The Blue Angels or The Thunderbirds?

[Monster Dave]

We were recently at an air show and saw the Thunderbirds perform, having seen both now many times, I was wondering which tends to be the favorite of the two in general.


No...there will be no "boobies" selection.  

[derby]

thunderbirds, duh!

[elyse]

no contest! blue angels!!! i've spent a lot of time in pensacola & even watching them practice is INCREDIBLE... seeing an inverted fat albert O M G!!!! crazy cool!! 

[Punx Clever]

Hell, that's easy.  Blue Angels.  They can do this:

[spolic]

I think that it depends where the Angels are flying.  I saw them in Spokane WA and it was lame.  I caught a little of their practice in Chicago over the lake and was really impressed.  Being an Air Force brat, I'll have to vote Thunderbirds!

When I last saw the Angels here in flat ol' Spokane they were preceded by a F-22.  That one little fighter made the Blue Angels look stupid.

[SacDuc]

*hiccup*






sac

[Triple J]

They're both great...but I like the Angels better (although I like the T-Birds planes just a little better).

My 1st job was working at the tank farm across the hwy from Nellis AFB (home of the Thunderbirds) in Vegas. I got to watch a lot of short Thunderbird practice routines that summer. Very cool.

[Monster Dave]

I think that it depends where the Angels are flying.  I saw them in Spokane WA and it was lame.  I caught a little of their practice in Chicago over the lake and was really impressed.  Being an Air Force brat, I'll have to vote Thunderbirds!

When I last saw the Angels here in flat ol' Spokane they were preceded by a F-22.  That one little fighter made the Blue Angels look stupid.

As a kid, I have many memories of the amazing air show at Wright Patt AFB.

I've heard that - perhaps the Blue Angels are able to take more risks when they fly over the water?? I've always thought that the Angels were better (IMHO), but either way, what either of the teams do is totally awe-inspiring.


Definitly a treat to see Fat Albert:

[Triple J]

Thunderbirds Oops at Mountain Home a few years back



Thunderbirds Eject/Crash -- How It Happened

My dad was one of the firefighters from Nellis who responded to the earlier 1982 crash in Indian Springs (their practice grounds just north of Las Vegas) when they flew T-38s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Thunderbirds_Indian_Springs_Diamond_Crash

In 1982, the Thunderbirds suffered a catastrophic loss, occurring during pre-season training on January 18. While practicing the four-plane diamond loop, the formation impacted the ground at high speed, instantly killing all four pilots: Major Norman L. Lowry, commander/leader, Captain Willie Mays, Captain Joseph N. "Pete" Peterson, and Captain Mark Melancon. The cause of the crash was officially listed by the USAF as the result of a mechanical problem with the #1 aircraft's control stick actuator, resulting in insufficient back pressure by the formation leader on the T-38 control stick during the loop. Visually cueing off of the lead aircraft during formation maneuvering, the wing and slot pilots completely disregarded their positions relative to the ground. A five-page report of the mishap was published by Aviation Week & Space Technology in their issue dated May 17, 1982.

[Monster Dave]

YIKES!!


About Fat Albert:

"An all-Marine Corps crew of three officers and five enlisted personnel operated the Lockheed-Martin C-130T Hercules, affectionately known as Fat Albert Airlines. Fat Albert, which joined the team in 1970, flew more than 140,000 miles each season and carried more than 40 maintenance and support personnel, their gear and enough spare parts and communication equipment to complete a successful air show. Fat Albert was retired last November. The Navy is expected to announce a new chapter in transport operations for the Blue Angels soon."



I wonder what the next iteration will be? That sucks...

[spolic]

Yeah we got Fat Albert at our show but there was no assisted take off. 

[slowpoke13]

Buddy of mine is a mechanic for the BA. Loves it. Very difficult screening though.

[Monster Dave]

After all those years and all those miles, it must have started putting too much strain on the airframe. That was cool though.

[ZLTFUL]

The Air Force is gonna loan the Blue Angels a Smoke Angel to replace Fat Albert...



Now let's see em put that porker down on a rolling deck with a 20 knot crosswind!  

[elyse]

Albert was retired last November.

awww!! i didn't know that.. that does suck!!
i'm from sacramento, ca & we had 2 air force bases here when i was growing up, mcclellan & mather (they've since closed). i've seen a million air shows. i've seen them in surrounding areas too. but, my favorite airshow has been the ones on pensacola beach,fl during red, white & blues week. this year it's 7/4 - 7/9. they used to allow you to be in the water while the air show was going on. that was awesome, the water would vibrate & rumble around you & you felt like you could reach out & touch the planes. they no longer let you in the water because of "safety concerns" (like a plane can't crash on the beach just as easily as it could crash in the water), but it is still an absolutely incredible site to behold