EXTREME FLYING

We didn’t need to check the calendar, the paper or the television to know it was nearing time for the annual airshow.

We could hear the pilots practicing for days ahead as they came and went at the airport a few blocks from our house.

Only a person who could sleep through a bombing raid would miss the roar of stunt planes warming up for the crowd which started gathering around 7 a.m. on Saturday.

From our front porch we saw the sky fill with trails of smoke as the airplanes went through their repertoire.

Some years we’ve left our weekend chores and gone over to the edge of the golf course to watch and get a stiff neck and a dry tongue from gawking at the sights in the sky.

It’s a good thing we weren’t at the golf course the evening before this year’s airshow.

This from Fox News:

Officials at an eastern Idaho air show say a stunt plane crashed into a golf course Friday evening but the pilot suffered only minor injuries.

The annual Legacy Air Show attracts stunt pilots and vintage aircraft from around the country.  Air show officials said that pilot Buck Roetman of Sharpsburg, Ga., appeared to have a broken ankle.  After the plane lost power, Roetman aimed for a clear spot on the edge of the course, just east of the airport.

Note: these photos were taken back in 2008.  Aside from their size, all airplanes look pretty much the same to me. Instead I stayed home and washed windows.  I could see most of the acrobatics from our yard and was inspired to do some extreme window cleaning.

Okay, this isn't a photo of me.  I stole it from Google images.

The dead give-away is the palm tree in the yard.