In An Attempt To Get Across Some Of The Feelings During The Show By The Slot" Pilot, The Painting Portrays Our Proximity To "Lead" In The Afterburner Position, Which Is About Three Feet Lower Than Normal. At All Other Time While In Diamond Or Trail Formation, Two-Thirds Of The Tail Appear Within The Windshield Rather Than Through The Canopy As Shown. The Ever Present Wing Tips Of The Wingmen Are Just 8 Or 10 Feet On Either Side Of Our Heads. Another Impression I Tried To Express Is That "Over The Desert Distances" Are Very Deceiving. There Never Seem To Be Enough Room For The Maneuvers. The Desert Floor Looks Too Close While Going Over The Top At 7,500 Feet And Especially While Going Gover 500 Mph At Around 50 Feet. The Precision And Smoothness With Which The Team Changes Position From Diamond To Trail And Back To Diamond All The While Performing The Loops, Rolls, Etc., Of The Show, Is Another Impression. When This Is All Over, Your Mind Tells You As You Are Headed Back To Nellis Afb That You Have Benny In One Continuous High G Maneuver For About Half An Hour. The View From The Slot/Thunderbirds Lake-10 Dec 63. Major Paul Kattu (Slot) And Major Ed Palmgren (Lead)."
