MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – Even after thousands of flight hours, one pilot for the Blue Angels says the time in the sky never gets old.
“I think every flight and every experience that we have in life, especially doing something like this, that’s very special, is very fleeting,” Blue Angels #7 pilot Lt. Andre Webb said. “You never know when you may not get to do that again.”
News13’s Matt Gittins got to share an experience with the pilot in a flight over Myrtle Beach Wednesday afternoon.
“I remember as a child, my dad took our family to an air show. I stared in awe at the sky thinking how cool it would be to take a ride in one of those beautiful birds,” says Gittins.
This week that dream from decades ago became a reality. It’s a quick take off for an oh so Grand Strand view.
“Any new experience like that is going to have a different effect on your body and your mind no matter how well prepared you are,” Lt. Webb said. “We see big time athletes go into their first pressure packed situation and not perform as well. (It’s the) same thing with humans flying around in airplanes. I think the three of you did pretty well today.”
“Indescribable!” says Gittins of the experience. “That’s really the best description to a Blue Angels flight. As we spin the world upside down for a little inverted hang out, I let my hand fall to the sky which is suddenly in a new location.”
It’s all in preparation for the sudden return of the G-force as the plane flips back upright.
“We started the morning with a safety and training briefing teaching us how to breath and fight the intensity that comes from the added stress from the F-18 Hornet,” says Gittins.
The news anchor said his nerves began to climb just before the flight.
“I flashed my wife one more ‘I Love You’ sign before we rolled off towards takeoff and into an experience I will never forget,” recalls Gittins. “I walk away from the flight with an appreciation and respect for the skill of a pilot representing a country that I love.”
Gittins says he could vividly see the sky, clouds, and earth below, but that was after a brief forced “nap” from the sudden pressure increase.
“I also find the power of mother nature astounding as I felt a force of gravity so suddenly strong all over my body that it took me to a peaceful, and oh so definitely forced nap,” laughs Gittins of his brief black out moment in the plane.
A flight with the Blue Angels left Gittins with more than an appreciation for these talented pilots.
“Wow, just Wow. Looks like I know who I’m rooting for in every Army-Navy football game,” adds Gittins.
