Joni Mitchell Hey Big World . The brakes on the jet are locked, the engines are brought to maximum power, and the brakes are popped off suddenly. The plane ''pops a wheelie'' and remains nose-up through rotation.
Power is kept on through the turn to final course as the plane climbs to it's cruising altitude.
I loved every second of it, and is as close as I am ever likely to get to my dream of a catapault launch off the deck of a carrier. This was great finish to an exciting race from Santa Barbara to Anaheim to catch that flight home. What a traffic nightmare. I remember as I flew into Portland's airport and looking down at the traffic. Mercifully empty roads and freeways, ready to take me home as quickly as the State Police would allow.