SFers? FA-18s on patrol 10/6

[behemoth]

Are the planes painted blue and yellow? That would be the first clue.

Thats what i was thinking.

[B.A.M.]

Thats what i was thinking.

I dont think the blue angels fly f-18's or at least the last time i saw them or mb im wrong.

[TheDuelist]

Yeah, they fly 18's. Old but very well maintained F-18's.

[SCpoloRicker]

Yep, its definately the Blue Angels.

Saw a few good passovers in the "diamond" formation. Quite nifty.

/Steelie got the ball rolling with Aliens
//if you don't have it, buy the Director's Cut right now

[bleachit]

I dont think the blue angels fly f-18's or at least the last time i saw them or mb im wrong.

you must not have seen em in like 19 years. been flying them since 86 according to a quick google.

[Steelrat]

I wonder if they will switch to the F-35 when it comes out?

[bleachit]

at some point in time I am sure they will.

[Steelrat]

at some point in time I am sure they will.

I'm not 100% on it, as the Navy plans on flying the SuperBugs at the same time they fly the 35. The 18 is a better bomb truck than the 35 will be.

[Eagle]

Yeah, they'll probably quietly switch to the super bug at some point down the roadn, when the current planes start to wear out.

[steimway]

EVENTS more events
Fleet Week 2005 (Thu/6-Mon/10)
Angels Ascend Again
The Blue Angels are back, and they're ready to show you what they're made of as they swoop and soar above the City during Fleet Week 2005. The aerial fun begins Thursday with some practice flights, and runs through the weekend. In addition to the usual amazing showstopping stunts by the U.S. Navy's Angels and others, you can grab a seat down at the waterfront Saturday to catch the final stop of the Red Bull Air Race World Series, a seven-event race featuring nine of the best pilots in the world competing in an event that requires skillful flying through strategically placed gates and performing specific stunts over the Bay. The winning pilot will be the one who completes the course in the fastest time. Later on Saturday, meet the men behind the wings of the Blue Angels. And don't miss the parade of Navy ships Saturday, as well as the chance to take a free public tour of these stunning ocean dwellers Sunday and Monday. Let's give these pilots a hearty "welcome back." -- Lisa Zaffarese, SF Gate
Fisherman's Wharf and the Embarcadero, SF; Thu-Mon, check Web site for schedule.


Maybe?

WRONG!
A lady is missing her child on an aircraft in a ploy to get 50 million dollars and a sweet plane. Or is she?

The plane just landed and the air marshall is waiting aboard the plane with the lady for the FBI. Or is he?

AOB- Arabs On Board! They must be terrorists, hellbent on destroying everything that is American, even if it's German, right? Or are they?

BFA- Big Fat American! He doesn't take any ****! Or does he?

Stewardess with big eyes never blinks! Or does she?

The aforementioned lady is crazy and is the cause of multiple outbursts on the plane, including a plane malfunction, yet everyone believes her and gives her a second chance, including the dude who keeps taking her handcuffs off, but nobody suspects a thing! Or do they?

Readers, you've just watched a whole movie in your mind. Care to take a guess at what is happening in SF right now? Or don't you?

[vf-xx]

Heh. The Blue Angels are cool. I grew up near Carswell AFB in Fort Worth. I swear that every time they came to Fort Worth they used my house as a landmark. No kidding. I could step out my back door and look straight up and watch them fly directly over my house, time and time again.

[Eagle]

Try doing a torpedo loadout while they use you pier as a landmark for practice flights.

[SCpoloRicker]

Yeah, they'll probably quietly switch to the super bug at some point down the roadn, when the current planes start to wear out.

Ooh... continue plane talk. Whatcha think of the new planes?

Also; someone mentioned that the Angels planes are relatively old airframes?

[TheDuelist]

My understanding is that they are still flying A models. I'll have to check with a friend who is more "in the know" to confirm it though. I also remember hearing something about it being Fleet Week in the bay area? Can anyone else confirm that?

[Steelrat]

My understanding is that they are still flying A models. I'll have to check with a friend who is more "in the know" to confirm it though. I also remember hearing something about it being Fleet Week in the bay area? Can anyone else confirm that?

I know they're not flying Super Hornets yet, just not sure what version of the original 18 they're in. The "A" model would be lightest and simplist, so probably best for acrobatics.

Who knows if they'll eventually switch to the 35s. The navy plans to keep using the Super Bugs and F-35s at the same time, so I'd think they'd just keep running the Hornets for a while.

As for the Blue Angels, I met one of the crew chiefs a while back, and got a nice look inside a few of the planes. The history and naming of the planes is pretty cool. I'd imagine they use older airframs, as they don't need the extra avionics that have weighed the planes down. The F-16A was the lightest and most manueverable of the whole series.