1981 Graduate Flying High
This article describes Lt. Patrick Rainey's work for the Blue Angels. This and other articles may be found in the University Archives.
Citation for this article is: Threewitts, George. "1981 Graduate Flying High," ECU Report, Volume 22, No. 3.
Lt. Patrick Rainey '81 is at the controls of an F/A-18, flying high as the left wing unit of the U.S. Navy's diamond-shaped acrobatic flying team known as the Blue Angels.
A quartet of jet fighters thunders above the flight field so close to the tarmac you begin to wonder if earth and machine might suddenly be altered by each other. Then, in complete unison, with wingtips almost touching, the pointed fuselages take aim at the sun, and the planes, now vertical, roar straight upwards into the blue performing stunts with seeming ease that only kids with toy airplanes dare to mimic.
At the controls of one of the aircraft is Lt. Patrick Rainey '81. Rainey's hand -- steady on his control stick; his mind -- focused sharply on the stream of sights and sounds coming at him from all sides. In front of him, his instrument panel; to his right, the other aircraft and the voice of its pilot sounding in his headset; below, the ground markers.
"Break!"
The planes instantly leave their tight formation cascading away in four directions like a fireworks display.
For Rainey this is exacting work. It's also a heavenly experience. This Southern Pines, North Carolina native is a member of the U.S. Navy's elite acrobatic flying team -- the Blue Angels.
Rainey joined the "Blues," the name he and the other pilots have given themselves, last October to fly the number three plane. In air shows he and his sleek, dart-like aircraft form the left wing of a diamond-shaped formation made by four of the jets. Two other F/A-18s and their pilots make up the rest of the flight team, but they remain high in the sky and out of sight until their turn to swoop down in daredevil solo maneuvers that put almost all of the spectators on the edge of their seats.
There are thrills and chills in the tradition of the biplane barnstormers of yesteryear, but the Blue Angels never fly by the seat-of-their-pants. Every maneuver, including take-offs and landings, is choreographed and timed to the split second.
"We try to put a maneuver in front of the audience every 30 seconds," said Rainey.
The team works off of six flight lines extending from the point where the audience is gathered to watch. Checkpoints are placed along the lines at intervals of one, one-and-a-half, two and three miles. When planes are coming from different directions to perform a stunt, they attempt to reach the checkpoints at exactly the same time so that the maneuver takes place directly in front of the crowd.
"We're flying state-of-the-art airplanes with all of the magic visual screens and stuff, but we depend the most on timing and the ground checkpoints," said Rainey. "It is far more reliable and enables us to put the maneuvers right at the center point with 30 seconds between the maneuvers," he added.
One might expect such precision, razzle-dazzle flying would be the stuff of childhood dreams. But this was not the case for Rainey.
Rainey joined the U.S. Navy in 1981 after graduating from East Carolina University with a degree in Criminal Justice.He went to Officers Training School in Pensacola, Fla., and from there to flight school in Kingsville, Texas. He was awarded his wings in January of 1983 and moved to Jacksonville, Florida, where he lives today.
"I flew A7s off the USS Nimitz (an aircraft carrier) for a while," he said.He also made three ocean cruises.From the A7s he switched to flying F-18s and became a pilot instructor for three-and-a-half years before going back to an F-18 squadron.He was chosen for the Blue Angels last October, an assignment that places him among the most visible and famous of all Navy pilots.
"We don't think of ourselves as being elite by any stretch of the imagination," Rainey said. "We're not any different from any of the other Navy aviators.We're just out there to show the general public what the Navy is about."
Even so, he admits that many people who watch the Blue Angels perform wish they could do it too. And he says the challenge of performing acrobatic stunts when the wingtip of one airplane is barely three feet from the wingtip of another proves more than the recommended daily requirement of excitement to his breakfast.
Lt. Rainey especially enjoys flying in the "diamond," a formation of tightly packed airplanes. "When you have a great hop you get fired up about it," he said, describing a maneuver that is performed to perfection. "I come out every day hoping to get better and to put on a great show for the public."
In their recent visit and show at the Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, the Blue Angels performed before many of the Marines and Marine Corps pilots who were just returning from the war in the Persian Gulf.
"To perform for these guys is an honor," Rainey proudly said. "When the war started, they did such an incredible job," he added. "It's our pleasure to perform for them."
And it is his pleasure to be back home, too.
"I never imagined myself back in eastern North Carolina doing this," he said as he prepared to climb aboard the polished F/A-18 with his name emblazoned below the canopy before taking a practice flight with the "Blues" to familiarize themselves with the ground checkpoints.
Any words for the folks at East Carolina?
"Sure," Rainey said, climbing into the cockpit. "Go Pirates!" He's a true blue, all right.
