Just saw the Blue Angels. Ask me anything.

[trof]

They laid on a special practice session for our group, the Ancient Aviators of South Alabama.
We sat in bleachers on the ramp while they put on a helluva show for a little over an hour.
Reminded me of the good old days when I was hootin' around in my F-84.
What a rush.

[GOPisEvil]

1. Wow! Special treatment!

I remember watching the T-birds or Blue Angels (which ever group was at the Randolph AFB Air show that year). My folks' house was so close to the base, we could watch them re-form over the house. We couldn't see the low-altitude tricks, but we could see most everything, and we weren't paying through the nose for a coke or fighting crowds.

[trof]

2. More about Ancient Aviators.

One of the best clubs/groups/whatever-it-is I've ever belonged to.
No rules, no dues, no officers, no commitees.
Just a bunch of old fart pilots who gather at our little local airport to swap stories or listen to a speaker (about something aviation related) on the first Tuesday Morning of every month.

One of the founders, kind of our MC at each meeting, is a retired Marine Colonel. He and some of the Navy guys have a lot of pull at Pensacola NAS, Home of the Blues.

It was a fantastic morning.

[TheMightyFavog]

3. Now this poses the question....

In an all out dogfight, who would win, The USAF Thunderbirds, or the Blue Angels?......

[trof]

4. T-Birds

I have to say that.

[Mistress Quickly]

5. Thunderbirds!!!!! eom

[GOPisEvil]

6. Would you want to be in a -16 or an -18?

I'll take the -16, thanks. T-birds.

[noonwitch]

7. Do they allow women in those groups yet?

My sister bugged the recruiter at career day, telling him she wanted to be a Thunderbird. He told her no, there are no female Thunderbirds. She said, well I'm going to be the first!

He knew she was just goofing, or he probably would have tried to encourage her more to enlist and be a pilot, because they still needed pilots.

[trof]

8. I don't think they can't.

If that makes sense.
If she's good enough, I don't think they can keep her out.
Probably be great PR.

[commander bunnypants]

9. wont ask a thing except call you pretty damn lucky

DDQM

[arwalden]

10. Aren't They Cool??

I lived a few miles from Langley Air Force Base and when the Thunderbirds were in town, our neighborhood would always rattle from the low-low fly-by's. Sometimes you could smell the exhaust fumes (or was it my imagination?)

Back then, I thought it was neat to see them so close to our neighborhood... today, it would make me nervous. Even now, the commercial aircraft that makes LOW nighttime approaches to DCA freak me out.

-- Allen

When's the next Ask-The-Pilot thread going to be?

[ronnykmarshall]

11. Fleet week in SF

Not only was the Castro packed with some hot lookin' sailor boys but the Blue Angles would buzz the bay.

They are so impressive.

[arwalden]

12. Bay Days In Norfolk/Va Beach/Portsmouth was much of the same...

ah... I recall meeting some Russian sailors. Very handsome men.

-- Allen

[trof]

13. Kind of a funny:

Special treat, so most of us brought our wives.
Just before the Blues started engines (about 30 feet away) I handed Miz t. a pair of foam earplugs and put in my own.
She: "Oh, did they tell you to bring these?"
Me: "No, I just thought of it all by myself."

I've never been on a flightline without 'em, which is why I can still hear well and a lot of my buddies who pooh-poohed me are deaf as posts.