October 13, 2013 - Game Day - 49 ship Flyover

OK, today's the day.  Game day.   First item of business, pull all the planes out of the big hangar.
   
The brief.
   
KC Flight lead -- BeeGee -- led the brief.
   
OK, today's the day.  Game day.   We loaded the smoke cannisters into the rack and wired them up.   All that was required was to crimp some D-sub pins on the orange wires, insert them into the recepticles in the wingtip and tape it up.   I put some red tape on the Nav switch so I wouldn't turn it on accidently.   Fortunately, the Nav switch was just above my throttle so when the time came, I could turn the smoke on without having to let go of the throttle.   That may not seem like a big deal, but in tight formation, you really don't want to have to let go of the throttle!
   
A photographer in a helicopter took this neat shot of us taxiing out on Sunday.   As you can see, it is another day of Severe Clear.
   
And now lining up on the runway.
   
Pre-takeoff runup on the taxiway.
   
Taxi for takeoff.
   
Takeoff.  Two by two by two ...
   
Twenty-four takeoff pairs, plus tail-end Mike.
   
A good shot of the side-by-side takeoff.   The only other pilot from the Mid-Atlantic region, my flying friend Jerry, is on the the other side of the red RV.
   
For all the people not flying, they had transportation to Arrowhead Stadium.   Here is Lynnette outside the stadium before the game, waiting for us to fly over.
   

That cloud in the middle of the picture is our big arrowhead formation approaching the stadium.

The pink smoke cannisters ran for two to three minutes.  BeeGee gave the smoke-on command a minute or so out.

   
Getting closer!
   
A nice shot of KC Flight from the left side.
   
Lynnette took this nice shot as we passed overhead.
   
 
   

And inside the stadium ... The crowd started to roar when they saw us coming.

   

The KC Flight lead, BeeGee, had us on top exactly to the second, just as the National Anthem ended.

   
 
   
What can you say?  Perfect timing.  BeeGee did a masterful job.   All 49 pilots did a fantastic job staying in tight formation.
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
In tight, we made a few shallow turns of no ore than ten degrees.  But that was enough!
   
A close-up of my used smoke cannister.
   
A very happy KC Flight Lead BeeGee after the successful flight.
   
 
 
   
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