Star-Spangled Spectacular - Part 1

Baltimore was the center of the universe this past weekend. Okay, that may be a bit extreme, but it was the center of important American history with the Star-Spangled Spectacular. We've spent the last few days celebrating the 200th anniversary of the National Anthem and the end of the War of 1812. Loyal readers, Baltimore locals, and history buffs will remember the Star-Spangled Sailabration in June 2012. At that time, there was promise of an even bigger celebration in 2014. That promise was fulfilled necessitating a series of posts this week to cover everything.

First up was a return of the Blue Angels. Once again, they thrilled the city for four days (two practice days and two shows). Their first practice day coincided with the 13th anniversary of September 11. I happened to be driving down I-95 while they were in the air. I couldn't help but wonder about the thoughts of drivers who were unaware of the celebration. It would seem frightening to see fighter jets over a major city on that day. Hopefully the signs about the Spectacular eased their minds.

A majority of the show was performed above Fort McHenry which required restricted zones in the waters directly off of the fort. Many boaters chose to anchor outside of the restricted zone for the shows but we elected to stay home in our slip. There really wasn't a bad seat anywhere along the Baltimore waterfront and we had many friends stopping by throughout the celebration.

I have to give most of the credit to Doug (who is a much better photographer) for the amazing pictures below.

These helicopters flew through about 30 minutes before the show started. I'm assuming they were doing a final check to be sure the airspace was clear.

It's not all about the Blue Angels.

 

City airshows are just incredible.

 

I can't imagine driving a car a top speeds this close to another car. These pilots are something else.



Stay tuned this week for posts on the naval and tall ships and the fireworks display that has spoiled every other display I may potentially see in my lifetime.