- The humanist philosophy of Lester Mondale (3/12/24)1
- Cape Osteopathic Hospital opens its doors (3/5/24)
- 8 killed and a million dollars damage done in 1924 tornado (2/27/24)1
- Jackson's militant priest, county recorder at odds over marriage licenses (2/20/24)
- Streaking fad comes to Cape (2/13/24)2
- Recalling the start of MEW (2/6/24)
- A few more items from the 1923 end-of-the-year edition (1/30/24)1
Blue Angels perform at runway dedication
Ozark Airlines began operating at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport in 1951, providing passenger service to St. Louis and Memphis, Tennessee. That decade saw a series of improvements at the airstrip, including the concreting of the runways and taxiways.
But by the early 1960s, Ozark was re-aligning some of its flights because the main, 4,000-foot runway was too short to handle the new Convair and F-27 turbo-prop planes the company was increasingly using as it replaced the smaller DC-3s. Soon, Ozark's desire to use jets to serve the city put more pressure on Cape Girardeau's civic leaders to improve its airport facilities.
On Feb. 18, 1964, a $1,250,000 bond issue to finance those improvements, including construction of a new, 6,500-foot runway, failed. The following year, an $880,000 bond issue was sent to the voters, again to upgrade the airport and construct a new runway. The issue failed in November 1965, but passed the next month with 32 votes to spare. The city would get an additional $891,000 in federal matching funds.
Acquiring the needed land for the improvements took some time, and then there was a threatened lawsuit by the city of Scott City over noise and safety issues. But finally, after three years of what must have seemed like unending stumbling blocks, work began on the new, 6,500-foot-long, 150-foot-wide runway on May 9, 1967. By June 1968, the city was ready to celebrate the dedication of the new runway. And what better way to do that than an airshow, including a demonstration by the Navy's Blue Angels, the first ever such performance at Cape Girardeau.
Several articles were published in the Missourian concerning the Blue Angels' appearance, including a first-hand account of a ride-along by Missourian reporter Brad Estes, on June 12, 1968.
(Southeast Missourian archive)
Missourian Reporter Rides With Blue Angel
By BRAD ESTES
Missourian staff writer.
Fields, streets, cars and cities quickly turned into miniatures Tuesday morning when this reporter and Lt. Robert F. Adams soared 22,000 feet into the sky at more than 400 miles per hour in one of the Blue Angels' fighter aircraft.
The impressive and breathtaking ride was given to one representative of each major news medium in Cape Girardeau in a TF-9J airplane, similar to ones used by the Glue Angels. The flights were inc conjunction with the Blue Angels' three-day visit in Cape Girardeau for the runway dedication.
Lt. Adams, a pilot who has been shot down over Vietnam twice, piloted the flights. He is also the Blue Angels' narrator during their performances.
BRIEFING GIVEN
The first procedure before the flight was the briefing. A member of the Blue Angels' ground crew did this at the aircraft while he also helped with a green cloth flight suit. The cockpit of the two-seater plane was about 10 to 12 feet above.
To climb in, there were steps in the side of the plane.
A crew member then began the strapping in. It took a good five minutes. There were leg straps, waist straps, shoulder straps and chest straps. "Pull those leg straps plenty tight. They hold you in your parachute," he said at one time. There was no hesitation.
Once strapped in, movement was confined to a minimum. There was a lever to the left which would allow further movement forward if placed in a certain position.
The inside of the cockpit was filled with numerous gauges, switches and levers, few of which meant anything to this reporter.
HAZARD NOTED
In the center of the floor there was a large black stick. "Keep clear of this or the pilot won't be able to control the aircraft," the crew member explained.
Lt. Adams, 27, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, had not arrived yet. He would sit in a separate cockpit in front. The plane could be flown from either.
The crew member began explaining emergency procedures. The plane was equippe3d with automatic ejection. The entire seat was mounted on an explosive device which could propel the seat upward at 60 feet per second. It contained a parachute.
The trigger was a bar at the top of the backrest. Accidental discharge was almost impossible. "Reach back and touch this so you'll know where it is," the crew member requested. "But don't pull it down." To pull he bar down to about the knees would have ejected the seat. Once anyone did this, everything else was automatic.
The helmet came next. It was a football-type helmet but had a microphone mounted on the right side, a sun visor which could be pulled down and built-in earphones.
