User:Gerald Waldo Luis/sandbox 4

The Magic of Flight is a 1996 American short documentary film directed by Greg MacGillivray.

Summary
The Magic of Flight follows the Blue Angels, the United States Navy's (USN) flight demonstration squadrons, as they prepare for Fleet Week, a period of military hiatus for those serving. The film first covers the philosophy of flight dating back to the primeval world, driven by mankind's envious awe of the flying birds. As told in the film by Tom Crouch of the Smithsonian Institution, the Wright brothers made the first successful aircraft, one of them, Wilbur, noted the way birds precisely move their wings so they can fly as intended, which he used to build the roll mechanism. Most features within aviation are also biomimetics of the birds.

The Blue Angels train at their headquarters, Naval Air Facility El Centro. Because precision is important, they train twice a day, six days a week. This, however, does not disturb their military jobs, which they describe as difficult but fun. Another difficulty they must face is the shifts in g-forces which cause blood from their head to rush to their feet, making them unconscious. Smoking cessation, sobriety, enough sleep, and exercise help them trap blood; a specific breathing technique is also learnt. According to aerobatics pilot Sean D. Tucker, one must know when to conduct a stunt in order to keep their bodies stable, stressing the rapid onsets of different g-forces within a short period of time. The Blue Angels also train in a centrifugal simulator to practice.

Several months later, Fleet Week arrives, and the Blue Angels begin touring nationwide. Among their favorite activities is educating and motivating young spectators, as well as flying for the Super Bowl. The film also depicts several other aerobatic aircraft in airshows, like the Extra EA-300S by Patty Wagstaff, who became the first women to win the National Aerobatics Championship, despite initial disbelief from parents. She views sexism in the aviation industry as a motivation to work harder. As the Blue Angels perform their annual finale, beginner Ryan Scholl is able to perform the vertical roll smoothly, which he struggled with during the training.

The narration ends the film by saying:

After months of fine tuning, the Blue Angels have become the team they want to be. Each pilot has acquired a distinct feel for the air, but together, like the fingers of a skilled magician's hand, they fly as one.

In the hundred years since the Wright brothers first took to the air, we have become like the birds! We have attained what was once far beyond our grasp: a feel for the sky.