I’ve been upside down in an airplane before – and I even lived to see dinner!

Aerobatics are awesome, but they’re as dangerous as they are exhilarating. It’s easy to overstress the aircraft and break it. Wings can fall off. Bad things can happen. That goes triple if you’re anywhere close to Mother Earth, where you don’t have altitude to recover if you make a mistake.

Formation flying is likewise demanding. The air ebbs and flows and changes like water, so it’s not like you’re cruising down the highway in a car with the road solid and consistent under you. You need to have eyes in the back of your head, and you’d better keep them peeled. Saying this is a bad activity for someone in need of a nap is a vast understatement.

The world-famous Blue Angels, the jet-jockeys of the United States Navy’s Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, combine the adrenaline-charged worlds of aerobatic and formation flying --and they are the undisputed masters of them, set apart and above all others by their exceptional skill and experience.

You (and I) will have the chance to thrill to the sight of these bad-boys in action above the white sands of Pensacola Beach during their dress rehearsal on July 9 and their air show on July 10, 2010. Their performances are the highlight of Red, White and Blues Week, a Pensacola extravaganza boasting a full slate of live musical entertainment from July 5 –11, 2010.

You can bet your rudders it will be worth watching!