The microphone and earphones connected with either an intercom system in the plane or with the Federal Aviation Agency at the airport via radio.
Lt. Adams arrived shortly. The crew member also helped him strap in The ground crew then started the single jet engine. It made a tremendous roar. The crew checked wing flaps, landing tear, and numerous other working parts on the aircraft. Nothing was overlooked.
FLIGHT CLEARED
Lt. Adams accelerated to put the aircraft in motion. Spectators held their hats from the thrust. "The only way I can steer on the ground is by applying a brake," the pilot explained through the intercom. "I'll put on the right brake to make this right turn." He accelerated more as the craft headed toward the new runway. He closed the cockpit canopy. The loudest noise instead of the engine became the air conditioner.
Taxiing was rough. The plane bounced a lot. It took only a short time to reach the east end of the 6,500-foot strip. Lt. Adams had been talking with the FAA to get instructions. He radioed the FAA to advise he was making a 360-degree turn on the runway and then take off, heading northwest.
Lt. Adams applied the brakes, accelerated the jet engine, then released the brakes. The aircraft plunged forward. The force pressed us back into our seats so we could hardly move. The plane continued to accelerate as Lt. Adams added more power. In about 5,000 feet we had increased our speed to 150 miles per hour and were airborne.
We climbed and the downward force took over, pressing us into our seats. We climbed slowly at first and then Lt. Adams swung the plane straight up.
MAKE LOW PASS
We climbed and climbed. He then made a right banked turn, came across Cape Girardeau, circled into Illinois and then back to the airport. We were about 2,000 to 3,000 feet high. Then we approached the airport again, we dove to about 200 feet to make a sweeping pass just south of the terminal building.
Spectators on the ground held their hats and ears. They said later the roar was tremendous. In the cockpit, which was apparently almost sound proof, only a slight roar and the vibration of the engine could be heard and felt.
The aircraft, commanded by Lt. Adams, is a later model than the Blue Angels fly. The TF-9J is brought along for these demonstration flights and is not used in the air show itself.
It is capable of the same maneuvers as the F-11As are . But as are the F-11As, the 11,000-pound TF-9J is seldom used by the Navy anymore. More modern planes have replaced it.
Lt. Adams said a few are still being used in Vietnam for surveillance aircraft over enemy territory. He said the TF-9J is so rugged, it is very difficult to knock down even when hit by ground fire.
The aircraft is capable of more than 700 miles per hour, Lt. Adams said.
"We'll just circle around Cape for a while and look at the scenery." He continued to climb gradually but stayed below a cloud cover which was moving in. The winding Mississippi River was in sight but looked like a small drainage ditch. The fields quickly turned into a giant brown and green checkerboard. The highways appeared to be small brown paths through the giant checkerboard.
VIEW MAGNIFICENT
The curving glass canopy protecting us afforded a magnificent view. "You won't get this kind of view in an airliner," Lt. Adams said.
The banking turn took us three to four miles out because of the tremendous speed. We crossed over McClure and Benton during or circle.
We then headed north and began to climb. Interstate 55 was below. We were too high by then to see people. The river was at the right. Cars were small dots.
Although the speed was more than 400 m.p.h., it didn't seem like we were traveling as fast as it feels in a car going 50 to 60 m.p.h. The ground appeared to move by slowly also.
The sky, almost covered at Cape Girardeau, was dotted with cotton-like clouds further north. But much of the time we were shadowed by these clouds at lower altitudes.
"Let's go up and take a look around," Lt. Adams said. We did. He accelerated. The force again threw us back into our seats as we headed nearly straight up. We quickly passed through a cloud which had shadowed the aircraft from a bright sun which shown directly in front of us at our angle of climb.
The sun visors kept the sun from blinding us temporarily. We leveled off a little but continued to climb. We passed 20,000, still climbing. Lt. Adams leveled off at about 22,000 feet.
To go any higher, which was possible, Lt. Adams explained, he would have had to go onto radar and use oxygen. We had no trouble breathing at 22,000 feet though.
MIST FILLS AIR
As we had climbed and descended, the air conditioner would periodically fill the cockpit with smoke-like mist. This was condensation of the air in the cockpit.
"If you don't tell people what this is, they think the plane is on fire. It can be quite a frightening experience," he explained.
