SEATTLE -- Two San Diego-based Marines flew as passengers of the Blue Angel’s C-130T Hercules, known as “Fat Albert,” during Seafair Fleet Week in Seattle, August 2.
“Fat Albert” sports the Blue Angels colors of blue and yellow and performed during the Boeing Seafair Air Show July 31 to August 3. Members of the Blue Angels opened seats aboard “Fat Albert” to active-duty service members August 1 to 2.
“We can fly up to thirty-four people and it’s quite a wild ride,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrea Perez, a mass communications specialist with the Navy flight demonstration team. “It’s fairly dynamic, so it’s a pretty fun experience.”
Sgt. Nick Svetahor, a meteorological forecaster with 1st Intelligence Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF), and a Berlin, Pennsylvania native, and Sgt. Carmen Zangari, a counterintelligence student with 1st Intelligence Battalion, I MEF, and a Sunbury, Pennsylvania native, spent several days observing Seafair Fleet Week demonstrations and static displays aboard the USS Boxer and requested to join the flight.
According to Zangari, the crew and its members experienced periods of weightlessness and heaviness due to the aircraft’s acrobatic maneuvers.
“I really enjoyed it,” said Zangari. “Air show flying is different from mission flights because it shows off the capabilities of the aircraft.”
Both Marines experienced the flight from a front row seat and sat in passenger seats available in the aircraft’s cockpit. They embraced the unique opportunity offered by the “Fat Albert” crew.
The Blue Angels are slated to perform at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show Oct. 2 to 4. For more information about the Miramar Air Show visit www.miramarairshow.com