Simulator lets people experience flying with the Blue Angels

The engine rumbles, then the passengers gasp simultaneously as the F/A-18 Hornet lifts roughly off the runway, throwing riders against the backs of their seats. After that, it's nothing but blue skies and white clouds as the jet gains altitude, soaring over dense forests, fields and cities.

Area residents had a rare chance to experience life in the cockpit of a Blue Angels fighter jet when one of the Navy's full-motion flight simulators made a short landing Sunday at Westfield Shoppingtown in Cape Girardeau.

The simulator, one of only two of its kind in the United States, doesn't offer a smooth ride. The machine's hydraulics and pneumatics jolt and jostle passengers through a variety of sharp turns and nose-dives over trees, buildings and along the Florida coastline.

Even before the simulator came to a bumpy halt on the air strip, young passengers asked to ride again.

"It was hard for me to stay in my seat. It felt so real," said Stephanie Brown of Cape Girardeau, who rode with her 4-year-old daughter, Molly, and husband, Rusty.

'Everybody lives it'

For those seated in a row alone, no amount of clinging to the safety bar could prevent slipping and sliding down one end of the bench to the other as the machine abruptly banked from side to side.

Chief Petty Officer Kelly Firebaugh, a Navy recruiting officer in Southeast Missouri said this is the simulator's first visit to Cape Girardeau.

"This gives people a five-minute chance to be in the Navy," Firebaugh said. "Almost everybody loves it. When it's over, they're ready to go again."

Firebaugh said the simulator usually attracts around 200 people a day, ranging in age from small children to former World War II pilots. While it is used as a recruiting tool, that's not the machine's only purpose, Firebaugh said.

"If it helps with recruiting, that's nice," he said. "But really, it gives us a nice rapport with the local community."

The machine is hauled to various events across the United States on the back of an 18-wheel tractor-trailer. The 12-by-6-foot cockpit has four rows of 5-foot benches and can hold around 15 people at one time.

A 35-inch projection screen and surround-sound speakers make the experience even more real. Images on the screen were recorded from the No. 5 Blue Angel jet.

The simulated flight only lasts four minutes, but the scenery, not to mention the constant gyrating of the machine, makes the experience seem much longer.

The ride is free, but participants are asked to fill out a card with contact information for recruiting purposes.

Taste of being a pilot

Micah McDowell, 15, of Fruitland, and his friend, Andy Young, 15, of Jackson, were among the local residents to ride the simulator.

"I thought it was really impressive. It gave me a taste of what it might be like to be a pilot," McDowell said.

But it wasn't enough to convince him to join the Navy after he graduates from high school.

"It's not really something I'm really interested in doing," McDowell said.

Anthony Clarkbanks has traveled to 48 states and to Canada as the driver and operator of the simulator.

Clarkbanks said the entire setup -- tractor-trailer truck and the simulator -- weighs around 80,000 pounds and cost $672,000. But to him, it's money well spent by the U.S. Navy.

"You don't see a long line of people waiting to join the Navy. I call this a hell of a recruiting tool," Clarkbanks said.

cclark@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128