Interested in aviation and flying?  Then this weekend is for you.

It’s the best air show of the year in the Washington, DC area. Everything from vintage bi-planes to the military’s most aggressive fighter jets will perform a FREE airshow at Andrews Air Force Base in suburban Maryland, this weekend.

Some of the highlights will include:

• Blue Angels (Navy)
• Golden Knights Parachute Team (Army)
• Vintage warbirds and current fighter jets, including the vintage WW-II P-51 Mustang, AV-8B Harrier, F-104 Starfighters, F-15 Strike Eagle, and the aggressive 1,325+ mph F-22 Raptor
• C-17 Globmaster
• Red Bull Air Force

The other major air show near Washington, DC is the Oceana Air Show in Virginia Beach at the end of the summer.

Here are the Blue Angles…takin’ care of business.

2008 Joint Service Open House and Air Show
Andrews Air Force Base
Parking at FedEx Field
Lottsford Road and Fedex Way
Landover, MD  (map it)

Dates and Times – Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18, gates open at 8:00 a.m., Saturday show starts at 9:00, Sunday at 10:00.  Both days end at 5:00.  Click here for the show schedule.

Tickets – FREE

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Branch Avenue, Green line, then take the 20-minute shuttle.

Parking – No parking at the base, but parking is available at FedEx Field where shuttle buses will transport guests to Andrews. Shuttles also run from the Branch Avenue Metro Station.

Security – All attendees are subject to search. No coolers, backpacks, pets or large camera bags.  Portable lawn chairs and collapsible strollers are allowed.

Images – P-51, Blue Angles – public domain, C-17, F-22,

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Post from: The DC Traveler

About an hour and a half southwest of Washington in Orange, VA is Orange Skydiving.  On most days, certified instructors and jumpmasters train people how to take their first skydive. 

There are three types of introductory skydiving options for beginners – tandem jumps, static line jumps and accelerated freefall.

 In tandem jumps, you get an exhilarating 40 to 50 second freefall from about 13,000 feet while harnessed together with your instructor. Considered the “skydiving classroom in the skies”, the tandem jump gives the beginner real taste of the freefall while under the watchfull eye of an experienced instructor.

The static line jump is the typical paratrooper war movies jumping. The skydiver connects a line from the parachute opening device (ripcord) to the airplane, so that when they jump out, the parachute is automatically pulled.  Generally these dives occur around 3,500 feet and result in a five-minute gentle glide back to earth.

For the highly fit such as active military, firefighters, or other whose physical conditioning puts them in a more elite physical conditioning status, accelerated freefalling is an option. In this style, the beginner jumps with two experienced instructors who freefall side-by-side with you until your parachute deploys or if you have problems, they deploy it for you.  These jumps generally occur above 10,000 feet.

During a normal parachute deployment from a freefall dive,  a skydiver will experience a few seconds of intense deceleration, in the area of 3 – 4 G’s.  Once opened, the parachute slows the diver’s descent from about 120 mph to around 12 mph.

Requirements – You must be at least 18 years of age, and provide a picture ID. Maximum weight of a jumper is limited to 275 pounds, with an additional fee for people weighing over 220 pounds.  Jeans, comfortable clothing and sneakers or boots are recommended.

Dates and Times – Skydive Orange is open daily.  Jump times are offered at varying times based on the type of jump, training requirements, the number of jumpers and weather conditions. Most static and accelerated freefall classes start at 8:00 a.m. and run five to six hours. Tandem jumping instruction is significantly shorter and classes are generally offered on weekends at 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., noon, and 2:00 p.m. but subject to change based on number of participants and weather conditions.  Weekday classes are also available.

Allow for plenty of time for your initial training, weather conditions and your jump. It’s probably best to plan to spend the day.  Plan to either bring your lunch or you can visit the town of Orange, just a few miles away.

According to Ned at Orange, it’s rare (less than 0.1%) that someone freezes in the door; but if you have second thoughts, you can, in most cases, reschedule your jump for another day.  Or as you may have seen in the movies, just tell the person behind the if you freeze…… to give you a good push!!

Safety – all parachutes used in first jumps and rentals, use an automatic activation device on the reserve chute that will automatically open at 1,000 feet if the main chute has not been deployed.

Costs (cash prices, credit card prices slightly higher) – Tandem jump – $245, Static Line – $205, Accelerated Freefall – $355.

A Few Bits of Parachuting Trivia

• The record for the highest parachute jump occurred in 1960 as part of a U.S. Air Force program. Captain Joe Kittinger, while wearing a pressurized suit, jumped out of a balloon gondola at over 102,000 feet.  During the 13-minute freefall, he hit speeds of upwards of 600 miles an hour.
• The oldest person to ever take a first skydive was Hildegarde Ferrea, who at 99 years old, completed her first tandem jump.
• The first parachute jump ever made was by Andre-Jacques Garnerin in 1797 over Paris from a ballon at 3,000 feet. 

Photo credits: photo 1 – Dan Wayland, photos 2 and 3 - Bobby Page.
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Post from: The DC Traveler