Article and photos submitted by Stephanie Ruby
While signing waivers which stated that neither the Dayton International Airport, nor the Blue Angels themselves are responsible for any accident that might happen, the three soon-to-be-ride-along-passengers seemed to be enjoying themselves. Smiling as they went over the basic safety issues, each seemed excited about the ride that they would be taking in just a short time.
University of Dayton President, Daniel J. Curran, Graham high school science teacher, Chantelle M. Rose, and WDTN reporter Dan Edwards all had the opportunity to fly in the Blue Angels jet number 7, with Lieutenant C.J. Simonsen. Before anyone could hop aboard the F/A-18 Hornet, each of the passengers had to go over cockpit familiarization with the Crew Chief, Travis Simpson. This started out with them being told what they are allowed to touch within the cockpit (essentially, nothing except the “safe arm”), and then moved on to learning how to force blood into their head before a maneuver, to prevent them from passing out. Imagine practicing techniques to help prevent you from passing out, as 7 G’s of pressure are pushing the blood out of your head – the thought is nerve-wracking!
Even more nerve-wracking than the thought of the G-forces was the mention of the ejection seat. That’s right, I said ejection seat. Now, Simpson assured all of the passengers that no one has had to use the ejection seat at all, during any ride-along – but he was quick to add (with a chuckle), “If you do eject, we’ll come find you with these little yellow waivers that you signed. Do you feel safe? Good.”
Next came the big moment. Dr. Curran was the first to take the plunge – errr…. ummmm… take to the air – and as he climbed up the ladder to climb aboard, you could feel a certain excitement in the air. After another round of safety instructions – as well as a tutorial on where to find the barf bags – Dr. Curran smiled and waved as the hatch came down and closed, leaving him and the pilot, Lieutenant C.J. Simonsen, ready to take off.
With the roar of the engine vibrating through our ears, the F/A-18 Hornet came to life and began to taxi out onto the runway. It was an amazing sound, exhilarating for someone who has always loved watching the Blue Angels take to the air. As they started to take off, it was difficult to even keep up (visually) with the plane, because it moved so very fast. They appeared to pull straight up, vertically flying into the sky and disappearing as they moved further and further away.
After a 45-minute ride, the plane reappeared, landing with the same loud engine roar that it took off with. Lieutenant C.J. Simonsen said that Dr. Curran was the first person he had ever heard to declare that he was “going out” when he began to feel lightheaded – fortunately, it only lasted for a few seconds. When asked how the ride went, Dr. Curran replied, “It was unbelievable! I would definitely do it again.”
