BATTLE CREEK — Jake Brouker can't ride rollercoasters anymore.
Well, he can, but the excitement pales in comparison to the thrill of piloting an F/A-18F Super Hornet.
"It's like a rollercoaster on steroids," Brouker, a U.S. Naval Flight Officer, said of flying an F-18. "It’s amazing. The G forces that you feel, it’s a workout and a rollercoaster all in one."
Brouker and fellow members of the F/A-18F Super Hornet Rhino Demo Team descended through the hazy skies and landed at Battle Creek Executive Airport Thursday afternoon ahead of this weekend's Field of Flight Air Show and Balloon Festival.
The demo team is slated to perform Saturday through Tuesday at the festival, and will be joined by the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team, among other aerial performers.
Brouker is in his first year with the Super Hornet Rhino team and said his excitement level "is at a 10" for this weekend's performances.
"It’s beautiful other than this smoke," Brouker said of his first visit to Michigan, acknowledging lingering wildfire smoke could alter performances. "(If it's hazy), we’ll cut out some maneuvers that take us higher in the sky because then it makes it hard for us to see the ground with the haze. We’ll probably stay lower and just do some high speed passes, which are still pretty fun.
"We’re here for four days, so we have a lot of days to come out and put on a show. One of these days I’m sure we’ll be able to do the full (program)."
This weekend marks the fifth of eight air shows the Super Hornet Rhino team will perform at this year.
"It’s just the most fun flying that you’ll ever do," Brouker said of his role on the demo team. "We hope people enjoy the show and enjoy seeing what the F-18 can do up close and personal. You’ll never be as close to a fighter jet as you are when you come and see a show like this."
Brouker is looking forward to performing and having the opportunity to talk with people afterward.
"We’ll be around to talk to anybody that wants to come say, 'Hi,'" Brouker said. "We’re here to support and show off what the Navy can do, especially the Naval aviation side because we’re unique, we can land on boats that move around the world.
"The Air Force is awesome, the F-22 is really cool jet, but they can’t do what we do," Brouker said with a smile.
Field of Flight runs through Tuesday with a variety of aerial displays, fireworks and live music, among other activities. For more information, visit fieldofflight.com.
Contact reporter Greyson Steele at gsteele@battlecreekenquirer.com
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June 29, 2023 at 02:00PM
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