Blue Angels Super Hornets In 2008 — Military Forum

Sponsor Message:


My Starred Topics \| Profile \| New Topic \| Forum Index \| Help \| Search

Blue Angels Super Hornets In 2008

EBJ1248650 From United States, joined Jun 2005, 1515 posts, RR: 2
Posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 2133 times:

Support Airliners.net - become a First Class Member!

A while back, there was a thread in which someone commented that the Blue Angels were supposed to transition to the F/A-18 Super Hornet (E?, F?) in 2008, or shortly there after. The team ought to be close to ending their show season for this year and beginning their training season, if they haven't begun already. Has anyone heard whether the team will transition now or will transition at the end of 2008? Is there any definite word whether they'll make that transition at all?

14 replies: All unread, jump to last

EBJ1248650 From United States, joined Jun 2005, 1515 posts, RR: 2
Reply 1, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 16 hours ago) and read 2135 times:

Note: the most recent past thread on this subject was in 2006.

KevinSmith From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 2, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 9 hours ago) and read 2042 times:

Quoting EBJ1248650 (Thread starter):
The team ought to be close to ending their show season for this year and beginning their training season, if they haven't begun already.

They got about a month and a half left in the show season. I've seen no signs of a transition for next year. In fact I've seen the opposite.

Erj-145mech From United States, joined Oct 2001, 306 posts, RR: 1
Reply 3, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 2016 times:

The Navy does not have the funds to purchase the latest and greatest for a demonstration team. The Super Hornets are going to the fleet squadrons.

The Blues need the older and lighter versions to perform the maneuvers in the act.

EBJ1248650 From United States, joined Jun 2005, 1515 posts, RR: 2
Reply 4, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 2005 times:

Quoting KevinSmith (Reply 2):
I've seen no signs of a transition for next year. In fact I've seen the opposite.

Elaborate, please?

KevinSmith From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 5, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 4 days ago) and read 1882 times:

Quoting EBJ1248650 (Reply 4):
Elaborate, please?

I saw them towing a jet that they were going to "convert" into a Blue Angel. It was a C model.

Quoting Erj-145mech (Reply 3):
The Blues need the older and lighter versions to perform the maneuvers in the act.

They should try and get some F/A-18A+ models

EBJ1248650 From United States, joined Jun 2005, 1515 posts, RR: 2
Reply 6, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 1732 times:

Quoting KevinSmith (Reply 5):
I saw them towing a jet that they were going to "convert" into a Blue Angel. It was a C model.

Will the team be using C/D models for the next season? Last I'd heard they're still operating A/B models.

DeltaGuy From United States, joined Sep 2001, 4172 posts, RR: 29
Reply 7, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 1711 times:

They'll get C/D models before they get Supers, that's a promise.

DeltaGuy

"The cockpit, what is it?" "It's the little room in the front of the plane where the pilot sits, but that's not importan

Eksath From United States, joined Aug 2004, 775 posts, RR: 28
Reply 8, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 3 days 3 hours ago) and read 1689 times:

Here is their latest addition (to replace the lost # 6 a few months ago). It is an "A" version.

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Suresh A. Atapattu

World Wide Aerospace Photography

EBJ1248650 From United States, joined Jun 2005, 1515 posts, RR: 2
Reply 9, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 1480 times:

Quoting KevinSmith (Reply 5):
They should try and get some F/A-18A+ models

How would these be an improvement over the standard A models the team is flying now? More powerful engines?

Ptrjong From Netherlands, joined Mar 2005, 3009 posts, RR: 22
Reply 10, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 1474 times:

How would any newer F/A-18 version be an improvement for the Blue Angels' job?

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Simon Thomas

View Large View Medium
Click here for bigger photo!

Photo © Peter de Jong

These are perfectly adequate stirthepot

Peter

The only difference between me and a madman is that I am not mad (Salvador Dali)

KevinSmith From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 11, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 1 day 1 hour ago) and read 1438 times:

Quoting EBJ1248650 (Reply 6):
Will the team be using C/D models for the next season

Quoting EBJ1248650 (Reply 9):
How would these be an improvement over the standard A models the team is flying now? More powerful engines?

I was mistaking. I the A model I thought I saw was an C model. Either way it was definitely not an Super Hornet. I was under the impression that the team was flying C models. To answer your question, now that I know they are flying A models, A+ models really wouldn't do anything for them.

Flynavy From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 12, posted (2 years 1 month 2 weeks 21 hours ago) and read 1407 times:

Quoting EBJ1248650 (Reply 9):
How would these be an improvement over the standard A models the team is flying now? More powerful engines?

The F/A-18A+ modifications are avionics-related and not related to the powerplants.

EMBQA From United States, joined Oct 2003, 8371 posts, RR: 18
Reply 13, posted (2 years 1 month 1 week 6 days 9 hours ago) and read 1302 times:

The team is not going to Super Hornets anytime soon. The aircraft they fly are some of the oldest in the fleet and destine for retirement after their time with the team. We will see the Blues flying the Super Hornet in about 10/15 years...... keep in mind, the DoD is not going to pull brand new, multi million dollars jets out of the fleet for the Blue Angels when active Units are still waiting for theirs.

[Edited 2007-09-29 14:27:35]

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog"

EBJ1248650 From United States, joined Jun 2005, 1515 posts, RR: 2
Reply 14, posted (2 years 1 month 1 week 5 days 23 hours ago) and read 1249 times:

Quoting EMBQA (Reply 13):
keep in mind, the DoD is not going to pull brand new, multi million dollars jets out of the fleet for the Blue Angels when active Units are still waiting for theirs.

True enough but they could get pilot production airplanes; among the first Super Hornets off the production line. Wasn't that the case with the first Hornets the Blues got? And weren't the Blue Angels F-4Js from the first production batch, complete with the same J79s used in the F-4B instead of the more powerful version used in full production models?