An Experience of a Lifetime

Get Your Paddles Ready: 
The Ultimate CJP Convention Auction Item 

by Mary Compton

http://www.poweraerobatics.com

The photo-flight auction item really isn’t just about having the end-product of the fabulous photo capturing our jet next to National Aviation Hall of Fame inductee and aerobatic pilot Sean Tucker. It’s more than that. It’s about the EXPERIENCE, the process of getting that perfect shot, and memorializing a very special aviation event in our lives.

Dick and I were inspired to bid on the photo flight after Ed Turley enthusiastically related the great experience he had when he’d won the bid the year before. Plus, we’d seen Ed’s photos and were so riveted by them, we really wanted to share having that experience. 

Professional photographer Jessica Ambats (www.jessicaambats.com) is known for her breathtaking aerial shots, and Sean Tucker is an aviation legend. What an honor it would be to fly with them! So, when the auction item came up, I felt determined to try to win the item. My plan was that it’d be a great gift to give Dick, sitting left seat in our Mustang. However, he, being the generous man he is, INSISTED that I be the one sitting up front in the aircraft! Dick was there for the entire thing: visiting Sean’s hangar in Salinas, the preflight briefing and viewing Sean’s aircraft while aloft and very, very, very near ours, so it was eventful for him, too.

Jessica and Sean made the set up for the flight very easy. We coordinated dates and crossed our fingers that Mother Nature would give us a “photo-worthy” day. Thankfully, it all worked!

We flew the Mustang up to Salinas to meet up w/ Jessica, Sean, and Randy Howell, owner/founder of Patriots Jet Team. Randy sat right seat and provided unbelievably accurate precision flying. The very close formation of the photo-ship, Sean’s aircraft and our jet demands perfection and Randy knows exactly how to position the aircraft. During preflight, we discussed logistics, desired photos, their sequence, and what our “choreographed air ballet” would look like. As it should be, safety is the first, second and last consideration in the flight format. The professionalism and experience of everyone participating gave us great confidence.

Sean introduced us to his team and gave us a tour of his hangar and various aircraft. Given that he’s a living legend, we found him unexpectedly gracious and personable.

Jessica wanted to capture the gorgeous-late-in-the-day-light, so we took off before sunset, with the sun low and basking the landscape with a golden light. The three aircraft departed Salinas w/ the photo-ship/Seneca in the lead, Sean was next, and we met up with them over the beautiful Monterey bay and peninsula. The close proximity of the aircraft is intense and worth the price of admission alone! The professional pilot flying the Seneca, Brian, would relay positioning directions provided by Jessica for her photo compositions. For example, Jessica would instruct us to go "One up, three back”. This is in reference to FEET! That is just how precise it is! Seeing our aircraft so close to Sean’s inverted aerobatic plane is nothing short of a jaw-dropping experience. That image is something I will never forget.

But it doesn’t end there. Once at Sean's hangar, something unique was offered to me that went beyond what I had bid on, and way beyond my expectations. It was something “Extra” and the ultimate icing on the cake: Sean offered to take me up with him for aerobatic maneuvers with him in his Extra! When I made the bid for the flight at the CJP Convention, I had no idea that I’d also be invited to fly with him, a world champion aerobatic pilot! We went up to his aerobatic practice area, and he started out with letting me do gentle turns, and maneuvering the plane. The Extra responds to very delicate pressure on the controls, and it doesn’t have an attitude indicator because, as Sean said, “The world is your attitude indicator.” He would do a maneuver, and then let me do it. We did barrel rolls, loops and hammerheads. I felt like I had to pinch myself! Doing aerobatics with Sean Tucker:  Priceless!

The whole over-the-top-experience is one I would never have had, if not for being a CJP member.  It is yet another reason why Citation Jet Pilots is such a fantastic organization. CJP makes us all “Sharper, Smarter and Safer” pilots, and it provides us with unforgettable experiences that you can’t easily find elsewhere.

Finally, a word of advice to CJP members: Get your auction paddles ready!

Watch Mary’s Air-to-Air Experience Here

Karen Hutton, a photographer and voice-over artist, joined the photo mission team to capture the entire experience on video.  You can view the result here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EYE8vwwPgqs