OK, so I have to admit a little hypocracy here and say that I induldge a little white trashiness in my appreciation for aerobatics. Can’t say that I love it and go to every event possible, but I do enjoy watching it. All while trying to ignore the staggering statistic that I heard from an NPR interview that the Blue Angels typically burn 1,000 gallons of jet fuel per hour per plane in an average show.

That said, last weekend was Fleet Week here in San Francisco. Being the sucker for aerobatics that I am, I was lured by the siren song of the Red Bull Air Race and, of course, the Blue Angels. Thrown in for good measure was “Team Oracle” (a.k.a. Sean Tucker), the civilian Airshows America L-39 Patriot team and taking up the slack waiting for the Blue Angel finale performance, the Blue Angels’ C-130 Hercules transport, “Fat Albert” (which was repeatedly being referred to as “Big Albert” by the monster-truck-rally-trained announcer). An obviously military-oriented event, there were recruiters a-plenty from every branch littered liberally on Marina Green, with overweight & over-machoed men meandering around rutting along to airshow soundtrack selections including classics from Van Halen, “patriotic” unidentified country singers and, curiously, Neil Diamond. Decidedly not your typical San Francisco event.

Fortunately, I had planned ahead, charged up my battery and went crazy with my digital SLR (well, as crazy as you can get with being hampered by a 128MB CF card). Enjoy!