The Blue Angels - Then and Now

neptunuslex.com ^ | December, 2010 | Neptunus Lex

[SuziQ]

Oh, my, that video just brought tears to my eyes, watching that pilot from the very first team of Blue Angels sitting in that Bearcat, re-living his memories of flying it.

[GreenLanternCorps]

Awesome video, particularly the original Blue Angel in the F8F cockpit.

Here’s a treat for you from 1986...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwi8m4SIejE

[Broker]

Rare Bear. Piloted by the one and only Corky Fornoff? He had a bronze bear at The Danbury CT Airport Airshow in 1973. Clinched my to FLY NAVY props! The the T-28 B/C Trojan was a hoot! Thanks Corky!

[Pylon]

Years ago we were riding our quads in the dunes and the Blue Angels were practicing at El Centro NAF and we had parked on top of a high dune and were watching. Well I guess they saw us and we got buzzed low and FAST a couple times, they would fly at us and pull up so last min it would blow the sand off the top of the dune. It was awesome.

[CFIIIMEIATP737]

I agree that the Blue Angels, the Thunderbirds, the Golden Knights, etc. are effective recruiting tools. This week I watched a T-38 at our airport, and I thought that the government could save money if they replaced the Air Force Thunderbird F-16s with the T-38. Then I thought, no, the demonstration teams need to feature the best equipment we have to offer. That is another component of the demonstrations teams, is to show how good a product the United States military can produce.

Several of my students have gone into naval, marine and air force aviation, and the demonstration teams have had a significant impression on these wonderful young men at an early age.

Since the Blues and the Thunderbirds are booked years in advance, I wouldn't have a problem with fielding even more forms of demonstration teams, such as attack helicopters, etc.

[hattend]

Rare Bear was built from a wreck by Lyle Shelton (RIP Lyle!) and Lyle was the owner/pilot until, I believe, 2002 when he passed the pilot duties to John Penney.

Rare Bear was sold shortly before Lyle passed (cancer) the new owner is Rod Lewis.

I had seen Corky Fornoff’s F8 at the races years ago.

[hattend]

The T-birds flew T-38s for almost a decade. They transitioned to the F-16 after a tragic accident that killed the diamond formation pilots in a training accident.

http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Thunderbirds-Diamond_Crash.htm

[paterfamilias]

That was great! Thanks.

[19th LA Inf]

In 1956 there was a tremendous "National Air Show" at Will Rogers field in Oklahoma City. The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds were both on the program on the same afternoon. The Blue Angels flew late model F9Fs and the Thunderbirds flew F-100s.

You gotta figure that they all tried just a bit harder when the competition was showing on the same day.