Owensboro Air Show Sneak Peek: Kentucky Woman Checks Bucket List Box Riding With Team Aeroshell

Chad and I were at Mid America Jet yesterday to welcome the flying teams to town for the Owensboro Air Show.  My heart skipped a beat as the U.S. Thunderbirds came roaring in taking their carefully measured places in a row in front of us. Our friend Chris Conley was there to document the day with his amazing photography skills. I also took some footage up in the sky that shows the birdseye view and loopty-loops, so keep reading!

It is beyond impressive to watch them do their fast and furious maneuvers in the sky, and to see the pilots land, let off "steam" and hop out of the massive F-16s was like being a fly on the wall for a scene out of a movie. Meeting Major Eric "Miami" Tise, I was fangirling hardcore. These guys are seriously like rock stars.

And then, I got the most incredible sneak peek of the aerobatic excitement Team Aeroshell is bringing to the Owensboro Air Show this year, except I got to experience it FROM THE SKY. Here is a really cool video Chris put together of my flight.

These planes are North American AT-6 Texans that were first flown in 1938. Used to train pilots in the U.S. Air Force from the World War II era until the 1970s, they are given new life as they glide beautifully through the sky doing tricks and maneuvers in sync with each other for airshows all across the country.

After signing a waiver which, to be honest, I did not read at all because I was so excited, I climbed up on the wing and hoisted my happy behind into the aircraft.

Strapping on my parachute and seat harness, my pilot Bryan Regan from Louisiana went over all of the rules in case of emergency. Thank goodness we didn't need it!

We circled around to the runway where the team of four planes lined up to get ready to go. As we left the ground, I was amazed at how smooth the ride was. It literally felt like *I* was flying. It was incredible to see a birdseye view of Owensboro with all of the patches of green, winding roads and colorful buildings.

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Then we began the maneuvers. I just kept thinking how cool it was to be able to hear the pilots talking to each other preparing their next moves. The planes fly SO close to each other. Mine was number two and we were on the right side of the diamond formation, so when looking over to my left, I could wave at the folks in those planes. When I wasn't holding on for dear life!

I was not prepared for how gravity would make my cheeks feel. My whole entire face really. We would zoom up, and it felt like my eyes were droopy like that dog from those old cartoons. I tried to ward off the ear-popping by chewing gum, but I guess that trick doesn't work when going upside down in the air. It's hard to describe how magical it felt. Here is an interview we did with my pilot friend Bryan describing the aerobatics we did and what you will see at the 2023 Owensboro Air Show.

Make your plans to be downtown this weekend and enjoy the incredible show Team Aeroshell puts on. They are great guys and absolute pros who love what they do. It truly is a blessing to be able to do something you are passionate about every day. I'm so grateful that I get to do the same. This was a box checked on my bucket list, no doubt.

Here is the GoPro footage from my flight!

https://wbkr.com/owensboro-air-show-preview-2023-thunderbirds/