By chance, I was in town for the epic Fourth of July this 250th year! Despite
the heat, the day was extraordinary.
➤ The day had the "most ambitious military aviation spectacles in U.S.
history."
➤ The evening had a fireworks display so massive that it
broke the record for the biggest ever in the world!
The military flyovers came in low about my building headed east to the
Washington Mall. Above is a squadron of copters over the capital.
For me, the most dramatic aircraft is the B-2 — a huge "flying wing"
stealth bomber (aka B-2 Spirit). Late in the afternoon a jaw-dropping series
of five or six B-2s flew over.
Below is a partial list of the day's aircraft:
- U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds (F-16 Fighting Falcon)
- U.S. Navy Blue Angels (F/A-18E/F Super Hornet)
- F-35 Lightning II (USMC & USN)
- F/A-18 Super Hornet / F-18F (USN)
- B-52H Stratofortress (USAF)
- UH-60 / UH-60V Black Hawk (US Army)
- MV-22 Osprey (USMC)
- U.S. Coast Guard helicopters (and fixed-wing aircraft)
- Plus, the new VC-25A/B (Air Force One)
- And more!
Tri‑bomber flyover — B‑2 Spirit with two B‑1 Lancers — flying over my
neighborhood. (Video taken during July 3 rehearsals.)
Neighbors in my building watched from their balconies or from inside with
AC.
Speaking of neighbors, I joined some down the hall who had a small, friendly
gathering in an apartment packed with flags, stars, and red, white, and blue.
For the first time, along with two land locations, eight barges were arrayed
down the Potomac as platforms for massive simultaneous fireworks.
The fireworks were nonstop. Forty minutes were promised and 40 minutes we
got!
We saw a record-setting total of 850,000 pyrotechnic shells!
I've seen lots of fireworks over the years and thought I’d become somewhat
desensitized to them. Not quite the thrill they used to be. However, however,
the DC fireworks for birthday #250 were unparalleled in scale and
spectacle.
The next afternoon I walked over to the US Marine Corp memorial (Iowa Jima),
always a good place for reflections and thanks.
