Thunder Angels

[getsome]

The U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds and the Navy's Blue Angels are doing a fly over Atlanta tomorrow to honor the front line health care workers and I hope to get a chance to see them, I have always wanted to be able to see either team but so for I haven't been able to so tomorrow I hope to be able to experience the incredible thing of seeing both at the same time....Thank you Uncle Sugar for buying the gas so that our Military can honor the front line medical personnel who are risking their lives for us during this most strange time.....:Amflag2:

[Bawanna]

I used to see the Blue Angels every year at Sea Fair. The Washington Natural Gas warehouse downtown was right next to Boeing Field where they took off and landed. They would actually send their schedule over so they would know when things were happening.
We'd go over and get up on their roof and have ring side seats. Best to watch their shows on TV, don't miss a thing. I found that we could go on our own warehouse roof and they would fly right over usually one at a time making their loops, came over one time inverted and he couldn't have been more than 150 ft up. I could clearly see the pilot.

They do some incredible stuff and it's quite a commitment.

[getsome]

News said they take off from Dobbins AFB at 1:35 pm and fly at least 200 miles all over the major hospitals in the area and the flights end at 2:00 pm so those boys are quick...I hope to be at a location so I can see them but if not I'll hear um, hard to miss that much horse power....God Bless America......

[yqtszhj]

I saw the Thunderbirds only once. It was 1987 and of all places overseas when I was in Manila. Happened to be by Manila bay near the US Embassy when their show started. Man I got sunburned that day. Now they perform about once a year not 20 miles from where I live now at an AIr Force base but I’ve never made it.

I’ve seen the Blue Angels a couple of times. The best time was around 2003 when my inlaws we’re visiting and I took them to a state park beach west of Pensacola NAS on a Friday during the spring. We had the whole beach to ourselves. Little did I know the Blue Angels would be practicing for a show the next day. They did a bunch of low flyovers over our heads and stunts right off shore. It was too cool and the inlaws really enjoyed it. I’d like to do that again.

[AJBert]

I have seen them both over the years but never together. I sure hope them Navy boys and/or girls don't embarrass them Air Force boys and/or girls too much!

[O'Dell]

I have seen them both over the years but never together. I sure hope them Navy boys and/or girls don't embarrass them Air Force boys and/or girls too much!

I think the "Blues" have more class than to let that happen.

[skiflydive]

News said they take off from Dobbins AFB at 1:35 pm and fly at least 200 miles all over the major hospitals in the area and the flights end at 2:00 pm so those boys are quick...I hope to be at a location so I can see them but if not I'll hear um, hard to miss that much horse power....God Bless America......

Some of "Those boys" are girls...

[berettabone]

I've seen them both, separately, and together over Lake Michigan at the Milwaukee lakefront. One of them usually does a REAL low flyover during an intermission. For those that aren't expecting it, it's a pants filler.;) Best part of the shows for me is when one of the pilots(usually a Blue Angel) comes around and down parallel to the lake front, going the slowest speed that he can possibly stay airborne with, and tips the nose up and dead sticks the jet at 190-200 mph at a 45 degree angle at what looks to be about 50 ft. above the water. It's always an amazing sight for me. That and the big a$$ tanker that flies around over the city at such a slow speed, you'd swear that it was going to drop out of the sky. I hope you get to see them, it's well worth the time...……………………………………………..Went hiking in the woods up nort with a friend, and we were near Camp Douglas. We were on a ridgetop on a sunny quiet afternoon and SOMEONE I assume from the base decided to do a flyover. It was treetop level stuff, I am assuming that he didn't know we were there??? If you've ever had the opportunity/been underneath a fighter jet doing a LOW pass at high speed, it will scare the living h#11 out of you. You really get a sense of what it's like to be an enemy of the U.S...………...you never hear them coming until they are right on top of you, and by that time they are already past you and out of sight. Crazy stuff...…….

[Bawanna]

Fat Albert the supply tanker if we're talking the same plane is often times part of the show around here. It has boosters on the wings they light off, pretty cool.
The slow fly by I agree is amazing, barely keeping from getting wet it seems.

