Typically, Owensboro Fire Department engineer Tyler Grant is on standby to provide water rescue services during the air show. This year, the hometown hero — who donated a kidney to his sister-in-law earlier this year — was chosen for a VIP ridealong with the Blue Angles, and he couldn’t contain his excitement, laughing throughout much of his flight. Shawn Johnson East — a former artistic gymnast who achieved massive success worldwide, including a 2008 Olympic gold medal — was similarly all smiles during her VIP ridealong on Wednesday.
(You can watch the arrival of the jet and see videos and photos from the flights on our Facebook Page.)
Grant was chosen for a ride as part of the Blue Angels’ Key Influencer Program, which aims “to showcase the hard work and dedication of people who give so much to their local communities.” Every air show nominates a key influencer, who is given a backseat ride before by Lt. Connor O’Donnell, Blue Angel #7.
Grant has been with OFD for 7 years. He said he’s humbled by the reference to being a hero, saying he just enjoys making a difference in people’s lives.
“It’s really weird. I’ve kind of heard that a couple of times throughout this journey, especially with the kidney donation stuff,” he said. “To me, you just see something that needs to be done and just do it. It’s not really anything extraordinary or special. When they chose me, I was like, ‘Are they sure they got the right guy?’”
In January 2024, Grant donated a kidney to save his sister-in-law’s life. Following the successful surgery, Grant returned to work at OFD, eager to resume his duties and continue his commitment to serving others.
“Tyler’s dedication goes beyond fulfilling his role as a firefighter,” the Blue Angels said in a statement about Grant being chosen for the ride. “He actively mentors and trains others to excel in their profession, embodying the qualities of a true professional. His involvement in the Special Operations Team, particularly during deployments to assist in disaster-stricken areas like tornado zones, highlights his readiness to step into challenging situations for the benefit of his community.”
Prior to his ride, Grant said the opportunity was “so far off of anything I could imagine to do.”
“I just want to have an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said.
Through all the loops, twists, and rollovers and reaching speeds that pulled up to 7.5 times the force of gravity, Grant couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“They kept saying to really work on my breathing, but I would just start laughing,” he said. “The pilot was like, ‘I don’t think anyone’s ever laughed that heart while pulling Gs.’ It was awesome. When we got to come in and do one last turn, he said we could either do 4Gs or 7Gs. I was like, ‘Oh, let’s do the 7Gs.’ That was super cool.”
Meanwhile, Johnson East was chosen for the media flight.
Johnson East began her journey on the world stage at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, where she earned four medals representing the United States, including a gold in balance beam. She racked up global awards over the next couple of years as one of the top female athletes in the world, then retired from gymnastics in 2012 due to an injury.
Her achievements eventually launched her into a successful media career. Alongside her husband, Andrew East, she hosts the podcast and YouTube show “A Couple Things.” The couple also founded FamilyMade Media, a company with a newsletter boasting more than 185,000 subscribers.
This year, Johnson East returned to the Olympics in Paris as a commentator for Yahoo.
She said she was surprised when the opportunity came up for the ridealong. A self-described adrenaline junkie, she wasn’t going to miss it.
“I found an email in my inbox, and I literally thought it was fake,” Johnson East said. “I was like, ‘This can’t be real.’ I read through it and they were inviting me to come out and do a ridealong. I think I screamed like a little girl. This is truly like a dream come true. I feel like this has been on a bucket list. We work with the military a lot, and being able to have the honor to fly with them today is just a pinch-me moment.”
Following her flight, Johnson East said it gave her an even higher level of respect for the pilots and crew, and she’d be happy to take the ride again.
“It’s way different than I could have expected,” she said. “It was so much harder. I have so much respect for them. I don’t know how they’re actually thinking as they’re doing something like that. I would absolutely do it again. I want my husband to do it. That would be fun.”
