Tom,

Great info! I'll be the big guy with Canon gear, Red Sox hat, and those scary winter
white legs in shorts. If you're around I'd be happy to buy you a tall cool beverage
of your choice.

Thanks again!

Pensacola Beachcomber wrote:
Tom,
When you come through the gate of the naval air station they stop the car
and look at a picture ID of each adult passenger. I don't know if that
includes teenagers. They give the driver a day pass to put on the
dashboard. Most people get to the museum parking lot by 0800 hours. You
can get on the base as early as you want. The Volunteers who provide ramp
security and explain the airshow maneuvers will let people start going out
to the viewing area at 0730. It's a five minute walk out to the bleachers.
There are only two sets of bleachers so the seats go fairly fast. If you
bring your own lawn chairs you can set them up on the concrete area east of
the bleachers or in the grass west of the bleachers. People stand in both
of those areas and they are pretty good about not standing in front of
people sitting in beach or lawn chairs. The bad thing about the area west
of the bleachers is a line of trees that blocks the line of sight during
some of the maneuvers. However, I prefer standing on the west side because
of the
angle of view of the sneak pass.

My buddy Gary Gordon lives in Bow. He's an Army brat and an old Navy guy,
Tom in Pensacola




"Tom" wrote in message
. ..
Tom,

Thanks for all the great info! We'll be coming over from the St Pete area
and be in Pensacola on 20-21. I'll probably do the museum on the 20 and
try to catch practice on the 21 and follow-up on anything I missed the day
before.

There weren't a lot of details about getting to the museum on their
website. Do you need a visitors pass? What's the earliest they'll let
you get on board to get the good seats? I'm assuming no issues with
camera gear at the museum or practice...

I really appreciate the info on places to eat. It's nice to get the local
lay of the land on dining. Looking forward to this trip, too much snow
and cold this winter. Sorry, I don't know Gary. Where does he live?

Tom at the beach in NH


Pensacola Beachcomber wrote:
Hey Tom,
If you are a neighbor of my Internet buddy Gary Gordon in New
Hampshire bring him on down with ya!
If you are coming to a Blue Angel practice session they are going to
be at these times in March:
19
20
21
25
26 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. and 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
8:30 - 9:30 a.m. (Museum Visit)


If you bring your badge the security guys at the museum will let you
buy them coffee.
As far as extra special things to do and see it just depends on what
turns you on. If you want to do something that not too many people get
to do then you will want to visit the museum on a Friday morning and be
there when it opens so you can proceed to the reception desk quickly in
order to get one of the few boarding passes for the trolley ride. On
Friday mornings the trolley ride out to the static parking area is
followed by a walking tour through the restoration hangar. That group
gets to see how the aircraft are restored, they talk with the restoration
volunteers and they get to see how it all really transpires. The only
other way in to see what's happening is to walk to the bathroom during a
Blue Angel practice session.
I don't know if you stay in a trailer camp, with friends or in a
hotel/motel. Wherever it is, I suggest you get through the NAS gates in
time to get a good seat at the practice sessions.
We like to help visitors find a good restaurant. Two that are not on
the Internet are the Crazy Horse Café at 13110 Lillian Highway in
Pensacola. Lillian Highway is actually Highway 98 and the Crazy Horse is
about one half mile east of the Lillian Bridge which connects Florida to
Alabama. The food is home style and all of the desserts are home made.
They are not open on Sundays. Another is Lillian's Pizza on Perdido Key.
We like the Big Dave's pizza. It's got plenty of meat and is sinful.
Going in the other direction we recommend Pegleg Pete's restaurant
on Santa Rosa Island. They have killer fried calamari. If seafood isn't
your bag then go to the Surfburger on Santa Rosa Island. Their food is
so fresh that nothing is cooked until it's ordered. So be ready to wait
a few minutes for the main part of your meal (get a table on the veranda
and watch the sailing on the bay).
And, if you are one of those diehards who stays in a condo in
Alabama.....we recommend DeSoto's restaurant. They have the best crab
claws on the coast and their lunch-time only corn fritters are to die
for. (I know, don't end a sentence with a preposition.)
The exhibits at the museum are constantly changing. Right now there
is a new IMAX movie and there are always reenactors and docents who can
make your visit much more entertaining. You just have to not be in a
hurry, Tom in Pensacola

"Tom" wrote in message
. ..
Tom,

Nice shots of an interesting craft. I'm headed down to your neck of the
woods (or
should I say beach) in a couple of weeks. I plan on venturing over to
the Naval
Museum and maybe even catching a practice session if we're there on the
right days.

The museum website had lots of good info, but is there any absolutely
gotta see stuff
at the museum or elsewhere? Better to ask the local guy now rather than
wish I had
later.

I've attached an aviation shot from snow bound New Hampshire. I'm ready
for spring
to be here now! This was Manchester (MHT) on Saturday 2/23/08 after
clearing out
from a small overnight storm. The FAA registry says this is a DC-9-32
built in 1969.

Thanks!
Tom at the beach in NH