I had the distinct honor to be among more than 30 people who recently experienced the ‘thrill of a lifetime” aboard the transport plane of the Navy’s Blue Angels !<?
The event was held to promote the IndyCar Series race at Watkins Glen International and the Binghamton Air Show the same weekend. The C-130 Hercules transporter • known as ‘Fat Albert’ • performed a flyover at the start of the 5th annual Camping World Grand Prix at the Glen on July 5th. On Friday afternoon, drivers Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti, Hideki Mutoh, Mike Conway and E-J Viso joined with photographers, news reporters, radio personalities and PR representatives for a special Fat Albert flight.
It was unbelievable! Fat Albert performed a myriad of tricks….such as pulling 3G’s of force, to experiencing negative force giving us a feeling of weightlessness. The huge plane also performed a 270 degree turn to demonstrate maneuverability and a push to land where the plane came in for a landing at a 25 degree nose down angle.
We flew from the <?Elmira-Corning Regional Airport to Link Field in Binghamton, and returned about an hour later. I’ve got to be honest with you, I didn’t make the return trip and instead enjoyed watching the rest of the demonstration with my two feet firmly planted on Mother Earth ! Even so…..I will not soon forget my time aboard Fat Albert!
-Geoff Dunn
