Tuesday, July 11, 2006

The Thunderbirds are coming!

This weekend the USAF Thunderbirds will be in town for an airshow. Last summer, the USN Blue Angels were here. (I have no idea what makes Milwaukee a hotbed for armed forces airshows, but I suspect it's the Milwaukee-Chicago recruiting corridor, coupled with considerably shorter buildings than Chicago).

In addition to sitting at the intersection of the major freeways through town, we sit on the north rim of the Menomonee River Valley. The picture is a bit deceptive - the objects in the middle and far ground look farther away and smaller than they really are.

What connection does this have to the airshow? Well, if the Thunderbirds follow the same basic flight pattern and run-off area as the Blue Angels did, they will be buzzing the valley regularly as they rehearse on Friday. See those smokestacks in the picture? Imagine looking up from your desk to see two F-16s cruising past, barely forty feet above those stacks. You have to look up the instant you hear any noise, though, or you'll be too late to see anything; and that's when they're slowing down.

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