Media flight on Biggest Blue a thrill for this retired Coastie

Media flight on Biggest Blue a thrill for this retired Coastie
“It was my most memorable C-130 take-off. I’ll never forget it.”
By Walt Viglienzone
My first ride on a C-130 military aircraft was in August of 1962. That’s 55 years ago, if you’re doing the math. The pilot and plane were Coast Guard.
My last ride on a C-30 was earlier this month as party of a media contingency onboard The Biggest Blue Angel, a.k.a. Fat Albert, during the Blue Angels air show over Pensacola Beach. The pilot was a Marine.
I expected an inside view during the air show, but it was mostly a feel. At zero gravity, you feel weightless. There’s not much to see from the passenger compartment, designed to transport paratroopers, in a C-130, unless you sit at one of the tiny windows.
I’ve flown in C-130s from Vietnam to Alaska, to Germany and the UK. One memorable flight was from Vegas to Little Rock when I showed the young Airman sitting knee to knee across from me a trick to keep him from filling his barf bag. I’ll sell you my secret – for a price.
Another special flight was in December 1963 when the Coast Guard Academy’s only undefeated & untied football team flew to and from the Tangerine Bowl in Orlando. Our 7-man sled was strapped to the plane’s ramp while we sat knee to knee inside.
Everyone who lives on the Gulf Coast has probably seen (or heard) Fat Albert of the Pensacola NAS based Blues fly over. But nobody who’s seen a show at Sherman Field can forget the C-130 takeoff. It used to be JATO assisted. Yes, a turbo propeller plane using jets/rockets was used to help Fat Albert get off the runway faster with less distance needed. Those Vietnam era rockets are no longer available, so they simulate the almost vertical take off now with more powerful engines. You can only tell the difference if you’re watching from the ground. From my perspective inside, it was my most memorable C-130 take-off. I’ll never forget it.
I did see some leaking oil. When I reported it to the Crew Chief, he said, “That’s hydraulic fluid. If you don’t see any, report that because we’d be out of it, and we need it to land safely.’’
A heavy downpour had everyone watching the radar closely before takeoff. But then God cleared the skies for the show to start right on time. Condensation (the moisture on your beer bottle on the bar) was also present inside the plane. After the 40 minute flight, the air conditioner finally removed humidity and lowered inside temps to a comfortable level.
In my 25 years living off of Old Gulf Beach Highway, just west of NAS Pensacola, I’ve been privileged to have unique Blue Angel experiences. Two close neighbors were pilots. Another neighbor was a security guard at the weekly practices. We got reserved seats closest to the flight line, and my grandson Jake got to hear the pilots talking with each other during a practice show.
I even use the same barber as the Blue Angels.
The 10 passengers onboard – Some of the crew called us PR cargo – sat along each side where 64 Paratroopers would sit knee to knee facing each other.
I am a retired U.S. Coast Guard captain and a combat vet. But on this flight, I was proudly representing the Mullet Wrapper.
The C-130 basic airframe has been flying for 60 years. But not many know that 2,500 of them have been built right here in the south – Marietta, GA.
Until July 7, my favorite Blue Angel photos were of the team flying thru the Golden Gate Bridge and adjacent to the Statue of Liberty. Now my favorite is any one of the pictures included with this article.
It’s personal, as I was able to talk with most of the Fat Albert crew, and Blue Angel #3 LT Nate Scott.
Fat Albert Pilot Maj. Mark Hamilton said his most memorable flight was his first into Iraq. “It was the gut wrenching awareness that this was not a training flight,’’ he said. “No damage from enemy fire, but still unforgettable.”
Crew Chief Gunnery Sgt. Stephen Stewart said his most memorable flight was also in Iraq.
“They had to cut down street lights and telephone poles to enable us to land on a road and deliver needed fuel,” he said.
What I will most remember as part of the media cargo on the Biggest Blue was the teamwork, practice, precision and preparedness of the crew.
Marines & Coasties have always had a bond. Douglas Munro USCG was killed in Action 27 September, 1942, in a plywood Higgins’ boat leading the extraction of Chesty Puller, USMC, and three companies of his 7th Marines from a hot beach on Guadalcanal. Our mottos are very similar: Semper Fidelis (Always Faithful) and Semper Paratus (Always Ready).
The Blue Angels are not just for public relations or recruitment. The team demonstrates combat maneuvers. They are there to show taxpayers at home and enemies abroad that our Naval Air Forces are ready to protect and defend our country and way of life.
This flight gave me hope that the “self evident truths” and “unalienable rights” expressed in our Declaration of Independence will remain in the USA. More than once while with the team, I thought of Lee Greenwood’s song, “God Bless The USA.’’
Trying to take a photo at 2 Gs, or zero gravity proved challenging and uncomfortable from head to stomach. But for the record, I did not need the barf bag. And my secret is still available – for a price.
I salute the crew of the Biggest Blue, all of the blue Angel team, the entire Armed Forces who train and fight with them, the families who support them, the taxpayers who fund them and those who have gone before them.