JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Corporal with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office got the ride of a lifetime Wednesday, flying high over the sky of Jacksonville with the Blue Angels.
Terry Martins parents were both in the military, and he first saw the Blue Angels fly as a child.
Now, after 30 years serving his community with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, he got the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly with the elite squadron that inspired him from an early age.
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Martin’s flight kicked off with a 5 G pull off the bat, as Blue Angels Pilot Lieutenant Connor O’Donnell yanked back on the stick and sent his F-18 Super Hornet up at a 90-degree angle.
But before Martin got there… It started with a safety briefing.
“So, this is the cockpit right here,” said one of the technicians as he pointed to images of the jet’s interior laid out on a table.
Martin got a quick rundown of what all he might need to touch, and more importantly what absolutely not to touch.
“Do not use them for any kind of straining maneuvers,” said the technician, referencing several leavers and buttons covered in yellow and black tape.
Martin was selected to be the key influencer for this weekend’s air show, and given the opportunity to go up with the Blue Angels jet Number 7.
He’s part of the Florida Association of Police Explorers, where he’s mentored thousands of youth - 20,000 of which have gone on to pursue careers in law enforcement.
It was actually one of those students he mentored, Joey Cabrera, that submitted Martin’s application for the flight.
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“And I had to go through a couple of hoops to get this nomination in and it’s not easy to do, but it got to the right hands and they saw it and there’s no one more deserving,” said Cabrera.
Back to take off…
During the 45 minute flight Martin pulled barrels rolls, flew inverted and hit tight turns putting a strain of upwards of 7 G’s on his body… Causing him to momentarily black out.
He was back up in seconds, and the brief moment of forced rest did little to put a damper on the experience.
Back on the ground we caught up with Martin.
“Man it was awesome. Opportunity of a lifetime,” said Martin.
Flying with the Blues has been a life long dream of Martin’s, and he even uses videos of their performances as part of the law enforcement trainings he teaches.
He said he uses them to emphasize the importance of teamwork and always having your partner’s back.
“Their attention to detail and professionalism and just in doing their job to that level of perfection or striving for that perfection epitomizes what we all should be trying to do,” said Martin. “And what I do for my training for law enforcement and so, and so, it’s the same concept.”
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Martin has been working 12 hours shifts in his hometown over the past several days, helping clean up after Hurricane Milton.
“I have to teach an academy class tomorrow at 8 o’clock,” Martin said with a chuckle.
And when Martin returns home Friday, he’ll pick up right where he left off, continuing on with his mission of instilling the values demonstrated by the Blue Angels into the next generation of law enforcement professionals.
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