Tumble in the Air

Have you ever walked and walked around the outer perimeter of a commercial airfield following the fence, on a hot summer day, wearing a suspiciously prison-break-looking orange top?

I am the idiot who did it, twice over, and this is my story.

The last air show I attended was when I was seven, in Thiruvananthapuram. The show was canceled because the air-force personnel were not able to control the crowd, who insisted on watching the show standing on the run-way. Ever since, aviation display and I have politely avoided each other.

‘Maybe it’s time we got reacquainted,’ I thought as I set out enthusiastically for the Prairie Air Show this morning. It looked like a piece of cake—take the local bus to the airport, watch the show, and come back by the same bus.

But when Priya rushes where angels might want to take a rain-check, could disaster be far behind?

Of course the air show was at the other end of the air field, in what seems to be a different county altogether. Of course I was misled by the lady at the airport shop who sold me the ticket (she obviously got a commission). Of course I should’ve taken the hint from the unsure look in the eyes of the other man in the shop when I announced my intention to walk.

Oh, but I was unheeding, cavalier, intent on my adventure. As I came to the main road, I realized that I had no clue how to get to the air show and there wasn’t anybody around to ask – I was totally alone, save the indifferent cars rushing by, the twittering birds, and the aircrafts.

Ah, a police car! Ah, a police officer standing next to it! I will ask him!

It was evident that the police officer had also noticed me. “Taking an exercise this morning, kiddo?” he called out.

I grinned sheepishly. “I want to go to the air show, I don’t have a car, and I’m lost. Can you help me?”

“Oh well, it’s at the other end of the air field – you’d be better off following the fence. It’s not close but it will be a good exercise,” he said cheerfully, motivating me for what turned out to be a good 45-minute walk.

But boy was it worth the effort!

I saw fighter planes of all vintages--WW II Mustang, Vietnam War MiG 17, Czech L-39 Albatross, US Navy F/A 18 Hornet and all sorts of aerobatic flights, performing mind-boggling aerobatic and combat maneuvers. Oh, did I mention the jet car that can go up to 360 mph, which raced with an aircraft, twice?

I am such a nerd that until today, I didn’t know that aerobatics was like gymnastics with a standard set of heart stopping maneuvers.

What all I learned today—the torque spin, avalanche, barrel roll, Cuban eight, scissors, and my favorite, the lomcevak (pronounced lohm-sheh-vock). (It’s a Czechoslovakian word translated as "berserk headache", meaning a drunken bum. It appears to be a totally out-of-control maneuver in which the plane tumbles nose over tail, wingtip over wingtip.)

I also saw what supersonic means—it was awesome the way the F/A 18 approached us, seemingly noiselessly, at Mach 1, followed by the roar of its engine, after a time gap!

And boy, those precision parachute landings by free fall divers! Breathtaking!

Oh, it was a day of many, many wonders. That it was presented with all the bells and whistles of appropriate music and excellent commentary just made it unforgettable. Vide the sponsor's exhortation of the crowd to use ethanol fuel, following a demonstration of an enthanol-fueled aricarft, "Use Ethanol. Because Ethanol kicks gasss! Oh yeah!"

The friendly police officer spotted me on my jaunt back, stopped his car, and courtesouly enquired about my show. Well, this is a small town. :-)

I'm now sporting my two-colored face (the upper half protected by the brim of my cap in its usual color and the lower half burnt a deep reddish brown) and my now-immobile legs as badges of honor of a day very well spent!