Quad-City Air Show ends on high note

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By Mary Louise Speer | Monday, June 23, 2008 |

Spectators eagerly scanned the skies Sunday afternoon as Fat Albert, part of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Squadron, roared overhead.

The ear-splitting sound of the C-130T Hercules aircraft comes from the four Allison turboprop engines that power it.

The 2008 Quad-City Air Show ended on a high note as thousands of air show fans savored the sights and sounds of the final day of aerial magic, browsed the vendors selling food and souvenirs and learned more about military life.

“We’re out here today supporting the air show. It’s a great event,” Staff Sgt. Chad Blackdeer, a recruiter for the U.S. Air Force, said. “We provide a lot of open doors and it’s up to you as the airmen to step through them.”

Visitors stopping for a look at the Aero L-29 Delfin jet at the University of Iowa booth learned about developing technology that makes flight safer for pilots.

“We want the avionics to become like a crew member,” said Tom Schnell, director of the Operator Performance Laboratory at the University of Iowa, associate professor and commercial pilot flight instructor. The work at the laboratory is externally funded and the university did not pay for the jet, he said.

The underlying premise is to develop technology that is capable of “sensing” what the pilot is doing. By tracking eye movements or reading brain waves, the computer could “learn” how the individual scans the sky, for example. This system could sound a warning if an aircraft were coming from a direction not being observed. The technology could provide other benefits such as reducing the costs of training pilots, he said.

Eventually, commercial pilots could benefit from technology that allows them to use eye movements to activate controls instead of their hands. “Ten to 20 years down the road, perhaps, this system could decode some basic thoughts,” he said. “Instead of saying yes or no, you could think it.”

Eventually that capability could lead to what he calls electronic telepathy where those thoughts could be transmitted to any spot, anywhere.

The boom-boom-boom of the ShockWave Triple Engine Jet Truck is a long-time tradition at the air show, but you wouldn’t want to be the one paying for the fuel. The ShockWave requires 120 gallons of diesel fuel per run and it is transported in a trailer between venues. Definitely, the truck isn’t street legal, driver Kent Shockley said.

People love the adrenaline rush and excitement of watching the vehicle hurtle down the runway at speeds up to 376 mph. Shockley experiences similar feelings, but driving it also brings in the paycheck. He was the first person licensed by the National Hot Rod Association to drive a multi-engine jet-powered vehicle.

“I don’t feel that what I’m doing is dangerous. I’ve been raised in the racing world as a pup,” he said. “I’ve seen racing and air shows all my life. I guess it’s one of those things where kids follow in their father’s footsteps and I’m one of those.”

The city desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2245 or newsroom@qctimes.com.