[O'Dell]

Well, I was out and about from 1:15 to 3:30, and I never saw or heard any Navy or Air Force aircraft. I was sorta looking forward to comparing the F-16's and F-18's from the ground.

BTW bawanna, Fat Albert is the Navy C-130 that carries the service crews for the Blue's aircraft, along with some spare parts. Yes it does have JATO, and uses it sometimes in the airshows, but it's not really necessary to get the plane into the air.

[Bawanna]

Was the JATO for like short runways or heavy loads or something, seems they said something like that if the memory is still working. I knew it wasn't a tanker, at least I remembered that part.

[O'Dell]

I think it was mostly for show. it was a big hit at airshows. The C-130 is short field capable, and shouldn't have any trouble getting off any runway, even if overloaded.

[tokuno]

This thread brings back so many memories . . . My Dad spent most of his career as an aerospace engineer at Moffett Field Naval Air Station, so we saw the Blue Angels quite a bit over the years. My first show, when he took a very young me and my two older brothers, the roar of the afterburners terrified me. A later part of the show featured parachutists who appeared to my young eyes to be aiming directly for me, and I panicked. My Dad left my brothers out on the tarmac and missed the show while he sat in the car with me - a '50 Chevy . . . . wow, the memories.
My fear of noise also affected toddler me during a family vacation to Virginia City, Nevada, where they had slot machines fashioned to look like cowboys, with their arms (holding a pistol) acting as the pull lever. I thought the "guns" were going to fire, so I freaked out then, too.
Fortunately, I seem to have overcome my fear of loud noises and guns and sometimes I only cry a little bit at air shows, casinos, and firing ranges :p

[gb6491]

Was the JATO for like short runways or heavy loads or something, seems they said something like that if the memory is still working. I knew it wasn't a tanker, at least I remembered that part.
Back in the day that's correct...the air show thing was an after thought. The Air force may still be using JATO on their ski equipped C130's in Antarctica.

There was also a version tested for very short landings (the intent was to land and takeoff from a soccer stadium):
https://www.military.com/video/aircraft/military-aircraft/amazing-footage-of-c-130-jato/2849034583001

The Blue Angels are supposed to debut a "new " Fat Albert this year in a new paint scheme.

If one was to go by precedence of forces, the combined group should be named "Blue Thunder", or "Angel Birds", or something such. Thunder Angels is probably the best moniker.

Regards,
Greg

[Bawanna]

Damn! Didn't take long for that thing to take off with them rockets going. And stopped pretty quick too. Looks like they really beefed up the wheel suspension, probably comes down pretty hard like a carrier landing.
That last one I don't think is gonna take off too good anymore, hope the pilots got out without harm. Lot of fire going on there.

[gb6491]

Damn! Didn't take long for that thing to take off with them rockets going. And stopped pretty quick too. Looks like they really beefed up the wheel suspension, probably comes down pretty hard like a carrier landing.
That last one I don't think is gonna take off too good anymore, hope the pilots got out without harm. Lot of fire going on there.
From Wikipedia: "During rollout, the trailing wing ignited a fire, but a medical evacuation helicopter dispersed the flame and crash response teams extinguished the fire within eight seconds of the aircraft stopping, enabling the crew to exit the aircraft safely. 74-1683 was dismantled and buried on-site for security reasons, but most of its unique systems were salvaged."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Credible_Sport#Testing

[getsome]

Well I got to see them twice, first time I was not in a good spot but I saw them in the distance while they headed north to fly by a hospital so I moved closer to the interstate they were following and on their trip south I got a very good view, man that was so cool hearing that roar and feeling the vibration as they went by was awesome and I know all the health care workers really appreciated what they were doing for them....Seeing that fly by is something I will never forget and it made me so proud to be an American....

[tokuno]

... the Navy C-130 that carries the service crews for the Blue's aircraft, along with some spare parts...

