圖文 / Julian Shen
多年來，在美國的航展表演中，時常看到一架銀色機體漆上了紅星標誌，身形如同迴力鏢的一架噴火戰機以各種讓人歎為觀止的靈活身形飛越其中。
這架戰機是許多年前在蘇聯解體後輾轉搬運至美國的 MiG-17 ，而飛行員是一位有著三十多年飛行經驗，現為商業航空公司機長，曾操控過 44 種不同類型的飛機，並是唯一一位獲得美國聯邦航空局 (FAA) 授予的噴射式戰鬥機無限制晝夜特技飛行等級的飛行員（軍用或民用）的 Randy W. Ball 先生所駕控的。
鮑爾先生至今已經表演過超過千場的特技表演，並且有著上萬小時的飛行時數，且因為這架 米格戰機 累積了超過上千小時的飛行數，在西方飛行員中是無人能比的紀錄。之前他也曾配合電影拍攝與美國空軍 F-4 一起在空中翱翔。他的個人展演中經常拉 8Gs，並達到超過每小時上千公里的速度，同時有時飛行距離地面不到數層樓的高度。
鮑爾先生相當親切，去年的櫻桃點航展後還在展演前後與許多民眾，媒體等近距離互動，個人也很榮幸的有機會與他近距離交談。本年度至今參訪的兩場展演，其中一場在一日活動結束後，正好在機棚遇到他，而他正在親自的調整飛機零件與各種維護保養，在整備告一段落後，與鮑爾先生再次地請教了許多這架飛機的知識。
但今年的世界局勢，讓一些前來參觀航展的民眾並不是很有興趣看到與 特定國家有著歷史淵源的飛機，其實飛機無罪，而是使用她的背後勢力與其用途。有機會看到這架 MiG-17 時，希望大家可以記得的是，這些都是許多人的心血結晶以及長期以來的費時費力的保養維護，讓我們感謝這些人所貢獻的辛勤，把負面的想法就留在歷史裡面吧。
Red Star Boomerang at the land of the Stars and Stripes
For many years, at airshows in the United States, it has been common to see a silver fuselage painted with the red star logo and a Spitfire with the shape of a boomerang flying in a variety of breathtakingly agile shapes.
The aircraft was a MiG-17 that was transferred to the United States many years ago after the collapse of the Soviet Union, piloted by a pilot with more than 30 years of experience as a commercial airline captain, who has operated 44 different types of aircraft, and is the only pilot (military or civilian) to have been awarded an unrestricted day and night aerobatic rating by the FAA for jet fighters. Mr. Randy W. Ball is at the controls.
Randy has performed more than 1,000 aerobatic shows and has logged tens of thousands of flight hours, and has accumulated more than a thousand hours in this MiG, a record that is unmatched among Western pilots. He has also flown with the U.S. Air Force F-4 in previous films. In his solo performances, he regularly pulls 8Gs and reaches speeds of over a hundred miles per hour, sometimes flying less than a few stories high above the ground.
Randy is a very friendly gentleman. After the Cherry Point Airshow, he interacted with many folks and media in person before and after the show. I was also honored to have the opportunity to talk with him at close range. One of the two shows I have visited so far this year, I met him in the hangar after the first day event, and he was personally adjusting the aircraft parts and various maintenance, and after the preparation was over, I asked Mr. Ball for a lot of knowledge about this aircraft.
However, the world situation this year has made some people who came to the airshow not very interested in seeing an aircraft with a historical connection to a specific country, but in fact the aircraft is not guilty, but rather the power behind its use and its purpose. When you get a chance to see this MiG-17, I hope you will remember that it is the result of the hard work of many people and the time and effort to maintain it over time. Let’s leave the negative thoughts in history.
