The Blue Angels just received their first F/A-18 Super Hornet

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thor447

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The F-16 is timeless and will always be my favorite fighter. Smaller, faster (at least against an F-18) and still more maneuverable than just about anything made even today. Granted, it couldn't do many of the missions our fighters are designed for today, and can't carry the same payload. However, speaking solely about it's aeronautics, it doesn't get much better.
 

SoonerP226

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A friend of mine says one of the worst mistake the Blue Angels made was switching from Skyhawks to Hornets. The Hornet may be an impressive aircraft, but it's not as nimble as the Skyhawk, and that agility is what makes for an impressive show.
 

RickN

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The F-16 is timeless and will always be my favorite fighter. Smaller, faster (at least against an F-18) and still more maneuverable than just about anything made even today. Granted, it couldn't do many of the missions our fighters are designed for today, and can't carry the same payload. However, speaking solely about it's aeronautics, it doesn't get much better.


I was always a Tomcat fan. I got to take a ride in one a long, long time ago. I started to say go up in one but if you are not the pilot, you are just along for the ride. I have been in several helos, commercial planes and private planes, hung out the a$$ end of a C130 doing SAR, but nothing makes the old sphincter clamp like an F14 pilot saying, "now for a little fun"
 

thor447

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I was always a Tomcat fan. I got to take a ride in one a long, long time ago. I started to say go up in one but if you are not the pilot, you are just along for the ride. I have been in several helos, commercial planes and private planes, hung out the a$$ end of a C130 doing SAR, but nothing makes the old sphincter clamp like an F14 pilot saying, "now for a little fun"
Wow, I'd imagine so. If I ever got to take a ride in a fighter jet, assuming I survive, it'd be an experience of a lifetime. How cool of an experience that must have been. Those fighter pilots are a different breed. My older brother does a lot of defense contract work, doing pilot analysis software for the DOD. He works with a lot of pilots, and has told me a story or two!
 

SoonerP226

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I was always a Tomcat fan. I got to take a ride in one a long, long time ago. I started to say go up in one but if you are not the pilot, you are just along for the ride. I have been in several helos, commercial planes and private planes, hung out the a$$ end of a C130 doing SAR, but nothing makes the old sphincter clamp like an F14 pilot saying, "now for a little fun"
I know an old pilot who says the three scariest things you can hear in the military are an Ensign saying "I'm in charge here," a 2nd Lieutenant with a compass and a map saying, "follow me, I know the way," and a Chief Warrant Office in a helicopter saying, "lemme show you something you ain't never seen before."

He was a LOH pilot in the hunter-killer teams in Vietnam, so I'm pretty sure he was that CWO...
 

GlockPride

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The F-16 is timeless and will always be my favorite fighter. Smaller, faster (at least against an F-18) and still more maneuverable than just about anything made even today. Granted, it couldn't do many of the missions our fighters are designed for today, and can't carry the same payload. However, speaking solely about it's aeronautics, it doesn't get much better.

If you think those are nimble, ought to check out the F-22 with its massive thrust vectoring. :hey3:
 

Duncandl

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Dang I'm old, I remember watching the Blue's flying in the mighty F-4 Phantom at Oceana as a little boy and actually standing in formation outside the Navy Aircrew School Command Barracks returning from Land Survival after a week at Eglin AFB in 1986 as they buzzed the AOCS building introducing Pensacola to the new Blue Angel's.

I've been lucky to have many of my shipmates serve with the Blue Angels over the years, it seems like it was a great career move for the Airframers to cycle out of Oklahoma City down to Pensacola and back.

It's nice to see them finally getting some love with a new airframe, the F/A-18E is a beast compared to the Legacy Hornets and the Blue's flew the oldest "A" models, I believe.

Go Navy!
 

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