![]() “Your body feels like lead,” Crouch said of the pressure when her body fought from the gravitational forces.Īfter quickly refueling the aircraft, it was time for Morningstar to climb the ladder into the cockpit and another 45 minutes before he touched down. The safety techniques were the only things that could save her. The gravitational pressure, she said, felt like she was getting crushed by her own weight. The breathing and muscle flexing techniques were much easier in the air, Crouch said. She said she felt both thrilled and exhausted at the same time. ![]() When she landed about 45 minutes later, she beamed because she hadn’t thrown up or passed out.Ī little wobbly on her feat, she was excited about soon eating a hamburger to fill her empty stomach. The engines roared, and after a short taxi on the runway she was cleared for takeoff, pushed out of sight within seconds by the dual jet engines. She then was strapped into the cockpit for the day’s first flight. ![]() She put on her flight suit once the safety briefing ended. The techniques ended up working for all of us, although we all experienced tunnel vision that meant we were on the verge of losing consciousness.Ĭrouch was selected because of her work as a science teacher at the Ed White High School Military Academy of Leadership, and Morningstar was picked because of his role as military liaison at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. We went through a quick course where we learned breathing techniques and how to flex our legs and abdominal muscles to keep blood in our brains, which would hopefully prevent a blackout when those afterburners pushed the fighter plane through steep turns. I was joined by Alexis Crouch and Glenn Morningstar in a room that overlooked the runway. on the base for a safety briefing where butterflies already danced in my stomach. There was nothing I could do to prepare myself for what happened. That much I know after Wednesday afternoon’s experience.Įach year the Blue Angels offer a few civilians the rare chance to ride along in the cockpit of a Hornet to experience the power and grace of the aircraft in an effort to promote the annual air show - this year taking place Saturday and Sunday at Jacksonville Naval Air Station - while at the same time providing a brief glimpse into the work of the pilots, who are impressive. The ride with the Blue Angels is about the farthest thing from flying Delta from Jacksonville to Atlanta. Most of my stomach’s contents ended up in one of two air sickness bags tucked into a pocket in my flight suit. Sweat seemed to constantly drip from under my helmet’s visor. The next 45 minutes felt like a mixture between a magic carpet ride and a terrifying tumble through a clothes dryer. The jet soon flew faster than the speed of sound - passing 762.2 mph. Seconds later the Buckman Bridge looked like a prop to a model train set. It seemed like the nose of the F/A-18 Hornet pointed straight toward the clouds as soon as the afterburners kicked in just above the runway at Jacksonville Naval Air Station.
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