The need for speed: Flying with Lima Lima

Until three weeks ago, my only run-in with fighter jets and pilots had been in college, when a guy in a bomber jacket serenaded me, Tom Cruise-style, in a bar.

A journey with the Lima Lima Flight Team didn't just top a cheesy pick-up attempt. It was one of my most exciting experiences yet.

The Lima Lima team is a group of accomplished pilots who fly bright yellow Beech T-34 Mentor military planes in formations for air shows across the country, including this weekend's Chicago Air and Water Show.

Bill "Fingers" Cherwin, the group's formation leader, took me up in his plane during a July 28 fundraiser for Ronald McDonald Charities at Schaumburg Regional Airport.

An aerobatics pilot who spent 38 years with United Airlines, the Crystal Lake resident soloed for the first time in 1956.

Strapping me into my seat, he explained how to open the plane's canopy cover and work my parachute in an emergency.

"And if I have a heart attack, you're ready to land this thing, right " he joked, while pointing out various breaks and controls.

I nodded weakly, eyeing a nearby barf bag.

As we barreled down the runway and took off into the Schaumburg skies, I shut my eyes and began to finger the chain of my press pass as if it were a rosary.

After a few seconds, I opened my left eye, then my right, and tentatively looked around.

Soaring between 1,800 and 2,200 feet, we weren't caught in the clouds -- I could easily make out Conant High School, Woodfield Shopping Center and Busse Woods. In the 20 minutes we were in the air, I felt my senses heighten -- my palms were sweaty, my heart was beating fast, and I was aware of every slight movement our plane made -- in all, a feeling I can best compare to being in love.

When the other five planes caught up with us, the fun began. If we hadn't been moving at 152 knots (approximately 175 mph) I could have stretched out my arms and touched the wings of the two planes behind us.

From the front of the pack, Cherwin directed different maneuvers, like the Whifferdill, where the six planes dove down in wedge formation to gather energy before going into a straight climb, then rotating onto their sides as they prepared for another loop.

Using our plane's intercom, Cherwin suggested I look back as each of the planes turned on their smoke machines -- quite a sight from the front of the pack.

As we approached Schaumburg airport, Cherwin faked me out by calling for a pop-top break, where each plane looked like it was ready to land, but then pulled out of the formation and sped back around the other direction. That was followed by a tight turn to bring us into final position for landing.

Touching ground, I found myself grinning like a little kid who had just experienced the freedom of riding a two-wheeler for the first time.

"That was amazing," I said to Cherwin, as I thanked him for the chance of a lifetime.

"I like to think it's the most fun you can have with your clothes still on," he replied.