View Full Version : U.S. Navy Blue Angels Release 2007 Schedule
KABOOKIE
12/6/2006, 01:06 PM
Top News
Blue Angels Announce 2007 Show Schedule
Wed, 06 Dec '06
The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, announced their schedule for the 2007 show season. Following winter training, the team will begin its 61st season at Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif., March 10, 2007. It will conclude Nov. 10 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.
The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform 66 demonstrations at 35 air show sites throughout the United States, as they celebrate 20 years of flying the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet.
Demonstration sites are selected in support of the objectives of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and the Department of Defense. Public performances greatly assist Navy and Marine Corps recruiting and retention goals, enhance esprit de corps among uniformed men and women, and demonstrate the professional skills and capabilities of the armed forces to bolster pride in the American public.
“The Blue Angels are fired up and ready for a safe and exhilarating show season,” said Cmdr. Kevin Mannix, Blue Angels flight leader and commanding officer. “While we wanted to perform at every air show site, we have a limited number of available performance dates each season. Every venue that requested to host the Blue Angels received the Navy’s utmost consideration.”
The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform at the following locations in 2007.
March:
10 Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.
17-18 Davis Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Ariz.
24 Tyndall AFB, Fla.
31 MacDill AFB, Fla.
April:
01 MacDill AFB, Fla.
14-15 Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi, Texas
21-22 MCAS Beaufort, S.C.
28-29 Vidalia, Ga.
May:
05-06 Offutt AFB, Neb.
12 Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.
19-20 La Crosse, Wis.
23 U.S. Naval Academy, Md.
26-27 Millville, N.J.
June:
02-03 Rockford, Ill.
09-10 Tinker AFB, Okla.
16-17 Fargo, N.D.
23-24 North Kingstown, R.I.
30 Battle Creek, Mich.
July:
01 Battle Creek, Mich.
07-08 Ypsilanti, Mich.
14-15 McConnell AFB, Kan.
21 Pensacola Beach, Fla.
28-29 Bozeman, Mont.
August:
04-05 Seattle, Wash.
11-12 Hillsboro, Ore.
25-26 Indianapolis, Ind.
September:
01-03 St. Louis, Mo.
08-09 NAS Oceana, Va.
15-16 NAS Brunswick, Maine
22-23 Millington, Tenn.
29-30 Salinas, Calif.
October:
06-07 San Francisco, Calif.
13-14 MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
20-21 Fort Worth, Texas
27-28 Muskogee, Okla. (Must be the Great F'n Hillbilly Salute Show)
November:
03-04 Jacksonville Beach, Fla.
09-10 NAS Pensacola, Fla.
I hope their lack of marquee matchups doesn't keep them out of the BCS title game...
KABOOKIE
12/6/2006, 01:11 PM
They've gotta play Oklahoma twice. Ain't no way they're making it to the BCS.
C&CDean
12/6/2006, 01:14 PM
The Thunderbirds > The Blue Angels.
The Red Baron > both of them
KABOOKIE
12/6/2006, 01:18 PM
The Thunderbirds > The Blue Angels.
Blue Angel pilots know the difference between MSL and AGL
http://www.propbusters.org/hangar/photos/f-16eject.jpg
C&CDean
12/6/2006, 01:21 PM
Oh. So what you're saying is that the Blue Angels have never laid a grease spot on the ground somewhere huh?
woohoo! Alliance Air show again. Rock.
C&CDean
12/6/2006, 01:23 PM
The Red Baron > both of them
We're talking airplanes, not pizza. Geez.
Oh. So what you're saying is that the Blue Angels have never laid a grease spot on the ground somewhere huh?
They ALL were being allegiant to the lead pilot...to the.....er...end.
Again, why was it that the lead pilot flew into the ground? With all this dope I'm on, my memory has become kind of fuzzy.
It took discipline, by God, for the rest of the formation to go in with him.
I like the Blue Angles 2x better right now becuase the F/A - 18 has two engines versus the F-16's one. If the USAF flew stunt formations with B-52 bombers, then I would like them 4x better than the Navy boys and 8x better than the current Falcon jocks.
KABOOKIE
12/6/2006, 02:13 PM
They ALL were being allegiant to the lead pilot...to the.....er...end.
Again, why was it that the lead pilot flew into the ground? With all this dope I'm on, my memory has become kind of fuzzy.
It took discipline, by God, for the rest of the formation to go in with him.
I like the Blue Angles better right now becuase the F/A - 18 has two engines.
I dunno. Dean's a pretty old fart but I'm sure even he can't tell us about the time he heard about a Blue Angel throwing a plane into the dirt during a show.
