As mentioned in my last posting, I went down to Williamsburg, KY to cover the 2009 National Guard Border Bowl for the Public Affairs Office of the Kentucky National Guard. What a trip!

I started my morning by meeting the Adjutant General (a.k.a., "the TAG") of the KY National Guard, Major General Edward Tonini, at Bowman Field in Louisville. I flew along with the TAG in his UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter to Willimasburg. In addition to myself were 3 other public affairs personnel. this was my first experience in a Blackhawk helicopter. It was worth the wait. The flight to Williamsburg was pretty uneventful -- no turbulence. We arrived in Williamsburg at the University of the Cumberlands around 11 a.m.

At about 12:30, I rejoined the pilots at the Blackhawk. The Blackhawk was scheduled to do a high-speed flyover just before the game started. About 20 minute prior to the flyover, we took off and flew around the area while we waited for our cue. In that time, the pilot took it upon himself to try to get me to puke in his aircraft. He started a series of high-speed banks and dives. I normally get very nervous at turbulence in fixed wing aircraft, but that didn't seem to bother me in the Blackhawk. I just hung on tight and enjoyed the ride.

The flight back to Louisville was a little more eventful. We encountered a lot of turbulence due to high winds in the area. But it settled down as we got farther away from Williamsburg. But the sun came out and everything calmed down. I've posted some photos of the day's events over at Flickr.

Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. Kentucky beat Tennessee 26-20.