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Have You Seen This? Standing too close to a Blue Angel takeoff
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It's amazing the watch Blue Angels fly around the sky, but it's also terrifying to stand underneath one when it takes off. - photo by John Clyde


THE TARMAC The Blue Angels are stunning as they cut through the sky and hit Mach speeds to the delight of spectators. The pilots deftly handle the powerful machines with grace and beauty as these jets defy gravity and treat our senses.

While it's amazing to watch these crafts in motion and flight, it's downright terrifying to be too close to one when it takes off. Well, exhilarating and terrifying I suppose.

This video shows two men standing near a runway at the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, Calif., watching Blue Angel jets take off in preparation for an air show. As the jet gets closer you can see the men get nervous and then it happens. The aircraft zips right over their heads causing them to duck and then a wall of dirt and dust envelops the men and everything in close proximity. I am currently sitting in a recliner watching this video and I even cowered a little bit at the power and intensity of the jet.

The video gives you an appreciation for the ingenuity and engineering that goes into making these machines as well as the expert precision it must take to pilot one and we're just watching a YouTube video. I can only imagine what it's like to actually witness it in person and feel it in your bones like these spectators no doubt did.
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