Posted on 10/08/2007 3:07:59 PM PDT by doug from upland
NOTE: I made a quick trip to the city by the bay, the fortress of freaks, the counter-culture crazies, the whackjobs of the West, the pierced pukes on parade --- San Francisco. It is too bad that a beautiful city has been really screwed up by the degenerates. It was Fleet Week, and to many of the leftist losers, the enemy was in town. And they must have gone ballistic when they heard the sounds of freedom, the Blue Angels, flying low over the city. The sound was wonderful. After the show, we happened to be in front of the right hotel at the right time. Mrs. DFU had the chance to shake hands with several of them. It was a great show, but I was a little disappointed. I so wanted them to strafe city hall.
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The Blue Angels: A Symbol of U.S. Navy Pride --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Felicia (Fee) Benamon Oct 8, 2007
The U.S. Navy's flight exhibition squadron, the Blue Angels, is a rare treat to behold. They are a fine example of the precision, discipline, and sheer guts exhibited by our military. Spectators are able to see the fine skills of the Blue Angels when they fly in to cities and towns across America and in some parts of the world to do air shows. Growing up in the military as a Navy brat, I attended many air shows where the Blue Angels performed. They are inspiring!
The Blue Angels: A Symbol of U.S. Navy Pride
The Blue Angels are representative of the U.S. Navy, but they are a HUGE credit to our military as a whole. They are the best exhibition team in the world...who else could fly 36 inches apart wingtip to wingtip? They exhibit VERY impressive and outrageous (in a good sense) flying skills.
I had the pleasure of talking with one of the pilots who flies with the Blue Angels, LCDR Tom Winkler, USN at a recent air show in my area. LCDR Winkler was down to earth and very eager to discuss with me the background on the Blue Angels and their experiences.
The home base of the Blue Angels is NAS Pensacola, FL at Forrest Sherman field most of the year, but when in training, the Blue Angels fly into El Centro, CA at the Naval Air Facility there.
The Blue Angels have been entertaining audiences since 1946. This year is their 61st year.
The aircraft that the Blue Angels fly is the F/A-18 Alpha Hornet. The impressive fighter jet can shoot to 500 feet in 1 second and can achieve speeds of Mach 1.8, equivalent to 1,320 miles per hour! The Blue Angels have flown the F/A-18 Hornet since 1987, and are currently celebrating "20 years of Blue Hornets." The Hornet is favorable as it offers the pilots the ability to fly "aggressive, graceful and demanding."
In the United States, the Blue Angels "visit between 35-37 cities a year," specifically called "domestic air shows." So they are quite busy. Their schedule starts in the middle of March and runs "8 months straight, all the way to November," said Winkler. In the first few months of the year, the Blue Angels are in training.
I asked LCDR Winkler which countries do the Blue Angels visit abroad. He told me that the team has done shows in Europe and in Canada.
If you are like me, you are wondering how the pilots could keep from vomiting or getting sick in any way when performing such awesome aerobatics. LCDR Winkler remarked, "We stay in pretty good shape. It helps with the dynamics of flying...it helps with g-tolerance."
Winkler mentioned that the pilots' regimen included weight lifting and cardiovascular workouts. And of course, the flight training. To be a part of the Blue Angel team, one must already be a pilot with the U.S. Navy or U.S. Marine Corps and have a certain amount of flight hours. LCDR Tom Winkler has been flying for the U.S. Navy for 11 years and with the Blue Angels for 1/2 yrs.
Winkler said that if a pilot is chosen to fly with the Blue Angels, it is a "2 year tour usually" and the team gets 3 new members each year.
So, the pilots are rotated out frequently. "Main thing, it's been a rewarding experience...you meet a lot of folks from all walks of life," Winkler said happily. For any young person or anyone who may be considering a career in aviation, Winkler pressed, "go for it...do well in school...keep your options available."
The world of aviation is broad, as it offers a career choice as well as a way to unwind. Anyone can pursue flying as I have done some flight training when I was in my early 20's. The sky is the limit, or "seize the sky"...my motto. What anti-war protesters (or those who have the audacity to say that the military goes after only the "economically challenged" and minorities) do not get is that the military offers a person the experience and chance of a lifetime to be a huge inspiration to others. It IS service, the best kind of service actually. To be a part of the U.S. fighting forces, the best in the world, is an honor.
So, instead of dissuading young people from joining the military, we should be bringing up military service more often. A military career can help bring out good qualities in a person and helps them see his/her potential.
It was heartening to hear LCDR Winkler say that when the Blue Angels perform at air shows, people tell them that they make them proud to be Americans.
The Blue Angels are inspiring, not only to adults, but they inspire our children to dream...dream of the infinite possibilities they can achieve.
They are not only a symbol of U.S. Navy pride, but American pride. So head out to an air show near you for a rare treat!
Learn more about the Blue Angels flight exhibition squadron:
For more information on the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and to see their 2007 Air Show schedule, click below: www.blueangels.navy.mil
Click below to see photos of ground operations and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in action (note the changing positions of the Plane Captains on the ground): http://www.renewamerica.us/columns/benamon/071006
No - I just use a 7 megapixel camera and cut out the good parts. ;)
BUMP!
They were fantastic in Salinas. They came in right over your head...
In San Francisco, if your lucky, you can watch them from Pier 39 area. Not even close.
In Salinas, there is no bad seat in the house. They fly right down the runway in front of you.
Let them kill the Angles on Fleet Week. Go to the Salinas air show and watch them perform there. Much better.
Semper Fi
Former Marine
It was in the early 60s, I was an early teen, and raead a lot of books about military aircraft, I thought the name was corsair, but I am sure it was F8U, a twin tail jet, one of the early ones
Thanks for the input. I didn’t drive the 7-8 hours up there just to see them. I happened to be in town. But it was great that I picked the right long weekend for a visit.
We used to watch the Blue Angels practice when we’d vacation at Perdido Key FL. They were so awesome.
http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/fa18ef/index.htm
I spent two hours at this sight yesterday looking at some beauties.
Great shots Doug. I am looking forward to seeing them Saturday at Kaneohe Air Station here on Oahu. Can’t beat the scenery, hope to get some shots with the Koolau mountains in the background.
Never flew F-8s..
Since 1946, there have been eight types of aircraft:
1. Grumman F6F Hellcat, June-August 1946
2. Grumman F8F Bearcat, August 1946-1949
3. Grumman F9F-2 Panther (first jet), 1949-June 1950 and
Grumman F9F-5 Panther 1951-Winter 1954/55
4. Grumman F9F-8 Cougar, Winter 1954-55-mid-season 1957
5. Grumman F11F-1 Tiger (first supersonic jet),
mid-season 1957-1969
6. McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II, 1969-December 1974
7. McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II, December
1974-November 1986
8. Boeing F/A-18 Hornet, November 1986-Present
Sorry about the poor pic quality but it's the only one I have of a F7U in BA colors.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
Fan-tastic. I used to work on the 39th floor of the BofA and this always was a favorite time of the year for me...
Thankfully, I was surrounded by capitalist pigs at the time (stock and bond brokers) and didn’t have to listen to the simpering moans of the moonbats.
God Bless America, God Bless our troops and thank you, Doug for bringing us these pics bump.
That is it, I just had my names and numbers wrong. I hsd time to do some research a little while ago, and it was the Vought f7U 3 with some extra upgrades that thier B team used in the late 50s and early 60s that went to small places like eugene, or where I saw them, they were moving up to the F11F Tiger. The Cutlass was a much more beautiful AC to the eye than in pictures, I made 2 models of them and practised my formation flyiing.
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