*REAPER SPOUSE TAXI DAY*
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| Here's my Mighty Mighty ride! |
MAIN EVENT: For the first time in over 2 years the 493d Fighter Squadron hosted a Reaper Spouse Taxi Day! What a fun day it was too :) Tyler's parents were in town visiting prior to our trip to Ireland and he was able to get them in on the festivities.
Our day started off at the squadron where we got to attend a morning brief in the Vault (don't worry - it was declassified) ;) Next we hung out around the squadron eating a yummy breakfast that was provided to us and ate Fighter Pilot Popcorn (full of jalapenos, standard). After that we were off to the SIMS where we each got ~15 minutes in the cockpit flying around East Anglia where I got to shoot down a handful of airplanes and pull off some 8 or 9 G break turns!
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| Here's Season and I (the Squadron Commander's wife) just prior to her Taxi. She was the first up! |
After flying myself to the point of motion sickness, we headed back to the squadron for lunch and then onto the HIGHLIGHT of the day for me - my back seat TAXI ride in the MIGHT MIGHTY EAGLE!!!
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| Getting all suited up! |
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| Spouses <3 |
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| Trying to figure this thing out... haha |
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| Learning what it will feel like to breath through the helmet mask! |
AFE got me all suited up in a G-suit and harness and topped me off with a sweet helmet. My taxi pilot was Rudy "Thorn" Cruz... one of the coolest pilots in the squadron!
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| On our way to my jet |
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| Right where he's supposed to be <3 |
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| Rudy "Thorn" Cruz and myself prior to taxi |
After climbing into the cockpit, Thorn let me do all the checks and make all the radio calls to the Tower (ground control) and to the squadron ops desk - how cool is that?!
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| Rudy reminding me NOT to pull the bumble bee handle! Notice my call-sign?! hehe |
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| Tyler coming in to make sure I was doing okay :) |
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| Inspecting? |
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| Strapping in! |
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| Ready to go boss! |
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| Flexing my guns before the road show... |
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| Ready to depart |
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| Threw this out there for Slasher ;) |
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| Here I am taxing to the runway... RWY 24 |
We then proceeded to the end of the runway where we through the throttles into Max AB - - - Before you even realize that you're going 100 mph it's all over and you've taken the throttles back and thrown on the brakes. If only my bribe would've had a few more 000 on the end I think I would've been able to do one touch n go.
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| Taxiing to RWY 24 |
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| On the runway - Max AB! |
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| Speeding down the runway at 100MPH! |
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| Taxiing back - ride of a lifetime! |
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| Parking it... |
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| Shutting down engine 2... |
After exiting the runway I made the rest of my calls to ground controls and the ops desk. We taxied back to the parking spot and my time in the WGASF was over. Don't blink!
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| The smile on my face says it all! |
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| Dixie with Tyler's helmet :) |
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| A VERY proud mum! |
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| Our little family: Dixie, Sarah, Slasher, Brozia and don't forget about Grimace! |
A day that will live on in my memory forever.
