On Father’s Day my wife, Georgia, and I had a nice breakfast at a local restaurant and then headed over to Benton Air Field, where they were hosting their annual Aviation Day.

They had quite a few small aircraft on display as well a Medi-vac helicopter and big Coast Guard copter.

For those willing to pony up, they were offering helicopter rides and 20-minute rides in a Cessna 172 and a couple of other similar sized planes.

For those willing to spend more, the guy who owns the airport was offering rides in his restored T-34 military plane. My wife asked if I wanted to go for a “Father’s Day” ride and I got in line immediately.

I took some videos of others while waiting for my turn in the T-34 and then the big moment arrived. After we took-off, Jim asked if I was interested in doing any aerobatics, to which I responded, “Hell-YES!”

He then did a left barrel roll and asked if I was up for more. My “Yes” resulted in another barrel roll to the right. All I can say is WOW!

After a couple of minutes, he asked if I could handle a loop. I had to think about that one for a bit, then said, “Go For It!” After landing he said we pulled about 3.5 Gs in the loop.

Holy Moly, what a thrill it was. 

I didn’t get footage of the aerobatics from the cockpit, for obvious reasons, but hopefully, the video below will give you a feel for My Father’s Day Thrill Ride.