We started out the morning by checking out the airplanes on display. They happen to have a C5 that had stopped there en route to another base. It was HUGE!! They had it roped off so we could not get very close.
Our next stop was the Highway Patrol Helicopter where the pilot showed us the night vision camera that is used to track criminals in the dark. Here's a picture of Chance sitting in the helicopter:
Then we moved on to the Apache Helicopter. This one was pretty cool. The Apaches used to fly over our house in West Jordan all the time. I remember that they were very noisy and it would sometimes rattle the entire house.
Our next stop was at a F-15 Fighter. These guys were actually based out of Idaho - Mountain Home to be exact. Pretty neat to see close up - but we couldn't climb inside - DARN! Jeff told me a whole bunch of stuff about this one - but I didn't retain any of it! Hahaha!
Our last stop was the KC-135 Refueler...this is THE plane for Jeff's base. They offer midair refueling for jets..see this pic:
We were actually able to climb up into this one.
Here's a pic of Jeff & the kids sitting in the seats. These are the planes that Jeff usually travels on when he is activated. Obviously the seats don't look very comfortable. He usually takes a sleeping bag and pillow and sprawls out on the floor.
We headed to the tail of the plane where the boom is located. The kids were able to crawl down where the boom operator controls the boom. I thought it was interesting that they do this in a laying position - not sitting.
Then we headed up to the cockpit to check that out. I think I would get claustrophobic in that tiny space. The kids liked sitting in the pilot seats and getting a view from that perspective. PLEASE don't touch any of the buttons!
We were climbing down the stairs from the KC-135 and noticed that they had started up 3 planes and were moving them to the runway so we decided to hang out for a bit and watch them take off. They did a fly-by later in the day that was very cool. They were VERY low and tipped their wing as they flew by.
There were a lot of activities for the kids - bounce houses, relays, carnival games, etc. We covered every inch of the base and then stopped for some lunch. It was so extremely HOT by then so we finished up lunch and then headed out to our hotel.
Hanging out in the shade of a bounce house:
Running a 3-legged race:
Chance holding a gun...I don't know what it is. Obviously he had just finished a blue sucker:
My kids torturing the dummy in the medic tent:
Looks like a really fun day for you guys! My boys would love to see all the airplanes!
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