A jet-assisted ride in 'Fat Albert'

At the NAS Jax Air Show, a group of select guests were invited to fly aboard Fat Albert in an aerial demonstration preceding the Blue Angels performance. Fortunately, I was one of those guests.

Our pilot, U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Brendan Burkes held the pre-flight briefing. "Today is a special day because we have JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) bottles that will turn this plane into a rocket ship for about 15 seconds. When we hit 130 knots on the runway, I'll call out 'bottles' which will kick-in about 8,000 extra pounds of thrust. At that time we'll pull 45 degrees nose up -compared to a commercial airliner that takes off at seven-degree angle -and you'll feel about two Gs in your seat," said Burkes, matter of factly, as the passengers responded with nervous laughter.

As AM1(AW/FMF) Albert Schultz checks that seatbelts are fastened, some civilian and military passengers apply ear protection prior to take off.

"At the top of our climb, we'll go ahead and push over (nose down) as hard as we can -and for five seconds it'll be like traveling in outer space - so enjoy your brief encounter with weightlessness. We'll be hitting 320 knots today, which is 370 miles per hour - or about twice the speed of the fastest NASCAR driver. We'll go by the crowd line from right to left at about 200 miles per hour and go into a 16 percent bank," explained Burkes. More nervous passenger laughter.

After some additional maneuvers, we'll perform a push-to-land that creates another temporarily weightless event. Push-to-land simulates landing on a war zone airstrip subject to hostile fire. We wait until our plane is over the runway, then we cut all power and nose down at 25 degrees with maximum flaps. Compare this to a commercial aircraft that lands at a three-degree glide slope. Most pilots pride themselves on how smooth their landings are - not me. This is a combat aircraft, so I'm going to pick a spot - and we're going to land on that spot. Then we'll stop this 100,000-pound plane within 1,000 feet by using max brakes and reverse engines," said Burkes. More really nervous passenger laughter.

Blue Angels Fat Albert Airlines crew members armed four JATO (jet assisted take off) bottles on both sides of the C-130's rear fuselage.

"Burke concluded the briefing, "Our policy here is 'what you carry on is what you carry off ' - so we encourage you to keep an air sickness bag on your person. It's better to have one and not need it, than to not have one and need it. If you feel embarrassed about having used the bag, just open it up and show it to the person beside you - and they'll fill one up, too." More nervous laughter, plus groans and applause.

The flight was everything Burkes described and more. As Fat Albert taxied to its parking spot after landing, the plane was filled with high-fives and laughter as 41 excited (and relieved) people tried to explain their experience all at once.

"That was definitely worth it. That was cool," said AZ2 Vegas Strumsky of NAS Jax Air Operations. "I've been on a lot of awesome roller coasters - but this ride topped them all."

Firing eight JATO (jet assisted take off) bottles for added thrust allows the Blue Angels' Fat Albert C-130T to take off quickly at a steep 45-degree angle. Photo by MC1 Leah Stiles MC1 Leah Stiles

Melanie Breed, a member of the Jacksonville Roar cheerleading squad, was all smiles. "I loved it. It was everything our pilot promised. I'm sure all the ladies on the flight enjoyed being weightless for a few moments. And tomorrow, we'll be cheering at the Jaguars-Cincinnati game when the air show's Heritage Flight does the fly over. It makes for a great weekend, doesn't it?"

AWO3 Elena Martin of VP-30 said, "The flight exceeded my expectations. Pulling the Gs and feeling like an astronaut for a few seconds was fun. It was a unique and exciting little thrill ride."

Sailors from NAS Jacksonville enjoy their ride on the C-130T Hercules better known as "Fat Albert." Photo by QM2 Nicole Soto