Message posted by Will (NorCal) on August 12, 2004 at 20:02:59 PST:

On July 4, 1982, I went with some friends to watch the shuttle Columbia land at Edwards. My dad worked at Rockwell and had gotten some "VIP passes"....and so did about 100,000 other people, it seemed.

We drove up the night before and camped on the lake bed. There were concession stands, lots of food and beer, and it was like one big party. Security was minimal, and it seemd that everyone was having a great time.

The next morning, we watched Columbia land, Saw the newly-completed Challenger atop the 747 being prepped for the flight back east, and heard a speech from President Reagan (us heathens were kept quite a distance from Ron).

As we were leaving (thousands of vehicles trying to get out the only gate that was open-it took a couple of hours), we watched the 747 carrying Challenger take off and circle for what seemed like an hour gaining altitude before heading east. It was a great day, and is still a great memory.

But now that Columbia, Challenger, and even Reagan are gone, it seems like a completely different world. I'm not surprised that security concerns are the reason (real or imagined) for the cancellation of events. I'd like my kids to be able to do some of things I did, but it doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon.

In Reply to: Re: Edwards AFB air show canceled posted by lone wolf on August 12, 2004 at 17:50:42 PST:

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