Richmond Times-Dispatch from Richmond, Virginia • 31

HictiiwJ iww-b tfido SrHbr I C5 bonds of welcome after Angel flight Continued from first peg shaped taJ is the aewetf and quickest fighter in the Ns vys arsenal Twin )et engines produce SUMO pounds of thrust to hurl it through the atmosphere at Mach about 1400 mph "We fly the same maneuvers the earner pilots perform la combat we Just do it la closer formations aad at a lower altitude for McClain Mid A former motorcycle racer from Oklahoma the 31-year-old pilot pulled on a helmet with a gold visor la front and stenciled on the back The engines screamed to life as be taxied down the runway for what he promised would be a performance takeoff We were already traveling about 140 mph when McClain announced be was kicking in the afterburners giant O-rings that pump raw fuel Into the flaming exhaust for extra boost The meter Jumped to MS mph and the plane waa still accelerating We were skimming feet above the asphalt when McClain barked by to The pilot Jerked back oe the stick and the F-U stood on its tail ss if shot from a cannon My cheeks were trying to slide off my face aad my eyeballs were pressed back into my skull causing fireflies to dance around my oxygen-starved heal la leu than 30 seconds we were at 10000 feet McClain let the plane fall into a lazy spin and I looked over my shoulder at the Earth so far below that the airfield was no longer visible I caught my breath and shook my tingling fingers peering through the cockpit at the infinite blue above We were traveling at HO mph yet there was almost no vibration to disturb the serenity you like your I told McCain is nothing on Earth like It" be replied An instant later we were upside down suspended ia our banoses between the seat aad the cockpit is one of my favorite McClain said ft was aice feeling the blood rush back into my head aad watching the ground streak past We were Just five minutes into the Bight when McClaia announced we were over the bombing range ia Due County NC I couldn't help remembering that it took aa hour aad a half by car Without warning the Jet turned wing over wing faster than the flip of a corn "That was a slow nit I hath slow rolls" McClain said I never asked for a fast roll but we somersaulted through the sir twice ia one heartbeat My stomach took much longer I was already reaching for the air sickness bag trying not to snag the canopy release when McClain asked if I was ready for a bop Without wailing for aa answer ho dwe straight down at the pine trees Swallowing hard I braced for impact But before 1 knew it we had bottomed out My shoulders were driven into my lap as ws reversed directioa and climbed straight ap for nearly a mile before flipping upside down to complete the circle are you McClain ashed little I said don't you fly her a little to take you mind off itT" he suggested cheerfully ft was a S20 million fighter Jet and I had never piloted anything that made of balsa and powered with a rubber band But I felt so near death I figured there much to lose A green display on the monitor showed when the nose and wings of the plane were level The Joystick deck of a flattop and land ia the ocean ft was Lke falling down the elevator chute of the Empire State Building and landing ia a fireman's canvas ring In an instant I found myself weighing 1 J00 pounds The lights started to wink out hut I clamped down with all my strength and clung grimly to consciousness ft wm over I wm drained The crew chief mounted the scaffold with a squeeze bottle of disinfectant be embarrassed nearly everybody gets sick the first Gilbert Hid Lurching across the runway my hair sopping and my face ashen with a terrible hangover I wm met by the grinning public affairs officer who had arranged my flight once-ia-a-Iifetime experience isn't he Mid I certainly hoped so worked just like the ones at the video arcade For IS minutes I plowed circles ia the air banking bke Richard Petty oa the high oval at Daytona doing very well how about trying a roll?" McClain suggested don't think I'd I answered My stomach was rumbling again reminding me of the flight surgeon's warning that gas expanded to three times its normal volume at this altitude go McClaia Mid As be peeled off ia a reckless turn a wave of irrepressible nausea struck and I grabbed for the air sickness bag I was still trying to clean myself off when voice came through the headset ready to grunt ft wm time for the dreaded carrier approach Uw fishhook maneuver Navy pilots use to reduce air speed so they overshoot the pitching Demise of WYRN strengthens programming lineup of WRLH from WVRN like and Trek: The Next starting the week of Sept 26 now have a station that has an outstanding independent Ellis said has all the strengths that any independent has in the including a boost in movie titles from 1250 to almost will be a stronger more profitable station capable of giving hack to the Mid Ellis mentioning the possibility of developing local programming with the help of area colleges Act III Broadcasting also owns independent TV stations in Nashville Tenn Dayton Ohio Charleston WVa Winston-Salem NC and Charleston SC ft is negotiating to buy three other stations and hopes to own 12 the maximum allowed by Uw by next year Act HI Broadcasting is a subsidiary of Act IQ Communications a diversified entertainment and communications corporation owned by Norman Lear SAVE MONEY WITH NEWSPAPER ADS Continued from first page the other station or any other station ia As a matter of fact WRLH already