Hey Blackwolf,
I saw the Blues when they were flying the F11F Tiger in 1960, only problem I was 4 years old and don’t remember. But I do have very faded home movies in 8mm my Dad took.
I’ve seen them both, and much prefer the Blue Angels(Tighter, lower, faster, etc.) blackwolfscd, I’ve also seen BOTH teams fly the F-4’s. I think I still have the scar on my jaw when it dropped to the deck! WOW! HOLY CRAP! etc…but then, you can’t beat the 720 degree/sec roll rate of the A-4’s! And besides, ANYONE can fly fat, dumb and happy and receive gas through a tube! Stab at that basket!(My $0.02)
I thoroughly enjoy seeing both the T-Birds and Blues fly - makes me feel proud to see them representing the U.S.A. as they do.
BUT
What I REALLY dig are aerobatics done in a Pitts, Extra, Zlin, etc.
I am partial to propellor-driven airplanes.
If only the Blues were flying F8F’s and the T-Birds P-51’s, P-47’s or P-38’s…
Jim
The civilian aerobatics teams (and singles) are great. I’ve seen LL (T-34s) the French Connection (Pitts?) plus others and some single performers in Su-26, Pitts
The MAPS airshow is going on this weekend in Akron, Oh. The paper says it’s the third largest show in the state. there are several individual and team performers here, including an A10 team. Luckily, my camera has been in the repair shop for the last 3 months. I get it back next week. They have a B17 they are giving rides on at $400 a pop. Blackwolfscd, I’ve got a couple of shots of Angel’s F11, lots of A4’s and some F18’s. What do you like about Fat Albert? the RATO?
hey JGUIGNARD, the Royal Jordanian Falcons fly Extra 300s. If you ever get the chance to see them, do so. Of all the programmes I’ve seen, theirs was without a doubt the best choreographed and most intense.
On the other hand, the most impressive thing I’ve seen at an airshow was Fairford '98(?) when the BAe Eurofighter finished the show by pulling a 90deg climb on afterburner to vanishing point. The thing just went straight up and disappeared. Incredible. And that was on the lo-spec engines LOL [8D]
Jets, you’re one lucky dawg to have seen them both in F-4’s. I think I vaguely recall seeing the T-Birds when they were flying the Talons, but I mostly remember the F-16’s. I was fortunate to see the Blues in A-4’s three times. I like the F-18’s, but the A-4 was a natural show bird.
I’d really like to see the Frecce Tricolori someday. And the Patrouille de France, Patrouille Swiss, Reds, Turkish Stars, the Russian teams… The list goes on.
One team that I had wanted to see but no longer have much desire for is Blue Impulse. I really wanted to see them in T-2’s. Great lookin’ jets and awesome paintjobs. Those T-4’s are kinda boring, y’know? Especially the paint. I’m sure they still put on a good show, tho.
Fade to Black…
As a biased 9 yr navy vet, I say Blue Angels with out a doubt.
I saw them here in Flint, MI in 1979 and 1980 (they were still in A-4’s then). Just awsome!!!
I’d have to say the Blue Angels. They sure put on a
show with the A-4 ![:D]
fuzzy
I’ve seen the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds perform many times. It’s a tough call, but after seeing the A-4’s hanging in formation in the Pensacola Naval Aviation Museum, #@*n those guys fly close together! I think the dark paint scheme helps too. The Thunderbirds could be just as close but the white paint merges with the sky and they don’t look as close together. I vaguely remember seeing the Blues in the F-11’s in the late 50’s and I did see them fly the F-4C’s once in 1967 I believe. I somehow missed the Thunderbird F-4’s. As far as the Flight Suits go, it’s just “flash” and “PR”, it’s the person in them that counts, and the ground crews.
Sad to say I don’t have any photos, but that is what they were flying when I saw them as a kid at the Bishop Air Show in Flint MI. One year we couldn’t go because my parents were going out to dinner I think. They dropped me off at my grandparents house and I was bummed out. My grandma wanted to know what was wrong so I told her. She said that the airshow always bothered her because the planes fly so low over their house and you can see them from the backyard. We ate in the backyard and I swear the Angles were so close you could almost touch them![:)]
Both the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds fly very capable, attractive aircraft. All are extremely fine aerobatic pilots and put on breathtakingly precise shows. BRAVO! [:p]
However, the Blue Angels are carrier qualified. The Thunderbirds are not. I’ve spoken to several ex Air Force pilots and they all don’t understand how the Navy pilots do it. One actually said that if he had to make a carrier landing and survived, he would have to change his underwear. [;)]
My vote goes to the Blue Angels. GO NAVY! [^]
Pete
P. S. I still like “The French Connection” best of all.
HEY,
Well, i have to vote with almost everybody else and go for the blues. My dad is in the navy and every two years at the naval air station in Brunswick Maine they show up. We go see it sometimes but we usually stay home because we live on the base. They fly right by our house every once in a while and usually they are upside down and i swear, once one of them waved to me( although noone believes that i could have seen it ). GO BLUES!
Randy
I BELIEVE!!![8D]
as to be different but the F/A-18 is a lead sled compaired to the A-4, that’s when the B/A’s put on the best show, the 16’s are far better a/c but the T-birds are more conseritive after their 1981 accident but I still love the 9G turn the #5 does but I still haven’t seen the B/A’s do that but the best is the Snow Birds but for the US teams I feel the T-Birds can pull it over the B/A’s cause if the a/c I haven’t liked the 18’s, after seen them (F/A-18)at the Paris airshow in '85, and the 16 is barely pushing it’s envolope during the display, can’t wait to see the Rapor in the Red, White & Blue sceme
Anyone who walks into my house knows I’m a Blues Nut.
Blue Angels everywhere (and so many more to build)
I remember them back to the F-11 Tiger days, but the most awesome performances were from the Phantom era (oh my gawd, the noise) One of my most prized possessions is an 8x10 photo personally signed to me by the 1970 team kneeling in front of one of their f4j’s. Harley Hall was “the boss” at the time. Sadly, he was the last Naval aviator shot down on the last day of the Vietnam war. His fate is still unknown.
I do like the T-Birds too but for me it’s the Blues hands down.!
For a great site check out blueangels.org
Actually I think it goes more like http://blueangels.org
The Blue’s show performance is far superior to the Bird’s. There is just something about an F-16 in full afterburner that makes an F-18 seem a bit swabish!
Although I’m not quite sure what the definition of “swabish” is, this statement seems to contradict itself…or did i miss something?
I saw both teams when I was three, 1958. I’m a military brat who went in the military. My dad was Air Force so was I. How ever the Blues win “hands down”. I’ve seen teams from all over the world. The 63 Blue Diamonds were great, they put those F-86s right down on the deck. My dad will tell you that the 53 and 54 T-birds were the best AF teams ever. They flew great routines in the Hun. My personal favorite Blues are the F-11 years. The best was the 25th Tokyo Raid Annivesary performance , Eglin AFB/Fort Walton Beach, over Santa Rosa Island. One of the Blues solo aircraft broke the sound barrier right over the dunes, It was great. However I think Bob Hoover stole the show that day. Love that Mustang.