Now, THIS Is A Jet!

As promised, Air Force Captain and Wisconsin native Kyle Wilson screamed into AirVenture 2006 Monday in his B-1 Lancer at 1430... right on time.

As ANN reported in June, Captain Wilson is a member of the 34th Bomb Squadron from Ellsworth Air Force Base, and his story is an incredible one. Diagnosed with cancer in 2001, Wilson battled the disease and was able to continue his career as a combat pilot. To cope with the uncertainty during his treatment, he tackled building an RV-7A.

ANN had front row flightline seats for the arrival, and Kyle and his beloved “BONE” didn’t disappoint.

“It’s just a pretty airplane, really slick.” said David Hampton from Chicago. He flew in on Sunday with Greg Waligroski, of Lafayette, CO in Greg’s Kitfox. “Impressive, the afterburner flyby... just an incredible amount of power.”

Shortly after shutdown, ANN spoke with Captain Wilson about his homecoming. “It’s just an awesome feeling to show up, taxi in and see 30 or 40 of your friends and family sitting there waiting to greet you, and another couple hundred or a thousand people sitting here watching us…its just awesome.

The B-1B will be parked at AeroShell Square until it departs on Friday, July 28.

FMI: www.airventure.org