Over the decades I have been blessed with many wonderful jobs. Each has opened up new worlds and introduced me to wonderful people along the way.
Like asking a parent to choose a favourite child, it’s almost impossible to pick my favourite job. Close to the top of the list is pilot briefer at the McDonald Cartier Airport in Ottawa.
Public forecasting is always challenging, but aviation meteorology took things to a new level - literally. That job allowed me the privilege to teach aviation meteorology. Since then, when I see a plane overhead, my heart swells with an appreciation for the men and women who take to the skies.
That’s why what I’m doing today is a dream come true! As you read this Aug. 27, I will be attending safety training for a flight with the Blue Angels; by midafternoon, I’ll be donning a flight suit and trying to settle my nerves for the flight of a lifetime.
Am I nervous? Maybe more excited than nervous – I know I am in very good hands. Since its inception, the team has flown for more than 450 million spectators worldwide. Since 1946, they have represented the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to audiences throughout the U.S. and abroad to showcase the excitement and power of naval aviation.
The team consists of 130 active-duty sailors and marines, each bringing experience and expertise from their service in the Navy and Marine Corps fleets. They are stationed at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., during the air show season. The squadron spends January through March training at Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.
Today’s media flight is a warm-up for Air Show Atlantic 2019 that takes place at 14 Wing Greenwood this Labour Day weekend.
If summer seems to have flown by and you’d like to close the season with a punctuation mark the kids will never forget, come down to Greenwood for a treat. The thrilling display is sure to send shivers down your spine. Don’t miss this rare opportunity; each air show season, the Blue Angels perform only one show outside of the United States, and it’s in our backyard.
Later this week, I’ll tell you about a very special person from our region – known as a key influencer – who was chosen to fly with the Blue Angels.
I want to take each and every one of you on this journey with me. I’ll do my best to share the sights and sounds of this amazing experience on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and in your local SaltWire newspapers.
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Cindy Day is the chief meteorologist for SaltWire Network.