We flew northward for a few minutes. Lt. Adams said there was a possibility we could rendezvous with Lt. John Allen. He was returning in a F-11A which had been taken to St. Louis for repairs to a hydraulic fuel leak.
Lt. Adams began trying to call on the radio. There was no answer at first. He called again. Lt. Allen then answered. He had just taken off from St. Louis and was about 75 miles north of us. We were closing fast at a combined rate of 900 miles per hour. It would be only a matter of minutes before the two planes would make a rendezvous in the sky, a maneuver used commonly in combat. There is little occasion for the Blue Angels to do this because they usually fly together.
The altitudes had to be the same. The pilots had to be careful of a mid-air collision also. The major portion of the maneuvering would be done by Lt. Adams.
His capability was evident in the way he handled the plane. He also has to his credit more than 120 combat missions, the Distinguished Flying Cross, seven Air Medals, two Purple Hearts, the Navy Unit Citation and Commendation Medals and Vietnam Campaign and Service Medals.
Lt. Adams was shot down on a combat cruise off the coast of North Vietnam in 1965 by a surface to air missile. He was quickly rescued.
He was also hit by ground fire in 1966, ejecting from his aircraft to land within 30 miles of Hanoi. After an hour of eluding enemy troops, Lt. Adams was picked up by a helicopter.
RADIO BUSY
As Lt. Adams and Lt. Allen approached, radio traffic became heavier. Each was keeping the other well informed of his location.
Then, very quickly, Lt. Adams went into a sharp banked curve. The had come for the planes to meet.
Lt. Adams had not seen the other fighter yet but he knew it was nearby. Near the end of our complete turn around, Lt. Allen appeared off to the right. "There he is There he is," Lt. Adams shouted over the intercom. "Beautiful. Beautiful."
Lt. Allen pulled along side, rocking his wings to say hello. The wings of the planes overlapped as they flew only about three to four feet apart. Lt. Allen was a little lower than we were. We flew together for a short distance. Then Lt. Allen without warning, rolled his plane up over us and then back again. We dropped down in a few minutes to do some more sight-seeing in the Cape Girardeau area. The rendezvous had occurred about 40 miles north. We were back before we knew it.
HELD BY STRAPS
Lt. Adams swooped down to 3,000 feet. We felt suspended in the air, held only by our straps. We then began trying to spot familiar places. At this altitude, most of the area was recognizable after getting your bearing on certain landmarks such as the Mississippi River bridge.
We had been flying about 45 minutes. We were ready to go in then. Lt. Adams said the plane was a little heavy with fuel to make a good landing. He threw on his air brakes (flaps which lower under the aircraft) and accelerated at the same time to burn up fuel. The aircraft slowed with a vibrating noise.
Lt. Adams did this for a few minutes, circling back to the airport. He notified the FAA of his intent to land. The airport was clear.
CAMERA GETS HEAVY
To slow the aircraft more, we made a steep right bank upward. During this motion and others like it before, a camera which weighed maybe two pounds, felt like 20 or 30. As we banked sideways the camera was held firmly in place by the pull.
We came in from the east on the new runway. The landing was only rough when the wheels touched down. Lt. Adams opened the canopy at about 100 miles per hour and a cool breeze hit us in the face.
U.S. Sen. Edward V. Long was the main speaker at the 1968 dedication of the new runway at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport. (Southeast Missourian archive)
A crowd of about 25,000 witnessed the Blue Angels perform the following afternoon, immediately after the runway dedication ceremony concluded.
Guest speaker at the ceremony was U.S. Sen. Edward V. Long. He commended the efforts of local leaders and citizens in completing the project which, he assured onlookers, would help bring prosperity to the area: "This airport is an open invitation to every industry looking for a convenient city to open a new plant. This airport is an open invitation to all Americans, to businessmen, vacationers, investors, buyers, farmers and government officials to fly to Cape Girardeau to see the All-America City, to see the progress you are making."
The runway dedication celebration went off with only one hitch. As the Blue Angels prepared to take flight, the number two plane developed a hydraulic fuel leak in an air brake. In a standard action for such a development, the pilot of that plane transferred to the six plane, and that flyer sat out the demonstration. It was only the second time in three years a Blue Angel plane had to be grounded just prior to a show.
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