There are birds that can fly. And birds that can’t.
Peacocks, for instance, put on an unbelievable show, but it’s all on the ground. They can’t fly very well. If they’re trying to get away from a predator, they can launch themselves up to about 8 feet but can only fly about 300 feet in one flight.
But, so what? Peacocks are proof that God has a sense of humor. Who else, without a chuckle, could have created all this unbelievable bling to strut around the runway.
Look what kind of a show they entertain us with!
That’s one kind of bird that enjoys showing off. And then, there’s the Navy’s Blue Angels. Nearly every year since my family lived in Seattle, the Blue Angels come to entertain the city with their version of a “bird” show for the Seafair celebration. They’re here this week for performing four days of their phenomenal 45 minute air show.
Every year when the Blue Angels arrived, husband Gene piled our 7 kids in the car to drive where they’d have a good “seat” on Lake Washington to watch another kind of unbelievable showing off – but not the kind the peacocks do. I always tried to find an excuse to stay home, because I don’t like to watch entertainment that’s actually death-defying. I’m too squeamish!
The closest I ever came to actually participating in such a dangerous activity myself was before the Washington Department of Motor Vehicles confiscated my driver’s license.
I’m too cowardly to watch the Blue Angels in live action, but I find it easy to watch those deranged pilots on video once you know in advance they safely landed.
According to sfgate.com, “. . . the (pilot’s) position carries a remarkably fatal risk: An astonishing one in 10 Blue Angels pilots have died on the job.
Over the course of its history, 26 pilots and one crew member have died in crashes. Most of them were the result of human error. When the Blue Angels are wingtip-to-wingtip in their signature diamond formation, they’re just 18 inches apart. Flying at up to 700 mph, the smallest mistake can be deadly.
In case you’ve never seen the Blue Angels in action, here’s a video of this year’s show. You’ll note that one of the pilots is a woman. What she lacks in feminine good sense is apparently outweighed by her nutty determination to demonstrate her irrational derring-do. And you may notice how impressively she and the other pilots manage their “peacock strut” when they approach their wings for takeoff.
Finally, before I “Roger. Out” on today’s blob, here’s a question for you. If you watched all or part of these two “bird shows”, which is your favorite?
White peacock
Wow! Amazing shows, but I have to admit the peacocks held my attention more completely.
I’m with you Patty. The planes give me anxiety. I’ll go with the peacocks also.
Yeah, the air shows are what I call “bear poking.” I’m not too interested in an activity that may cause death, and all the participants volunteered.
I never realized how much danger the pilots are in and I had no idea that the planes fly that close together! It is an exciting air show but full of danger!
My favorite item is for the peacocks too. They may not fly very well but each single feather is a dazzling work of art!!