CBS 2's Marissa Parra takes a ride in KC-135 Stratotanker ahead of Chicago Air & Water Show
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Chicago Air and Water Show is less than two days away, and we're giving you an inside preview.
CBS 2's Marissa Parra took the ride of a lifetime on the KC-135 Stratotanker, which is used to refuel other planes up in the sky, allowing them to stay in the air for longer.
Parra caught up with the planes they refuel, like the Blue Angels, and fighter jets like F-35s.
The level of athleticism required of these pilots is incredible, just from the sheer force of travelling so fast.
A lot of them are home grown. One of the team members with the Blue Angels is from Sandwich, Illinois, just outside Aurora.
He said getting to go home this weekend, where he first told his family he wanted to be part of the Chicago Air and Water Show one day, has made for a surreal experience
"Yesterday was even more surreal. We got to visit the Chicago Bears training camp, and I got a bit choked up, because that's my childhood team," Petty officer Brandon Franciscy said. "I'm really happy that I'm here."
He said the Bears players were just as excited to meet him as he was to meet them.
"They were like 'Oh, Blue Angels!' and I was like, 'Oh, Chicago Bears!'" Franciscy said.
The refueling you'll see at the Air and Water Show is a simulation, but Parra actually got to watch the real thing happen in the skies.
We'll be giving you a behind the scenes look on air and online on Friday, so keep an eye out for that on the stream and on our newscasts.
The performers will be doing a dress rehearsal on Friday before the full show Saturday and Sunday, so keep your eyes on the skies.
You can watch the action for free at North Avenue Beach from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. You an also get great views from Navy Pier or Fullerton Avenue Beach.
Or you can go to Gary/Chicago International Airport for its tailgating version. It costs $10 to park in the paved lot during the show, starting at 8 a.m. each day, and you might even get a chance to meet and talk to some of the pilots.
