Do you remember your first Blue Angels experience ?

The year was 1983, I was 7 years old. We lived in the far North part of Phoenix, and at the time there wasn't much developed in the area. Deer Valley airport was two or three miles away, and we were close to the flight path. It wasn't unusual to hear low flying aircraft and helicopters, with the occasional jet or two. A few weeks prior to the event I remember going to the grocery store, and on the paper bags were these jets. It was an advertisement for an upcoming airshow at Deer Valley airport. I had never been to one, and I really didn't know what it was. My parents didn't seem interested to go, and I can't remember if they had even mentioned a thing about it. However we were going to be witness to this fine act of aerial acrobatics whether we liked or not. I can't recall the the exact day, month, or hour. But I was amazed to see these beautiful blue jets come streaking over our house. The Blue Angels were in town and they were practicing over our house. I was in for a time of pure joy I often wish I could relive over and over. I didn't know it at the time what or who they were. But I was in love with aviation from that point on.
The Blue Angels flew low and fast over our house, and at times so low you could see their yellow helmets in the A-4's cockpit. The sounds these Skyhawk's made were hypnotising, and live on in my memory. One day after school while riding home I watched number 5 go upside down, and he seemed to be just feet off the ground. There was a lot of open space in North Phoenix back then, and these guys just let loose. They did stuff I'd never see fighter pilots do again in an urban setting. I wish I could of recorded it to watch over and over again. The Blue Angels became my hero's, and I loved the A-4 Skyhawk. It looked so good in the Blue and gold colors. I was sad to see the A-4 go, and even though today I still see the Blue's every chance I get. It's not the same with out the Scooter's. The Blue Angels eventually left to go perform elsewhere. But they would return again next year. Sadly though after that, the urban sprawl of 1985 in North Phoenix put an end to the Blue Angels performing at Deer Valley airport. Too many people were complaining about the noise. Noise ? What some consider noise I consider divine music from above.

Chevy Caprice Identification 1990 - 1996

To the untrained eye one Caprice looks like the other. But if your a fanatic like me you know what to look for to identify the year of the car.
1990 was the last year for the classic box body on the Caprice. The 87-90 Caprice models were virtually the same. I believe the 90 Caprice had a redesign of the driver and passenger seat belts. It was given the dangerous shoulder belt in the door design. Which if your door flung open in a crash your going to be flying as well.
1991 was the beginning of the bubble, tuna boat, jelly bean, Caprice. Total body overhaul with a slick modern design. The 91 Caprice had rear skirts over the back wheel wells, and the center door pillars were black on all the models. The front grill didn't have the CHEVROLET molded into it. The 9C1 police package had the 5.7 ltr 350, with a certified calibration speedometer both analog and digital.
1992 Caprice body was the same but the center door pillars were now painted to match the body color. The CHEVROLET name was molded into the front grill, and as for that I'm not aware of any other distinguishing changes.
1993 Caprice was made easier on the eyes by removing the rear wheel skirts. This gave the Caprice a better look in my opinion. The rest of the interior & exterior remained the same.
1994 was a good year for the Caprice. The new 5.7 ltr LT1 350 was available as an option. This motor was standard in the 9C1 package. The speedometer went totally digital with only fuel, temp, oil, and battery as analog. The dash was redesigned due to the addition of a passenger side airbag. This was also the year the Impala version "Fancy Caprice" was available for sale. Basically a fancy police package caprice..
1995 the Caprice saw some minor exterior changes. The rear quarter panel windows were changed to a crescent shape. The side view mirrors were relocated higher into the door, and were now black on all cars. This is my favorite year for the Caprice, especially the 9C1. 1996 Caprice is a clone to the 95 as far as visual recognition. I'm sure throughout the 91-96 time there were changes unseen. But I'm just writing about the visual appearances. I f you have anything to add please feel free in your comments. I'm not an expert, and I don't claim to be I just love big old cars.