Blue Angels

Yeah, they are pretty crazy. They don't even wear g-suits. They're a lot louder than the Thunderbirds, which is why I prefer them.

 

I've seen them twice...

AWESOME, is all I can say!

 

Absolutely! In the good old pre-terrorism 70's my friends and I snuck on to an airport access road right off the end of the main runway where they were performing. Holy ****!: That's just about all any of us could manage to scream out after the first flyover.

 

Yes, they had an accident at MCAS Beaufort a few years ago due to pilot G-LOC, (G-induced Loss of Consciousness), not to mechanical malfunction, and yes it's true, they don't wear G-Suits. The Blue Angels were originally supposed to perform at Charleston, AFB this year, but they canceled the show due to the current ops tempo there. The city decided to host the Blue Angels show downtown so that's why they are there.

There is always the chance of something going wrong, but if you look at their over all safety record, it's pretty impressive, much better than auto sport events with fatalities to spectators. Should be a good show and I'm looking forward to watching it.

 

Maybe their most unique venue is over Lake Washington in Seattle during the annual Seafair hydroplane races. And they've been there just about every year since the '50s!

 

They're going to be performing around an hour and a half away from where I live the first Saturday of May. I'm definitely making that drive and can't even begin to describe how excited I am. It'll be my first time seeing them!

 

The first time I saw the Blues was at the airport in San Juan, PR around 1961 or so, when they were flying Grumman F11F Tigers. I've probably averaged seeing them around once every year or every other year since then, in F-11s, F-4s, A-4s and F-18s, and never tire seeing their routine. And now that they insert the C-130 into the show, it's even better!

If you want to see how visceral the F-4 Phantom II was as an airshow aircraft, get the DVD "Threshold: The Blue Angels Experience". Fabulous!

 

Seeing them fly over the lake is truly an experience that is almost life altering. I've seen them the last 6 years down there but now I just watch from King Co. Int'l where they're based for the weekend. The sound of 4 F-18's taking off with full afterburner at the same time only about 400' from the runway is phenomenal. They also stage all their demos over the airport and at the end of their performance at the lake they come from over the harbor and do a super low delta break-away performance for the 400+ spectators at the airport. Fat Albert usually does a low level high speed pass down the runway as well which is pretty neat. Picture was from a few years ago, shows how close to the runway you sit when they take off
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The first time I saw the Blue Angels was at Willow Grove, Pa. when they were flying F8F's with a solo T-6 doing a " Beetlebomb" routine in between the formation passes. I believe that we are talking 1950. I also saw them when they were flying F6F's somewhere but I can't remember where just now.
Ol' Switches

 

I have probably got my years and aircraft mixed up, not an AT-6 but an SNJ, and where I saw the F6F's and F8F's is muddled up in the years past and many airs hows. But never mind, I saw them then when they were flying prop jobs and doing close formation in something far more difficult than a jet. I remember the solo man doing a barrel roll and lowering (raising ?) the gear when he was inverted. I think that the most memorable air show was the Air Force day show at Langley in '45 with 20 or so B-17's and B-24's, 14 P-40's, a C-47 and a Waco glider pick up demo, a mock fighter attack by an unannounced FG-2 from Patuxtant NAS that beat the place up with a pass down the ramp at 15 feet altitude and overtook and passed the Bell P-59 that preceded it. It was a wild show and unforgettable.
Switches

 

saw the same pass the day before..same vapor cloud and everything. definitely top 3 coolest thing I've seen in my life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DR_5YcWNY_M

 

I was lucky enough to witness the blue angels take off from boeing field along that fense one year. It was the loudest thing I've ever heard..just incredible.

 

I take someone new every year to see them from the airport. PLanning on going again this year but don't know who's going with lol

 

go see them in chicago in august,over lake michagen and with downtown chicago is great

 

I grew up all my life in Pensacola...home of the Blues...in a small neighborhood right across from the runway. It was a everyday thing to see them for 25 years. Even though you kind of get used to them every morning practicing I never took for granted how cool it was having them around. There really is something cool about trying to sleep in while they were warming up for shows. I have caught several waves from the guys coming in from the tip of my friends dock on the bayou as they came in for landings.

 

Has anyone seen the Thunderbirds? They are good as the Blues but have a more laid back press crew.

 

I thought a few ppl here might like this, I think i need to invest in a ball bearing tripod though...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p41ARPgnBaY

 

Got to see the Thunderbirds in '08 at the McChord Airshow and they were really good. Was an awesome show and had hoped they'd do it again but no word of it so far. took the picture with a little Kodak point and shoot and some pretty decent timing lol
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C'mon, brother. I'll take you out on the lake. There are a couple passes where one bird has to be just 100' off the deck I've seen seen some really cool stuff in my life but the Blue Angels buzzing the lake is in the top 10 for sure.

 

Cool video - I like your technique of making the viewer feel airsick as if he were in the actual aircraft!

 

If you read about the aerial demonstration teams, they don't fly anywhere NEAR as close together as they used to, but people don't really notice that.
I too first saw the Navy flying F11F's and the T-Birds flying F-100's, flying was different back then, you could break the sound barrier, crack a few windows in the houses below, and few cared (unless it was your window(s)) in S. Cal., heard it ALL the time.

 

the blues still fly lower then the buildings in chicago

 

Were just up here in Milwaukee last week. Lower than buildings in Chicago, heck, they were lower than some buildings in Milwaukee!!!!!! Was a great excuse to take a long lunch and watch them practice.