My two oldest (Marines) get shlepped around via C-130, in the cheap seats, i.e. nets slung on the walls. My son told me that on their last flight, the gear was unsecured, so he and his mates had to lie in line with their feet holding the crates in place so they wouldn't come tumbling down on them. Ear-pro required, of course - no sound insulation. Very uncomfortable, and they're supposed to arrive ready-to-roll. Last year they were bused to New York from North Carolina in mid-summer heat on a tour-style bus (windows sealed shut) with busted air conditioning. All they had was the two small push-up roof vents. They didn't complain, because Marines. He did say they smelled pretty colorful when they arrived. On the plus side, they're not wasting my taxpayer dollars on luxuries like chairs & air conditioning ;)

[getsome]

Oohrah!!! If it absolutely positively has to be destroyed overnight call 1-800-Marines......Gotta love those guys...Talking about uncomfortable flying conditions about ten years ago I was given a Father's Day gift of a flight on a B-17 bomber that was part of the yearly air show that comes to Dekalb Peachtree airport....I had always wanted to take a flight but it was pretty spendy but it was a once in a lifetime opportunity that I couldn't turn down....The plane was named "Liberty Belle" and she was a beautiful fully restored sight to see, unfortunately I believe she was destroyed a short time later headed to another air show in a fire after an emergency landing in a corn field in Indiana I think....Engine caught fire and the pilot set her down in the first place he found in the middle of nowhere and the fire fighting equipment couldn't get there in time but the flight crew all got out without injury, real shame because they said it was a minor fuel leak fire but it got away from them.....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7-pk20Wb5E..... Anyway my flight was great and quite an experience but man it was LOUD in that thing and it vibrated like some kind of wild beast but what a day....What I noticed most was how small it was inside and how hard it was to move around, you had to crawl from the tail section to the upstairs flight deck, it was tight going for sure, they let the kids ride in the front nose bubble gun turret and it was cramped even for them....Taking that short flight is something I will always treasure and it really made me think about the hundreds of brave young men during WWII who made 12 hour flights in sub zero conditions facing death every mission in order to save the world from Nazi Germany....They just don't make men like that anymore!

[Planedude]

The airshow comes to the DFW area Wendsday and I look forward to the salute to our heros. I am proud to say I helped build every F-16 the Thunderbirds have ever flown and I did do final assembly on every tail number on the current flight line. Love the little bird.
The Angles are a great bunch and a give a great show. We get them here in Fort Worth more often since Carswell AFB (SAC) changed to NAS Carswell JRB.
The old C-130H that had been flying for the Blue Angles for many years has been retired and a new C-130J has been placed into service (the J has more power, is faster, but gets better fuel mileage...)
the JATO show Fat Albert gave was always the best part of the show to me, but it has been dropped, as the supply of JATO bottles (last made about 1960) has run very low. The last of them left are for getting off the ice in an emergency, mid winter medical evac in the Artic, North or South.
Very cool to watch that old C-130 do the super high angle of attack takeoff with all that blue flame behind it, then pushing over to level, right as the bottles burn out.
Growing up an Air Force brat, I've seen the Thunderbirds flying their shows in F-100, F-105, F-4, T-38 and of course F-16's. One of the best memories of my childhood was watching the Thunderbirds fly their show in the F-105, while sitting in the front seat of an F-105D. The very best seat in the house!

It is great that this weeks show is for our healthcare workers and first responders. May we all say thanks.

Peace

[AJBert]

I can attest to the C-130 to being a much better transport plane for supplies than for people. I flew on the a few times while in Iraq, and though I hated flying on any of the helos while I was the, the C-130 was the worst. Well, except for the one that took me out of Iraq. Happened to be on Christmas day in 2007 and that was perhaps the best Christmas present I have ever received.

Imagine crossing the west states in a Conestoga wagon at their top end of 10 mph while caught up in a hurricane strapped into a lawn chair that cuts into your rear end. Keep in mind the inside temp is controlled by the outside ambient temperature and there is no beer being served. That flight out of Baghdad International was the best flight I've ever taken in my life!

[getsome]

Glad you're home...Glad you are here on this forum...Thank you for your service!