I dunno. Dean's a pretty old fart but I'm sure even he can't tell us about the time he heard about a Blue Angel throwing a plane into the dirt during a show.
You do know that an entire formation went in during the 60's. Perhaps it wasn't during a show (and that's why you don't count it?)
Lead pilot played lawn dart and the rest followed him in. For the love of Dolomite I can't remember why.
KABOOKIE
12/6/2006, 02:48 PM
You do know that an entire formation went in during the 60's. Perhaps it wasn't during a show (and that's why you don't count it?)
Lead pilot played lawn dart and the rest followed him in. For the love of Dolomite I can't remember why.
Probably because it was the Thunderbirds that plowed it in....... ;)
Jan. 18, 1982: The "Diamond Crash" becomes the worst training crash in Thunderbird history. Maj. Norm Lowry, Capt. Willie Mays, Capt. Pete Peterson and Capt. Mark Melancon are killed while flying the famous diamond formation during training at Indian Springs. The crash resulted from insufficient back pressure on the T-38 control stick during the loop. This major crash with associated fatalities led to the Thunderbirds getting the F-16 Fighting Falcon as a replacement aircraft. In part, the F-16 was to showcase a highly maneuverable frontline fighter. In the background, the F-16 continued to male-only Thunderbird composition because women were not allowed to fly frontline fighters at the time and a significant number of highly qualified female T-38 intructor pilots were being denied Thunderbird admission solely on the basis of gender. The single-engine F-16 was less costly to operate than the other air-to-air fighter of its day, the twin-engine F-15 Eagle. In order to rebuild the Thunderbird Team, the Air Force reached back to previous Thunderbird pilots still on active duty to "come out of air show retirement", qualified each in the F-16A, and had them begin flying "two-ship" through all the maneuvers, and expand - one airplane at a time - up to the full six airplanes. The "new" F-16 Thunderbirds were led by Major Jim Latham.
Okla-homey
12/6/2006, 02:52 PM
You do know that an entire formation went in during the 60's. Perhaps it wasn't during a show (and that's why you don't count it?)
Lead pilot played lawn dart and the rest followed him in. For the love of Dolomite I can't remember why.
Because when flying in close formation, everyone is focused almost totally on keeping station with lead. That means everyone else is staring intently at the visual references on lead's jet necessary while carefully controlling power and control surfaces to stay "glued" on. Therefore, if lead strikes cumulo-granite...so does the rest of the flight. NOTE: such intensive station keeping is not req'd in ordinary formation flying...just the fancy BlueAngel/Thunderbird stuff.
Imagine trying to stay just three inches off the bumper of a car in front of you while barreling along on a wind-y road, driving at a high rate of speed. You would necessarily be oblivious to everything else but that. car. Now, suppose you were in an airplane doing the same thing but now you have to deal with an entirely new axis too.
Get the idea?
BTW, after that incident, which was about 1982 as I recall, they switched to F-16's which have much better performance than the T-38's they flew during the accident. Most people I know considered it a classic "controlled flight into terrain." It was not during a show, but during the January train-up period prior to the airshow season. Four great men, diamond formation, all dead instantly when they hit the desert floor. RIP
C&CDean
12/6/2006, 03:16 PM
I like the T-Birds better for several reasons:
1. My dad is retired A.F. and I've seen them perform dozens of times.
2. They flew F-4s for years. Watching them do their thing with those monsters was allsomely allsome. Earth-shattering thunder.
3. The F-16 is a much better looking jet than the F-18.
4. The F-16 is a higher performing jet than the F-18.
5. While neither plane gives you the chest compressing power the old F-4 did, watching the Blue Angels perform sometimes reminds me of listening to a Harley with stock exhaust.
6. If the T-Birds would go to F-15s that would seriously RMFO. They'd be the closest thing to the F-4 in the current arsenal. Big, bad, loud, and obnoxious. Like me.
KABOOKIE
12/6/2006, 03:28 PM
Because when flying in close formation, everyone is focused almost totally on keeping station with lead. That means everyone else is staring intently at the visual references on lead's jet necessary while carefully controlling power and control surfaces to stay "glued" on. Therefore, if lead strikes cumulo-granite...so does the rest of the flight. NOTE: such intensive station keeping is not req'd in ordinary formation flying...just the fancy BlueAngel/Thunderbird stuff.
Imagine trying to stay just three inches off the bumper of a car in front of you while barreling along on a wind-y road, driving at a high rate of speed. You would necessarily be oblivious to everything else but that. car. Now, suppose you were in an airplane doing the same thing but now you have to deal with an entirely new axis too.
Get the idea?
