Meeting a Real-Life Captain Maverick in Montana

"I feel the need.....the need for speed". One of my all-time favorite movie quotes from the first Top Gun movie.

If you missed it on our show this morning, we had a pilot who used to fly for the Blue Angels whose call sign is "Thumper". And told us some of what to expect to see when they are here performing at the air show in August.

There are seven Blue Angels aircraft. Six one-seaters and one two-seater. The two-seater is used to give members of the media rides and a thrill or two that they can't get at the amusement parks.

So, I'm sitting there thinking about how cool it would be riding in that plane and doing about 400 miles per hour. I love acceleration. I always have. But later in life, I learned that as much as I love going fast, my stomach can't handle any of the maneuvers.

I rode roller coasters all day at Bush Gardens a few years ago. A day filled with coasters that went from zero to sixty mph in a quarter of a block. I had no problems with ones that had huge drops or lots of little whoop de doos. But, for Mark, when you start doing anything resembling a barrel roll, that's the end of the day.

So I would be in trouble if the pilot starts rolling the plane with me in the back. Or the maneuver where they are flying level and then shoot straight up. And one of my rules is trying to not throw up on people. So I'll have to sit this one out.