For Fat Albert pilot Major Drew Hess of the United States Marine Corps, Sunday’s demonstration flight during Seafair in Seattle marked the end of his three-year run as a Blue Angel. Hess was all smiles as he prepped for his final flight of the 2009 Blue Angels’ season.

His last flight as an active pilot for the Blue Angels marked my first flight aboard the massive cargo plane.

I signed a waiver and was led aboard for a gut wrenching but thrilling ride high above Lake Washington.

My excitement level was sky high as I climbed the steps to the cockpit of the C-130T Hercules for a flight aboard the official Blue Angels’ transport plane. My initial excitement gave way to nerves as I was handed a small envelope containing a motion sickness bag to keep with me at all times during the flight. Apparently there was one rule on Fat Albert. You had to take everything with you that you brought on when exiting the plane- including your lunch in some cases.

This was going to be a ride of a lifetime.

The all-Marine Corps crew of officers and enlisted personnel were aboard the aircraft, preparing for takeoff prior to the final air show flight demonstration during Seafair.

I was seated and strapped in tightly directly behind Flight Engineer, Sergeant Ben Chapmen and Fat Albert pilots, Hess and Major Brendan Burks.

With a headset on, I listened to the pre-flight checklist as the crew prepared for take off. I felt as if I had been thrown head first into a movie clip of Top Gun. It was all business and a little light-hearted banter as the engines fired up and we began to make our way down the runway past the Boeing Museum of Flight in Seattle.

A typical commercial plane ascends to a cruising altitude at about a 7 degree angle. Fat Albert lifted off the ground about four feet and quickly climbed to a 45 degree angle. In a matter of 15 seconds we were at about 1,000 feet.

Just as I was catching my breath from the initial takeoff, Hess tipped the nose of the airplane down, creating a zero-gravity experience that lasted roughly six seconds. The two other crew members in the cockpit took off their seat belts and floated to the ceiling of the plane as if they were astronauts in outer space. The feeling of weightlessness caught me off guard and the video camera I was filming with floated high above me before I caught it and pulled it back down.

One of the other passengers aboard Fat Albert described the entire experience like an assault on your senses. I completely agreed.

One minute you’re floating and the next you are glued to your seat. The plane cruised at a speed of more than 360 miles per hour.

Having the privilege to sit up front with the pilots was not lost on me. I managed to keep a large grin on my face any time they turned around to ask how I was doing mid-flight. As soon as they turned back in their seats, I returned to my permanent state of holding on for dear life.

The flight ended the same way it began. The C-130 flight demonstrated the impressive capabilities of the cargo plane to take off, maneuver and land in combat situations. As the plane neared the runway, the nose was again tipped at a steep angle, prior to the landing gear touching the ground.

When the plane came to a complete stop, Hess graciously helped me out of my seat because my legs felt like they had turned to Jello.

The entire flight lasted for 22 exhilarating minutes and resulted in five people making use of their doggy bags in the back of the cargo hold.

After posing for photos and thanking the crew, I made my way off the Boeing airstrip with a lightheaded feeling, an amazing story – and my unused doggy bag in hand.

Lindsay Larin can be reached at 425.453.4602.