Blue Angels - Great cockpit video

[IrieMon]

Today was "practice" for the Blue Angels performance celebrating the Naval Academy graduation, great time to be here. An awesome vid from a few years back over Naptown:

http://www.dump.com/cockpitfootage/

Courtesy of a friend who was able to access the State House dome for the same show (I believe):



She's an awesome photographer for anyone seeking Chesapeake/Nautical prints.... lisamassonphotography.com/

[kimbottles]

It was very nice of you guys to arrange that practice on the one day we were here. We very much enjoyed Annapolis today and ended up spending hours at the NA.

The Blue Angel pilots must have been having a blast because they practiced for hours. Lots of low passes.

Weather was perfect too.

I am really glad Susan dragged me to Annapolis for one of her typical tangential side trips!

[Tucky]

I think the Blue Angels are the most amazing performance art being done in the world today- I've seen them three times, New Orleans (actually I was out in the Bayou on practice day), San Francisco (wonderful to be above them part of the time) and right here in Maine.

[Soñadora]

I think the Blue Angels are the most amazing performance art being done in the world today-

+1

[JoeP]

I love the Blue Angels, and the Thunderbirds are nearly as good. I try to make at least one airshow each year. I'm nort a pilot but I love planes.

B-25 (Medium).jpg

B-25-2 (Medium).jpg

Red Stearman-2 (Medium).jpg

Trainer-1 (Medium).jpg

Trainer-2 (Medium).jpg

Yak-11 (Medium).jpg

ToraToraTora (Medium).jpg

T-bird Mountain (Medium).jpg

[LarryHoward]

Joe,

As a retired Navy fighter pilot, I'll only agree that the T-Birds perform proficient formation fly byes.

In 96-97, I was director of logistics/fleet support for the F/A-18 program and the blues were one of our more significant "customers". The airplanes they use are early production aircraft with smoke systems and, since they are fly-by-wire, a small spring that goes from the stick to the dash to eliminate the very slight dead zone in the stick potentiometers when it is centered and to provide them a "hands off" escape by pitching the aircraft nose down if they release the stick. Almost every maneuver is structured so that all but the lead aircraft can exit the formation with a nose down maneuver. Pre go-pro, we outfitted the blues with "lipstick" cameras and those films became the IMAX film "The Magic of Flight".

It is fun to compare the shows over the years. The F-4 shows had huge turning circles but the visceral impact of 2-J79 engines per aircraft made their shows rememberable. The A-4 show remains a favorite because of the aircraft was pretty easy to fly in very close formation and the blues use a 2' "wingtip to canopy" separation for most maneuvers and the turn radius of the "scooter" kept the show close to the crowd.

The Hornet shows always bring back great memories. Budget stress always has folks questioning the cost but I think of the wide eyed kids at the shows. One year at pax,they preformed their arrival routine late one afternoon and a lot of us went down to the flight line to welcome the to town and the skipper and one of the solo pilots were former squadron mates of mine so I slipped past the barrier as the shut down to say hello. As I stepped over the line, I noticed the lady beside me had two young boys who were "boresight locked" on the airplanes so I scooped them up and walked them out. They ended up with autographed pictures of themselves sitting on the shoulders of the team in front of BA-1. I don't think you can buy a better recruiting opportunity.

Glad you like airplanes. Obviously, Me too.

[JoeP]

Joe,

As a retired Navy fighter pilot, I'll only agree that the T-Birds perform proficient formation fly byes.

In 96-97, I was director of logistics/fleet support for the F/A-18 program and the blues were one of our more significant "customers". The airplanes they use are early production aircraft with smoke systems and, since they are fly-by-wire, a small spring that goes from the stick to the dash to eliminate the very slight dead zone in the stick potentiometers when it is centered and to provide them a "hands off" escape by pitching the aircraft nose down if they release the stick. Almost every maneuver is structured so that all but the lead aircraft can exit the formation with a nose down maneuver. Pre go-pro, we outfitted the blues with "lipstick" cameras and those films became the IMAX film "The Magic of Flight".

It is fun to compare the shows over the years. The F-4 shows had huge turning circles but the visceral impact of 2-J79 engines per aircraft made their shows rememberable. The A-4 show remains a favorite because of the aircraft was pretty easy to fly in very close formation and the blues use a 2' "wingtip to canopy" separation for most maneuvers and the turn radius of the "scooter" kept the show close to the crowd.

The Hornet shows always bring back great memories. Budget stress always has folks questioning the cost but I think of the wide eyed kids at the shows. One year at pax,they preformed their arrival routine late one afternoon and a lot of us went down to the flight line to welcome the to town and the skipper and one of the solo pilots were former squadron mates of mine so I slipped past the barrier as the shut down to say hello. As I stepped over the line, I noticed the lady beside me had two young boys who were "boresight locked" on the airplanes so I scooped them up and walked them out. They ended up with autographed pictures of themselves sitting on the shoulders of the team in front of BA-1. I don't think you can buy a better recruiting opportunity.

Glad you like airplanes. Obviously, Me too.

Well, I like the Blue Angels the best but the closest place to me for a good air show is McChord AFB (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord, JBLM. Sheesh.) so I have to make do with the T-Birds most of the time. One year, the T-Birds performed and everyone cheered and applauded as usual. Then the Navy or Marine F-18 demo plane proceeded to tear up the place coming in on a low pass at what must have been trans sonic or low supersonic speeds because even though in full sight you could not hear him approach but as he passed there was a boom, not very big but a definite boom. The crowd erupted in one of the loudest cheers I have heard, whistling and yelling all over. It was awesome. I don't know if the pilot just said wtf or if atmospheric conditions conspired with his speed to make it happen but it was the best flyby I have ever seen. Go Navy! Other cool military planes to watch are the B-1 going near vertical in a full power climb, F-22s doing their crazy vectored thrust maneuvers, C-130s (and C-17s) doing short field takeoffs and landings, and of course old warbirds. The Blue Angels perform in the area every year at the Sea Fair hydroplane races but I rarely watch unless I can be on a boat on the log boom because it is such a pain to get into and out of there on shore. They practice during the week and our plant is located right across from Boeing field where they fly out of so I get to see them then as they fly over then. Hmm, something with a radial engine just flew over.

[Tucky]

For the complete opposite experience, any of you ever in Maine should visit Owl's Head Transportation Museum, where they fly old planes, meaning wood and cloth planes. I once watched them bring some triple winged thingy out and start it taxiing while someone walked then jogged then ran alongside holding a wing to steady it- plane took off at running speed. It was more like horizontal sailing.

http://owlshead.org/

[Slick470]

We try to make the Andrews AFB Joint Services Airshow at least every other year or so. I love airshows, and the like. I've always been a bit of a military history nut. My grandfather who sadly passed away on Tuesday at 96 years young flew in B-17's during WWII as a ball turret gunner. So those old WWII static displays are always a favorite of mine. I could spend days wandering around the Air and Space buildings. The "new" Steven Udvar Hazy (sp?) center is amazing.

I also miss seeing the Tomcats doing laps around the airfield. That big plane with those two huge engines and the variable geometry wings, fun to watch. It's a shame they are almost all either in museums or cut up now.