“Take up your cross and follow Me." ~ Luke 9:23
In the sky over Dayton’s airport,
six Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornets fly in formation so close together they appear
to be one. For more than 75 years, the Navy’s Blue Angels have been defying
gravity with aerial precision while inspiring a culture of excellence and
service to country.
The Top Gun stereotype was born on the back of a motorcycle
when a secretive naval aviation school made its Hollywood debut in 1986. But
the real pilots are anything but “mavericks.” These highly-skilled men and
women describe themselves using 3 words – humble, reliable, and credible.
This school doesn’t accept aviators with an ego, or those
who fly with a death wish. They don’t fly to break the rules, but to define
them for the rest of the fleet. Some will go on to become elite members of the
Blue Angels demonstration team.
Blue Angel pilots place their
lives in the hands of their team members, trusting that the lead pilot is
traveling at precisely the correct speed and trajectory. Wing pilots surrender
any desire to switch directions or question their leader’s path. Instead, they
get in formation and follow precisely. Their lives are also in the hands of the
crew that checked their engines and landing gear, ensuring that everything
works the way it should!
Although they routinely pull 7
Gs and sometimes more, they cannot wear compression suits due to the nature of
their job. G-suits suits would interfere with their ability to control the
flight stick that moves them into tight formations.
The Blue Angels team puts in thousands of practice hours
together to achieve flawless performances. Every pilot is accountable for
keeping their skills up to date. There are no spare pilots - a substitute would
never get enough time in the formation to do so safely.
The death of 27 Blue Angel pilots since 1946 in training or
airshows serves as a constant reminder of the danger that they face every time
they take to the sky. High-performance standards are not optional; they are a survival
necessity.
It’s no different for us Christians. His path was one of
self-denial and suffering, which can be hard to follow. But to be effective
disciples, two things stand out immediately: understanding and obeying His
teaching and following His example. We are invited to put aside selfish desires
and pick up spiritual burdens daily – being humble, certain, and deliberate.
And finally … staying close enough that we can appear with Christ as one.
Father
God, I am a work in progress. My spiritual transformation will take the rest of
my life. Please guide me on a path of righteousness, according to Your will and
glory. Shape me, mold me, use me and fill me each day to become more like You. Amen
