Airplanes are cool!

Spent the day up at the Abbotsford Airshow in BC today and got reminded that F-15E Strike Eagles are loud. VERY LOUD! One did a high speed fly by, ala Maverick in Top Gun. If I had a cup of coffee in hand, it would have ended up in my lap. I was amazed by how much noise such a relative small package could put out! By the time my fingers bolted for my ears it was too late, the ears were ringing.

I am always fascinated to watch these pieces of engineering marvels at work. Even more amazing is to see a plane like the F-15 fly next to its WWII counterpart, the P-51 Mustang. The mighty Mustang is a mouse compared to the fire breathing monster that is the Eagle. It took ~40 years since the dawn of flight to get to the P-51. In the 30 years between then and the first F-15 flight they made a hunred fold advances in performance. There have been many advances in the 30 years since the F-15 first flew, but nothing even as close to as dramatic.

Stopped by the Skagit River Brewery on the way home. Tasty stuff. Their Skullers IPA is firmly planted in my top 5 beers. Too bad this place is a bit of a haul from my palatial estate. There is a train station right next door to it, but since this isn't Europe, it is of no use to me. Boo!