Punchy stuff from the Blue Angels

[MostlyHarmless]

Eyk-XHuOyBM

s'alright I suppose.

[BOAC]

More exciting for the pilots than the crowd, I guess.

[Cows getting bigger]

That's just daft.

[effortless]

What's their attrition like?

[500N]

What's their attrition like?

Former commander sacked a few days ago !

[West Coast]

The reason there's no crowd is that is El Centro, the winter home of the Blues. It's where they train leading up to the airshow season.

[woptb]

Clucking bell !

[racedo]

I say them driving on the Freeway........ couldn't get past them as like they were joined at the hip taking over all lanes.
Saw them at a Gas station later, all following each other into the toilet very close together........weird or what.

[NutLoose]

That's barking, if you needed to get out you'd be straight into the wing..

[Gemini Twin]

Why would you want to get out, Nut?

[RAFEngO74to09]

Way more punchy back in the day when they had a real beast !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv8XfeOmgug

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvYJED8m5-M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9xCP-LmLBA

[racedo]

Why would you want to get out, Nut?

He wasn't known by his name for no reason.........

[MightyGem]

Not much room for error there. :eek:

[Courtney Mil]

The Blue Angels are famed for their extreme close formation. In the days when they flew F4s, it wasn't unusual to lose a crew each season. With 12 inches between wingtips, they make other display teams look like tac formation. Red Arrows do their amazing things with nine. P de F and FT do theirs. These guys do astinishingly close formation in operational aircraft.

The Blue Angels - Set to Van Halen's Dreams - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH7j185hotE#t=83)

[NutLoose]

Well if you're in the outside aircraft on the turn under the upper aircraft and over the film ship and you take a couple down the intakes where do you go?

[Courtney Mil]

That's what makes it so impressive. They do the near impossible and take risks doing it. I guess the answer to your question is (relative to the rest of the formation) backwards.

[NutLoose]

The trouble with that is two bloody great fins.

[Lonewolf_50]

I prefer the A-4 edition of the Blues.

[smujsmith]

I and a fellow C130 GE spent a month at El Centro watching these chaps rehearse along with our "operators Albert". As Groundcrew we were particularly impressed with their "see off" routine, it was like watching the RAF Regiment QCS formation drill display. We were so impressed that we created our own routine to see Albert off every morning, and after lunch. As we always launched before the Blues "took the airspace" most of our routine was often watched by members of their team. Seeing the "mickey take"(no disrespect but sharp for US navy), they invited us all to a beer call and I still have a signed A3 photograph from the team, Groundcrew, not aircrew, although they were all there. Great Det, great people and happy memories.

Smudge:ok:

[mickjoebill]

Is the throttle the sole means for them to format at the same speed or are air brakes used too?

How much would the throttle have to be moved to tweak the airspeed by a few knots?



Mickjoebill

[Brian Abraham]

I prefer the A-4 edition of the BluesI'm showing my age, the F-11 Tiger was the best.

[Boudreaux Bob]

I wuz gonna say the F-6 Hellcat!

http://aerobaticteams.net/blue-angels-hellcat-gallery.html

Good video's at the Link above.

[SpazSinbad]

The original Van Halen 'Dreams' video with the A-4 Blues:

Van Halen-Dreams (Blue Angels) -HD- - PopModal Video (http://www.popmodal.com/video/3183/Van-Halen-Dreams-Blue-Angels)

[Brian Abraham]

Yer, but Spaz, you have a great bias :p

[racedo]

San Francisco Navy Week 1998, Sat Afternoon and Blue Angels display.

Not sure there is a better atmospheric location.

[SpazSinbad]

Brian, Those were the days eh. Note the 6 Diamond Formation landing right at the end of that classic Blues A-4 video (N.B. the box man getting close to Leader as leader touches down last). The RAN FAA Sea Venoms did a Diamond Four landing regularly (RamJets & CheckMates) which was emulated in the A4G era - that was difficult for the A4G box man on our short runways, so eventually the box man short field arrested, I'm told from mid 1970s onwards, with the rest rolling along nicely.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVqMclaGCSM

[BOAC]

Spaz - what went crump at the start?

[SpazSinbad]

At beginning of the Venom Video the portable mirror on Runway 26 is seen. Sadly it hides most of the formation touchdown from that angle, however the side view shows it all very well. The perhaps excessive smoke from No.2 on left may indicate a blown tyre, that is only conjecture though. There is a squadron line book entry about an event, which is difficult to fathom after all these years, and I was not there at the time to know more.

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/SpazSinbad/NewerAlbum/VenomRamJetFilmLineBook724sqdnForum.gif~original (http://s98.photobucket.com/user/SpazSinbad/media/NewerAlbum/VenomRamJetFilmLineBook724sqdnForum.gif.html)
http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l261/SpazSinbad/NewerAlbum/VenomFormFourLandingFilmIncidentCutCutCutLineBook724forum.gi f~original (http://s98.photobucket.com/user/SpazSinbad/media/NewerAlbum/VenomFormFourLandingFilmIncidentCutCutCutLineBook724forum.gi f.html)

[BOAC]

Ta - can see that now with 'pause'.

[Brian Abraham]

Wonder what this is all about

http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archives/102/2784-full.html?ET=avweb:e2784:244160a:&st=email#221894

Former Blue Angels Commander Accused Of Misconduct

Capt. Gregory McWherter, who served as Blue Angels commanding officer for two tours from 2008-10 and 2011-12, has been relieved of his duties due to "initial findings of an ongoing investigation into recent allegations of misconduct and an inappropriate command climate" at the Blue Angels during his command, the Navy said on Friday. McWherter had been serving as the executive officer of Naval Base Coronado in San Diego since last November. He has been temporarily reassigned to Naval Air Forces in San Diego, the Navy said. A complaint was filed with the Navy's Inspector General last month. McWherter has declined to comment.

It's unusual for a Blue Angels commander to serve more than two years, but McWherter was brought back to run the team after an incident at an airshow in Lynchburg, Va., in May 2011. During that event, the Blues flew their F/A-18 Hornets within a reported 130 feet of the ground, exceeding the team's 500-foot standard. Afterward, Cmdr. Dave Koss requested to be relieved of duty, and McWherter was brought back to take his place. The investigation is not expected to affect the team's current flying schedule.

[Two's in]

Wonder what this is all about

The Washington Post is reporting it is a sexual harassment ding from 2012 when he was running the Blue Angels. Not good in the current DOD climate.

But an internal military document that a Navy official inadvertently e-mailed to a Washington Post editor states that a former member of the Blue Angels filed a complaint last month accusing McWherter of promoting a hostile work environment and tolerating sexual harassment. The complaint described an atmosphere rife with sexually explicit speech, the open display of pornography and jokes about sexual orientation.

Navy investigates ex-Blue Angels commander after complaint he allowed sexual harassment - The Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/navy-investigates-ex-blue-angels-commander-after-complaint-he-allowed-sexual-harassment/2014/04/23/be42211e-cb0f-11e3-95f7-7ecdde72d2ea_story.html)

[Jumping_Jack]

How does one 'inadvertantly' email a newspaper editor??? :confused:

[GreenKnight121]

It's a common occurrence where political agendas are in play.

[18greens]

One's always lost
Six is always late
Four he's just a P**** cos he's just looking straight..


oh no thats the Thunderbirds...