Just another day on the job ... well,kinda

Team RV performed in the Pensacola Beach Air Show last month. Editor Scott Page (below) was lucky enough to fly with the team during a media flight. The area scenery was an unforgettable sight, and thanks is owed to Team RV for the opportunity. There are certain perks that come with being a working member of the media. The occasional complimentary dish; free entry to many sporting events and concerts; and the opportunity to meet and endless list of amazing people are just a few.

There is one, however, that I particularly enjoy, and it only comes around once a year in July – media flights with participants of the annual Red, White and Blues Air Show on Pensacola Beach.

After an intense ride on Fat Albert Airlines last summer, I was a lucky enough to take to the skies with Team RV this year.

Team RV is a precision formation flying team, with members scattered across Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Scott Page/Splash! I hopped in the cockpit of Charlie “Bones” Plunkett’s custom-built RV aircraft – these planes are experimental, built by the pilots in their garages.

That fact might seem a bit worrisome, but during the pre-flight briefing it was apparent that these guys are anything but amateurs. The team covered every detail of the flight – communication frequencies, take-off order and formations, execution of maneuvers, and flight positions to name a few.

Flying in a small aircraft with a clear canopy is a far cry from an incubated flight aboard a jumbo airliner. You get a much better feel for the propulsion of the engine, the tug of gravity as the pilot handles the aircraft and a much higher level of spacial recognition, as you can see everything around you.

What I saw around me was the stunning geography of Northwest Florida. The emerald green water of the Gulf, the thin strip of sparkling white sand that is Pensacola Beach, and the expansive wetland habitats that harbor much of our biodiversity. These are the treasures we so desperately want to protect from the creeping glob of destruction lurking beyond our shores.

David Schulz/Splash! The view from above gives you a different type of appreciation for the natural resources we, who are lucky enough to call this home, enjoy. The area is stunning from above.

The ride was peaceful and relaxing, with just a few transmissions over the radio at crucial points in the flight. Eleven planes flew in perfect (tight) formations as we circled the Pensacola Bay area. I must admit, I tried to persuade “Bones” to thrill me with a few aerobatic maneuvers; but to no avail.

Though the flight was not an adrenaline-fueled joyride, it was supremely enjoyable. I can think of about 275,346 lessdesirable ways to begin a Friday morning.

“When a flight is proceeding incredibly well, something was forgotten,” wrote Robert Livingston in “Flying The Aeronca.”

I was unaware of these words as I soared high over Pensacola Beach, but perhaps I did forget something that morning – that I was technically at work!

Life is good! Many thanks to Team RV for a great ride.