MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- As sunlight reflected off the shiny blue and yellow paint of the Navy Blue Angels’ C-130 Hercules aircraft, “Fat Albert,” crew members prepared for a jaw-dropping, zero-gravity filled flight.
More than 20 Marines, sailors and civilians flew aboard Fat Albert as it took to the sky and performed for thousands of people on the final day of the 2010 Miramar Air Show here Oct. 3.
“What we do is show the audience the maximum capabilities of the aircraft,” said Gunnery Sgt. Ben Chapman, a flight engineer aboard Fat Albert. “We like to do anything to excite the younger generation.”
The flight was a small sample of what Marines and sailors do, explained Maj. Brendan Burks, one of three Fat Albert pilots. Flying is the easy part – flying correctly is the hard part.
The pilots of Fat Albert began the performance by demonstrating a low-transition takeoff, which sent the aircraft into the sky at a 45-degree angle to an altitude of 1000 feet. The intense takeoff simulated what the C-130 would do in a hostile environment.
“It was breathtaking,” said Lance Cpl. Anthony Woodward, a passenger aboard Fat Albert. “The takeoff felt like a roller coaster. I didn’t expect something like that. It was really cool – it threw me for a loop.”
During the flight, the pilots performed sharp turns to allow those inside to see the ground through one window, and the cloud-filled sky through another. Throughout the flight, the crew “floated” in zero-gravity, while the passengers, strapped to their seats, watched in amazement.
To conclude the show, the pilots performed a combat landing. The crowds roared as Fat Albert descended to the runway and came to a complete stop in less than 1000 feet.
“It was a real treat,” said Woodward. “I’ve been watching these guys for the last 10 years and I look up to them. They hold up the standards of the Navy and Marine Corps.”
As the crowd dispersed from the flight line, Fat Albert’s pilots and crew walked into the sunlight ready to head to their next show.
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