THE KICKOFF — St. Germain opened the Independence Day celebrations with its annual parade last Sunday. One highlight was Zoey the Roller Limbo Princess, who has been featured on national television.--STAFF PHOTO

Fighting our battles

By Marge Baerenwald
Special to the News-Review

Imagine the feeling of lifting off the ground in a jet plane on a clear, sunny day and flying in formation with other planes. The earth’s gravity pulls your body down into the seat as the powerful engine reaches its maximum speed.

Or how about sitting in the cockpit of an airplane as big as a football field, watching the ground rush past in a blur — then pulling back on the stick until the mighty craft lifts off the ground.

These are just some of the thrills that 1st Lt. David Bredesen has experienced as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force.

“For maneuvers in the T-37, we could pull up to 6.7 Gs. We did maneuvers like the Split-S, Chandelle, Cloverleaf, Barrel Roll, Aileron Roll, etc. The flights in the T-37 lasted about 1.5 to 2 hours each,” said Bredesen, a Three Lakes High School graduate.

“The high Gs are really fun, but they are hard on the body. After a two-hour flight, you are pretty much exhausted, and sometimes we would have to do up to three missions per day,” said Bredesen. “I have never gotten sick in the plane, but I have a lot of friends who have. Actually, I even know some guys who have gotten sick in the simulator.”

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