Indianapolis Air Show was WAAAY cool

(photo: A P-51 "Mustang" and an F-22 "Raptor" cruise the air together at the Indianapolis Air Show) Thanks Smoosier Jason Bean of bnpositive for the tix.


I took my boys Charlie (9) and Robbie (5) to the Indianapolis Air Show last Saturday. Despite the oppressive sun and heat, we had a great time bounding through a cavernous C-130 cargo plane and a Special Ops "Chinook" helicopter (think dual-rotor flying bus) that looks exactly like the one you jump out of in the "Call of Duty" video game. While a lovingly restored B-17 "flying fortress" once spent its days protecting the allies, 60 years later its shadow protected us from the sun as we watched exciting stunts performed overhead. It was cool to see 40, 50 and 60 year-olds sitting "criss-cross-apple-sauce" as they listened to a one-time crewman explain how the bomber's belly turret maneuvered.

The highlight of the event for me, however, was the demonstration of the Boeing F-22 "Raptor." As you can see in the video available below, I did a poor job videotaping its aerobatics, but you can hear how enthralled we were when it flew 100 feet or so above us (that shrill in my voice is the sound of pure excitement).

Once my heart slowed down I realized that despite all the advances we've made in 100 years of flight, I'm still amazed that something so heavy can fly through the air. The photo above depicts a "heritage flight," a common staple at air shows that plainly illustrates these advances.

And I picked up an awesome trivia gem: Wilbur Wright was actually born in Milltown, Ind., even though historically his hometown has been cited as Dayton, OH.



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