has two new managers brought over from WVRN: Dan Peltier former WVRN general manager and now general Hies manager for WRLH and Don Bentley new local Mies manager Paul Wachsmith remains at Channel 35 as national Hies manager The story of how Act III Broadcasting managed to make WRLH the only independent TV station in town goes back more than 18 months when it approached Busse Broadcasting about buyinng WRLH Negotiations between Act in and Sud brink far behind which fit in perfectly with goal iff buying not only the dominant independent in a city but also if possible the only independent don't think Channel 63 could have survived in this Hid Ellis a former Richmonder the opportunity came along to acquire its programming we took advantage of Sudbrink President Woody Sud-brink reached In his Florida office Hid much the same thing couldn't support two In dependent TV stations at this time We Jointly thought Ellis and I to give the community the quality programming it Mid Sudbrink who bought WVRN from National Capital Christian Broadcasting In 1986 strong station will be able to bring to Richmond programming two weaker stations provide We expect this to be a bom to the entire Neither Ellis nor Sudbrink would disclose the terms of their agreement It is known however that Act III paid Bush Broadcasting 7 million for Channel 35 Although Ellis would not comment on his financial deal with Sudbrink he Mid the combination of what was paid for Channel 35 and for Channel 631 programming was the 6144 million paid for WRLH in 1985 the last time It was sold as a single entity and not as part of a package deal Although profits are down nationwide for independent TV stations especially in smaller markets that have more then one independent Ellis points to the strength of his new lineup While keeping the Saturday and Sunday night programs from Fox Broadcasting WRLH also will carry many iff the more popular shows Daring to say no Nadia Anderson a pupil at Thompson Middle to drugs She Is a graduate of a drug abuse re-Schooi speaks to fourth- and fifth-graders at slstance education program known as DARE QH Reid Elementary School on ways to say no being presented In city schools board solidifies power of Ackell to oust vice presidents a recommendation of the president and they said the vice presidents "shall serve at its Farinholt said that left some question as to who was and be pointed out that in practice vice presidents have served at tha pleasure of the president Roger Gregory a board member Mid there wu no question In his mind that wu the board Jack Ferguson another board member questioned what he uw the Inconsistency in having the board elect but not dismiss vice presidents Alan Wurtzel another board member said such arrangements were not unusual In businesses He also compared the positions to a president's Cabinet members who are confirmed by the Senate but who may be removed by the president without Scute approval Ferguson and Gregory voted against the change which wu approved with support from the rest of the board 4 i i Staff photo by Rotti Layton The bylaws now state that vice presidents serve the pleasure iff the Also yesterday the board heard a report on the new freshmen class More than 88 percent of freshmen are from Virginia and 99 percent are from the United States the repot uld In number applications for this entering ebus followed a study trend upward did the Scholastic Aptitude Test scores of the students in the dess The university had 6130 applicants this year compared with 5072 last year This year 3668 were accepted with 1840 choosing to enroll -Last year 3456 were accepted end 1945 enrolled according to the report The mein SAT score of this entering class wu 925 compared with 911 lest year According to its first census of the year 204H itudenta are enrolled at VCU IN 1810 THOMAS JEFFERSON commissioned a Virginia sMversmith to craft sight drinking STIEFF faithfuly reproduced the eight ounce Jeffarson cups now available to you in PEWTER 1 -Mi A immoamaemry No waWngrtbr engraving GIFT BOXED I fl OUat JewtkrtZ Tmima Aaalaa WfVOTvVnWIB lOSlUyVlnR Open Sundaye By Rob Walker TbMS-Dbpatck sdacatkw writer The board of visitors at Virginia Commonwealth University revised the bylaws yesterday solidifying the VCU power to remove his vice presidents from office It was a timely move in light of the recent controversial decision not to renew the contract of Dr Alastalr Connell vice president of the university's health sciences division While the decision to remove Dr Connell was not discussed publicly It wu made at the request iff university President Edmund Ackell with unanimous approval from the board James Farinholt Jr rector of the board said the change wu needed to bring the wording in the bylaws into line with practice at the university which his been to give to the president the authority to remove vice presidents The byUwi stated that vice preti-denta were elected by the board upon CASH CARRY RUG CLEANING 25 0FF At thus pilcae why bother to do yoursalf? Bring your rugs to Victory for profossional In -plant daaning and pick them up Just a weak tartar VICTORY RUG CLEANING 407 Cherry St Cleaning ruga and waMwval carpet In Richmond at same location for over 96 years Phone for a quotation OKN DAILY 7i30-St00 SAT In 1 Ml 4S-1MI Authentic Jefferson Cup f' A regular $1350 Special 2 tar 1949 one initial each cup engraved (tee SPECIAL PRICES FOR CORPORATE PURCHASES (CM 359-9277 or 794-4478) I 5 ri' UMLmh fi mmja WRKIw UWn WOnUi i lfi ChiasterlWd.