Julie Clarke
Most demonstrations of aerobatics involve brute force.
Julie Clarke brings grace and artistry. I don't know when I have been so moved
by a demonstration as I was by this one. She took her plane through long,
graceful maneuvers that required the utmost of skill even they might not have
looked it. In the pictures below, notice the long, flowing curves. Notice also
how close to the ground she brings the plane and the end.
As of this demonstration, Julie was one month away from
retiring as a senior captain with Northwest Airlines. Who knows what will be
next?
As the performance began, her support truck rolled out onto
the field below her. I wondered why. Near the end I found out, as they exploded
fireworks just off her wingtip. I was lucky enough to catch one of these events
in the lens right at its maximum.
If you ever get the chance to go see Julie Clarke perform,
take it!
A typical graceful arc by Julie Clarke.
Red and white streamers.
Julie gave us a real show. Here she is flying much closer to the ground that anyone else did that day, and on her side to boot.
Here she is climbing steeply after going right along the ground. Note the gas at ground level. You can also see the remains of a couple fireworks that her ground crew set off.
Here she is with beautiful fireworks. I had never seen anything like this before.
A last pass before landing.
Landing.
Here is Julie speaking with a fan afterwards.