Malta

Malta International Airshow was a great experience. The trip down from Italy was easy and we landed Friday afternoon to a reception of dozens of professional and amateur photographers. Luckily, our hotel was in a popular area on Malta called St. Julian's. It was situated right in the busy restaurant/bar district as well as next to a small harbor and beach.
Malta was beautiful from the air on approach to landing....and this was the majority of our exposure to the island life because we were busy both Saturday and Sunday at the airshow. However, we did get a chance to explore some restaurants and nightlife in the "Paceville" area of town.
There was no language barrier in Malta. Although they have a native tongue called "Maltese," most people spoke English (with a British accent.) Tons of young people flock to the island for tourism and to study English. Malta is one of Europe's premier places to study English in private language schools (this is because visas are easy and the location is so nice).
We had many opportunities to talk to other aircrew and learn about their Air Forces, etc. Also, we were interviewed by many local and national TV stations about our flying experiences and our participation in the airshow. It was really the first time I've ever felt like a celebrity. Who would think that I'd actually get tired of signing autographs and posing for photos with people??
I've included some pictures: A photo taken of me on departure from Malta (by a pro photographer), a picture of a small harbor near our hotel, a photo of a British pilot taking a rest on his jet and a picture of our jets with a Malta church in the background.

Not an ordinary weekend

Acts 28
Ashore on Malta
1Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. 2The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 3Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live." 5But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. 6The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

As usual, it has been a long time since my last post. I just haven't had much willpower lately to type anything. But I had to let you in on my trip this weekend. I'm leading a formation of 2 F-16's to participate in the Malta International Airshow. www.maltairshow.com It should be a good time. I've been planning this trip for a while and am ready to get the trip underway. Most people have heard of Malta...but don't really know where it is. It's an island country just south of Sicily. It's quite famous as a destination for vacationers and island bums. It's also famous for things biblical as well (see Paul's shipwreck passage from Acts above).
I'll definitely be taking some pics...so look forward to those.
More posts on my return Monday evening...
Ciao

Back at the Casa

Hi everybody,
I know it's been an eternity since I've posted anything. The email/internet access when I was stateside was almost non-existent. I really didn't have time anyway since we were flying so much.
Our deployment to the states went well. As usual, it was super busy. I got a lot of experience flying in these new locations--and being put under pressure always makes you better (although it really sucks when you're doing it.) Hill AFB (in Utah) was my favorite part of the trip. We took a weekend trip to Park City, Utah...which was a really cool scene. I'd never really been to a U.S. ski/mountain town.
Las Vegas was as expected. Lots of flying and little time to relax. I'm pretty much sick of Vegas by now. The casino life really isn't for me.

I just got back on Thursday...and since then I've been doing all the little crap that needs to get done to sustain normal life (the stuff I hate: laundry, unpacking and paying bills). However, I did take a little hike up in the mountains near Piancavallo (a mountain about 20 minutes from my house). Two pictures: one is a cow (I know, boring). Actually, it was really cool to see a small herd of cattle grazing so high in the mountains. The other pic is just of a little mountain hut (I'm guessing for storing farm supplies, etc...but who knows how long this thing has been there?)

Ciao,
Ed