next time coach needs a more experienced pilot

[gh55]

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0407/416687.html

Pensacola, FL (AP) - The Navy Blue Angels pilot who died in a crash in South Carolina once had Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops as a passenger in his plane.

Thirty-two-year-old Lieutenant Commander Kevin J. Davis of Pittsfield, Massachusetts was in his second year with the Blue Angels, who are known for their high-speed aerobatic demonstrations.

The crash happened yesterday afternoon as the team was performing its final maneuver during an air show in Beaufort, South Carolina.

The squadron's six, F-A-18 Hornets routinely streak low over crowds of thousands at supersonic speeds, coming within feet, sometimes inches, of each other.

The pilots are among the Navy's most elite.

Last May, Davis took Stoops and former "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson on a ride in his Blue Angels jet in Fort Worth, Texas.

Stoops says today that his experience with Davis was overwhelming and called the pilot a role model. He says not only did the Navy lose an accomplished pilot and serviceman, it lost a very good man.

[AlbqSooner]

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0407/416687.html The squadron's six, F-A-18 Hornets routinely streak low over crowds of thousands at supersonic speeds, coming within feet, sometimes inches, of each other.
I would hate to think that ktul made a mistake, but I believe their speeds during shows are SUBsonic.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Apparently, the pilot's parents were at the air show as this was one of his first as a flying member of the performance team.

[Big Red Ron]

I would hate to think that ktul made a mistake, but I believe their speeds during shows are SUBsonic.I've heard them pass making a "sonic boom" going into an inverted pass. Doesn't that mean the have passed the sound barrier?

This is more likely a mechanical error than the pilot's.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

I've heard them pass making a "sonic boom" going into an inverted pass. Doesn't that mean the have passed the sound barrier?

This is more likely a mechanical error than the pilot's.

Their shows are all performed at sub-sonic. The boom you're hearing is more of a thump as the exhaust is hitting static air in a turn. A sonic boom is going to crack like a really loud sudden lightning strike, and typically is only done at higher altitudes. If they committed a breach of the sound barrier at the low altitudes performed at airshows there would be a whole lot of auto glass insurance claims...
[P.S. Another nice whoomp you'll get is as the skin of the aircraft becomes super-heated, with just the right combo of speed and humidity you'll hear and see an instant vaporization of the humid air around the aircraft...]

The closest the Blue Angels (and Thunderbirds for that matter) get to supersonic is when they do their "sneak attack" when they distract you with a distant formation and then the soloists buzz the crowd. They're usually in the 600-640 knots (roughtly equiv. to mph) range when they make that pass... well below speed of sound of around 769 mph.

[goingoneight]

Last May, Davis took Stoops and former "American Idol" winner Kelly Clarkson on a ride in his Blue Angels jet in Fort Worth, Texas.

Davis says today that his experience with Stoops was intimidating and called the coach a role model. He says BOOMER SOONER as he watches down on us today...

Roughly translated... but being serious... this IS sad to hear. May he rest in peace and know that his services were not forgotten.