An exciting day that turned frightening for tens of thousands of eastern Iowans has been brought back into focus by a new video from a pilot that was there.
It was August 30, 1970. The Blue Angels were performing at the 4th Annual Cedar Rapids Jaycees Air Show at the Cedar Rapids Airport, now the Eastern Iowa Airport.
There were four Blue Angels jets in the air that day, with 35,000 people in attendance, according to the Iowa City Press-Citizen. One of those pilots was 27-year-old Ernie Christensen.
The Des Moines Register reported the Blue Angels performed for only about 40 minutes due to visibility problems. Christensen said a crosswind made it even worse. As the Blue Angels began to land, Christensen heard their challenges on his radio.
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