Grass Roots BMW sets BMW parade record without me

The folks at Grass Roots BMW Motorcycles smashed the old record for a parade of BMW motorcycles yesterday.

Two hundred forty-one BMWs from 17 states, Mexico and Canada took part in the parade that launched at 1:30 p.m. from Grass Roots BMW on Spanish Street in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

The old record was 128 BMWs in a parade in Switzerland four years ago. Click here  to see the KFVS-TV story.

I didn't go because I had a photo assignment to shoot aerial images of the Arkansas State University Stadium during yesterday's home game with Troy. The visitors' side of the stadium was less than half full, but the weather was very nearly perfect - a great relief after a week of overcast skies and rain.

I shot my photos from an altitude of 1,000 feet - I could read the altimeter over the pilot's shoulder. We made four passes and then headed back to the airport. The tower radioed that they had received complaints from the campus police about a low-flying aircraft they judged to be too close to the stadium. I guess they were feeling a little jittery about terrorists.

The game started about 3:30 p.m., 10 minutes after an A-10 Warthog piloted by an ASU grad, did a ceremonial fly-over. We delayed our takeoff until we received confirmation that he had done his thing and no longer needed the airspace. We were airborne almost exactly 30 minutes. ASU is picking up the tab for the flight, so I have no idea how much it cost.

I'd post a representative photo here, but since ASU is paying for them, I don't consider them as mine to use.