Blue Angels

[knottybuoyz]

USN Precision Flight Team "The Blue Angels"

Another gem that showed up in my Inbox this morning. I thought you'd all be able to appreciate these photos.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/gallery...&searchid=6310

Rick

[SkiprJohn]

Aren't they a thrill to see? Thunderbirds (Air Force Team) are great too.
Regards, JohnL

[roverhi]

I don't know but it's been said, Air Force wings are made of lead. I don't know but it's been told, Navy wings are made of gold. What's this about the bird droppings from the AF.

I had a long planned trip to visit my dad in Kalamazoo and decided to stop off in Alameda to check on the boat on the way back home. Hadn't thought about going sailing as I was only going to be in SF for two days and have a lot of things to do on the boat. When I told my son I was going to be in town he said, "Lets go sailing" which was all the encouragement needed. We sailed out of the Alameda Estuary on Sunday and saw a Carrier anchored East of the Bay Bridge. I asked my crew if they wanted a close up of the carrier or continue on west of the Bay bridge. Crew decided to head west and see the carrier later. What Luck, cause with help from an ebb tide, we got to the middle of the fleet of pleasure craft, that was assembled to watch the Blue Angels, just as the show started.

We had no idea the Blue's were going to be in town and serendipity gave us a really impressive show and the best seats in the house. The F-18 really has increased the drama of the show. They introduced the inverted gear down pass with the F-4 but the raw power of the Hornet allows them to do so much more. The tail stand/slow flight transitioning into a vertical climb is something only dreamed about when I was flying the F-8 Crusader in the dark ages. A lot of their low level passes went directly over our heads. An F-18 at 500' directly over your head definitely gets your attention. Couldn't have asked for better seats. Of course, luck would have it that the battery on my digital camera died at just that time so no pictures. Kind of unheralded, but the C-130 maintenance truck put on a good show, also.

Haven't seen the Blue's since they'd just transitioned to F-4's from the ancient, even at that time, F-11 back in the early '70s. Incidentally, was also able to watch that show with a front row seat from my boat anchored at NAS Norfolk.

Couldn't believe the crowd that was out on the bay to watch the show. It was like the LA freeway at rush hour. Must have been many hundreds, maybe even more than a 1,000 boats out there. With the gusty conditions, sailing through the fleet was a bit of a challenge. The sheer number of boats at anchor and those underway was a challenge to sail through and home.

All in all, couldn't have had a better day sailing even if we'd planned it.

Aloha
Peter O.

[sluissa]

Living in Pensacola, the home base of the Blue Angels has some advantages. One of those is almost constant airshows for a couple months out of the year. Not official, but they practice quite a bit down here and aren't that hard to see. Not as good as the real show, but still quite impressive. I remember driving down a road one day, and 4 of them in a diamond formation just flew from behind me past me to in front of me. Was an awesome sight, and I'm glad the road was pretty much empty, or else I might have caused an accident. Almost felt like I could just reach up and touch them.

I've only actually been to one show in my life, but it was so long ago I don't really remember much. But I still get to see them quite a bit when they're in town, and I'm awed everytime I do. Of course that's not saying much since I'm awed just by the sight of a cessna taking off or landing. If flying weren't so expensive, I'd be up there.

[SkiprJohn]

I was lucky enough to be stationed at Whiting Field near Milton for three years while training was heavy for Vietnam. We had the Blue Angels there a few times and they were just plain awesome. I've also seen them in Hawaii. Really spectacular. Of course, the Thunderbirds aren't quite as good but they're worth mentioning.
JohnL

[rsn48]

I wonder if these pics are from the same air show - Edwards - my buddy flew done from Vancouver BC this past week end, around 21 Oct/06. I'm expecting pics in my mail box from him very soon.

[markpj23]

They are impressive for sure. In either '94 or '95 while OIC of the Navy detachment in Ft Lauderdale, I took families aboard our research vessel and went out near "ground zero" of the Air & Sea Show. That year the Thunderbirds were the demonstration team.

About 2 hours into the event and during the prop plane demos & unique aircraft fly-bys, most of our guests were lounging sleepily on deck in the hot sun. I happened to glance to seaward and saw the Navy F-14 Tomcat coming dead at us on full afterburner. We were the largest craft there and made an easy visual reference for the pilot.

I had no time to shout a warning.... and people literally fell off their chairs as the screaming 'Cat went overhead about 200ft off the deck. What a hoot!! Except for the kids crying and all that...

We had very alert guests for the rest of the show... go figure! Those who've ever heard a full-afterburner Tomcat up close will understand... rattles the bones deep within ya...

[SkiprJohn]

Did you see this Blue Angels site? The music is schmaltz but the photos are good. After leaving VP47 in 1967
JohnL

[CaptainK]

I have got my fair share of seeing the Blue Angels. Cause, I had to deal with them a lot back when I was stationed at OLF Choctaw. A outlying airfield. On the eastern shore of Pensacola Bay.

Whiting Field is about 20 miles to the north of us. And our airfield is on the edge if Eglen Air Force base property. Eglen is the largest air force base in the whole world.

The Blue Angels fly over my field almost daily while they are in the Pensacola area. And they can really get loud with the afterburners.

At one time. I partied at this one bar, where I used to hang out at. During my years in Pensacola. Don't remember the name of the place. And the Blue Angel pilots go there quite a bit. I partied with those guys quite a few times. Them guys know how to drink. :cubalibre

[sneuman]

welcome back, kevin. how was your trip to asia?

[CaptainK]

Sorry Scott.

I never left the country yet!!

I will be working on my passport today. I also took the day off from work.

Needed a break anyways!!

Since you mentioned about travel!! Be applying for the speedy service. The sooner I have it. The better!!

[charley]

The Thunderbirds AF's version of the Blue Angels are based at Nellis AF base in Las Vegas. Many times at the base for differant things you would see em roar in and drop down on the deck on then fly off again straight up Crazy!!
I am in northern AZ now, during testing of the "stealth" aircrafts it was not oncommon to see a stealth fighter or bomber cruizing the skys over monument valley. One thing to hear a plane coming, and another for it to just jump over the next mountain range and fly past you pulling a G as quite as can be. The first time I saw it I almost had to change my shorts as it was well before the first pictures made it to the newsstands. Damn UFO's

[CaptainK]

Now this is smooth flying right here.