BTW, after that incident, which was about 1982 as I recall, they switched to F-16's which have much better performance than the T-38's they flew during the accident. Most people I know considered it a classic "controlled flight into terrain." It was not during a show, but during the January train-up period prior to the airshow season. Four great men, diamond formation, all dead instantly when they hit the desert floor. RIP
I think Jerk was just confused in which group Thunderbirds/BlueAngels did the lawn dart formation....
Yeah, I understand the concept that when you're following the lead plane, you're oblivious to everything else. The only thing I did wrong was get the wrong service branch and I missed the date by only 2 decades. But I'm on drugs; therefore, I am excused. :eek: My question wasn't why the formation went in. It was: why did the lead pilot fly the airplane into the ground. Was his altimeter off?
Damn, I could have sworn in was the Blue Angles.
http://www.stushepherd.homestead.com/files/F4BlueAngels.jpg
:texan:
C&CDean
12/6/2006, 04:02 PM
Sweet. But that's the "J" model.
We used to have F-4s up here in Wichita. 4 of those babies zooming by gave the B-1 a run for its money in the noise dept. Sadly, those days are gone in both cases. The 135 fly over just taint the same.
swardboy
12/6/2006, 05:39 PM
You do know that an entire formation went in during the 60's. Perhaps it wasn't during a show (and that's why you don't count it?)
Lead pilot played lawn dart and the rest followed him in. For the love of Dolomite I can't remember why.
As I recall, it was determined that the tail aileron got stuck on the lead's plane and he didn't have time to call the others off...Thunderbirds.
Personally I'm holding out that they'll go to F-22's sometime in the future, but they'll prolly stay with the f-16.....it rocks though!
1stTimeCaller
12/6/2006, 05:50 PM
the F-16s the Thunderbirds fly are weapons ready, the Blue Angels birds are not.
As I recall, it was determined that the tail aileron got stuck on the lead's plane and he didn't have time to call the others off...Thunderbirds.
Personally I'm holding out that they'll go to F-22's sometime in the future, but they'll prolly stay with the f-16.....it rocks though!
Damn. That would be one expensive demonstration fleet.
ps- they could also use Bones.
http://www.grahamowen.com/images8/B-B1.jpg
batonrougesooner
12/6/2006, 05:57 PM
the F-16s the Thunderbirds fly are weapons ready, the Blue Angels birds are not.
Are you sure about that?
I thought both squadron's planes were flown essentially fleet-ready.
1stTimeCaller
12/6/2006, 06:03 PM
I could very well be wrong. I thought I read that about the Blue Angels somewhere.
KABOOKIE
12/6/2006, 07:51 PM
I could very well be wrong. I thought I read that about the Blue Angels somewhere.
http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/index.htm
All of the Blue Angels’ jets are carrier-capable and can be made combat ready in about 72 hours.
usmc-sooner
12/6/2006, 07:56 PM
I saw a group on base at MCSFBn in Norfolk, Va I don't know who but it was awesome, the supply officer let us set folding chairs on top of the supply building. We had food and beer in the parking lot. Good times.
1stTimeCaller
12/6/2006, 08:47 PM
looks like my dumbass was correct. eh, blind squirrels and whatnot
Newbomb Turk
12/6/2006, 08:52 PM
One of my favorite pictures I evar took - when the Blue Angles were in OKC 4 or 5 years ago.
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/5284/angelsoy0.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=angelsoy0.jpg)
homerSimpsonsBrain
12/6/2006, 09:39 PM
I'd bet they are both using these when they retire the F-16...
http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/jsf/images/img4.jpg
The Marine version of the F-35 is either going to be the coolest thing with wings or a mongolian cluster ****.
Boomer_Sooner_sax
12/6/2006, 10:15 PM
ps- they could also use Bones.
http://www.grahamowen.com/images8/B-B1.jpg
That would be sweet, but everyone would be deaf with 6 of those things going at once!!!:D
KABOOKIE
12/6/2006, 10:16 PM
That would be sweet, but everyone would be deaf with 1 of those things going!!!:D
Fixed. :D
C&CDean
12/7/2006, 08:46 AM
As I recall, it was determined that the tail aileron got stuck on the lead's plane and he didn't have time to call the others off...Thunderbirds.
Personally I'm holding out that they'll go to F-22's sometime in the future, but they'll prolly stay with the f-16.....it rocks though!
Actually, I read on their website that the T-38's "stick back pressure was insufficient to perform the loop they were attempting" and after this accident, they switched to the F-16.
And I'd still rather see them go to F-15s than even the F-22.
a little off topic but a cool pic of my two favorite planes. hope it works
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Aircraft/AirShows/Holloman2005/Highlights/P38F4HistoricFlight.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60PadQ0mVuc
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