mistake – the Thunderbirds have a white jet while the Blue Angels use a blue jet.

Do you want to see them for yourself? They are scheduled to perform from 3-3:30 pm (1500-1530 hours) on Saturday and Sunday at Hickam, but they do fly all over so you don’t have to be right there if you can’t make it.  They last performed in Hawaii about two years ago. If they follow a similar schedule as last year, you should expect a practice run on Friday afternoon. I watched from the roof deck of the Honolulu airport parking lot – and it was well worth it. If you live or work near the airport and have a view of the airport, you can tell the Thunderbirds are going to start their Friday practice run when you see all commercial jet traffic come to a stop (there are no planes going in or out).

Here’s the rest of the schedule for the open house, including the ground and air shows:

You can get additional and updated information from the official site (http://hafb2009openhouse.com).  Be sure to check that website if you plan to go as there are numerous security restrictions – and I wouldn’t want that to spoil your fun.

Mahalo!

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Tags: afb, air force, blue angels, Capsun, capsun poe, exbor, Hawaii, hickam, honolulu, navy, poe, thunderbirds