The United States Air Force is the strongest in the world. According to the official United States Air Force website, there are 39 different types of planes the USAF flies. The United States Air Force contains 5,213 active aircraft carriers. The whole United States military contains 13,300 active aircraft in total. The planes vary between fighter jets, helicopters, and transportation planes. The United States Air Force likes to show off their talent by hosting air shows. The air shows happen all over the country. These air shows allow U.S. citizens to see the capabilities and talent the pilots have.
I had the opportunity to attend the Owensboro Air Show this year along with my family and senior, Griffin Wolf. Air shows are a great experience for anyone to attend. They allow average citizens to see planes fly the way they have never seen before. If you have never been to an air show it is like a circus in the air. The planes do crazy acrobatics and tricks. It is not always like the circus though, the show does showcase the transportation planes as well.
The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels performed their twenty-third show at Owensboro. The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels are a group of F/A-18 Super Hornet planes that fly around, do acrobatics, and perform different tricks with their planes. This year, the Blue Angel’s team was unique because they had their first-ever girl pilot flying with them. She is Lieutenant Commander Amanda Lee, she was moved from the number three jet to the number four jet. Lee said she found herself being the first woman on the team when she stated, “I set out to be the best and kind of found myself here.” Lee then gave advice stating, “Try to be the best at whatever you are doing at that moment in time, and it will open up a door for incredible opportunities.” Lee later stated she was inspired to try and fly the aircraft she worked with on a daily basis. Now she states she is honored to be able to represent the 800,000 Navy/Marine Corps in the world.
This year, the Owensboro, Kentucky Air Show featured nine acts. According to the official Owensboro Air Show, the official lineup featured the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels, USAFA Wings of Blue, USAF F-35A Lightning, USAF C-130J Super Hercules, Rob Holland, Redline Airshows, the Northern Stars Aero team, Army Aviation Heritage Foundation, and the Canada Air Force Arizona flying the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-25 Mitchell.
According to Sydney Davis from Tristate News, who interviewed the Blue Angels, they stated there were a couple of new tweaks to improve the routine every year. The Owensboro Air Show was Lee’s first time flying over a river with both an airport and river within a five-mile radius of each other. Officials state that pilots fly up to over 400 hours a year just to prepare for a 45-minute show. (Davis) Tristatehomepage.com
Overall, I think air shows are a great experience everyone should get to experience in their life at least once. I was fascinated by the F-35A Lightning because it was so loud it shook the ground. Wolf stated the show was an exceptional performance. He continued his favorite plane of the day was the F-35A Lightning because it was very loud and fast. He then stated his favorite act was the Blue Angels because they did many great tips and tricks. Wolf said he would recommend going to an air show.
