What’s The Distinction Between These Navy Flying Groups?

The US loves its airshows. Annually, there are between 325 and 350 exhibits throughout the US and Canada, with an estimated 10 to 12 million individuals attending these. One of many main points of interest of many of those exhibits is army show groups just like the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds. Each groups are world-renowned for his or her thrilling aerial shows, extraordinary talent, and razor-sharp precision. At first look, they could appear comparable — each exist primarily to show the capabilities of their respective branches of the army and to encourage and recruit future aviators — however a more in-depth look reveals clear distinctions.

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The first distinction is the army department the groups hail from. The Thunderbirds are the official demonstration squadron for the USA Air Pressure (USAF), and the Blue Angels are the US Navy’s equal. Each groups have wealthy histories stretching again many years. The Blue Angels are the oldest of the 2 groups, having been shaped simply after World Struggle 2 in 1946. The Thunderbirds group was shaped just a few years later in 1953. Since then, each groups have been thrilling crowds within the US and additional afield.

Whereas the first distinction between the 2 is the department of the army they’re related to, it is from being the one distinction. The largest level of distinction could be the kind of planes they fly. The Blue Angels fly the Boeing F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet, whereas the Thunderbirds fly Lockheed Martin F-16 Combating Falcons. This is a crucial distinction, because it has a direct impact on the kind of present that the groups placed on. As a result of the F-16 is quicker attributable to a better thrust-to-weight ratio, the Thunderbirds placed on sooner exhibits. Nonetheless, the Blue Angels group tends to fly in tighter formations. 

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When it comes to aircraft numbers, each groups are comparable. The Blue Angels squadron flies 11 plane: two F/A-18F two-seat jets, and 9 of the show plane — the single-seat F/A-18E Tremendous Hornet – though solely six are utilized in demonstration flights. The Thunderbirds use 12 F-16s: three two-seaters, and 9 single-seat show plane, of which three are reserve plane and 6 are utilized in shows. 

The primary squadron to take to the air was the Blue Angels, who shaped in 1946 on the behest of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz, and made its first public efficiency at an airshow in Omaha in July of that 12 months. The primary aircraft to have the respect of being a Blue Angel was the Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat.  The Blue Angels’ title was additionally debuted on the identical present, and was steered by a pilot after studying a New York Journal article that talked about the title. Squadron Commander Roy “Butch” Voris cherished the thought and exclaimed, “That sounds nice, the Blue Angels, navy, blue, and flying!” 

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The present squadron consists of 16 officers, and every year the group sometimes recruits three fighter pilots, one C-130 pilot, and two help officers to exchange departing officers. There’s additionally a code that determines the place a pilot flies within the Blue Angels construction. Taking the primary slot is the squadron chief. To get chosen on this position, a pilot will need to have a minimal of three,000 jet fighter flying hours and will need to have been a naval squadron commander. The quantity two slot is often stuffed by a US Marine Corps pilot, with the rest of the positions (three to seven) stuffed by naval pilots. Every pilot will need to have not less than 1,350 hours flying jet fighters. 

The Thunderbirds have been shaped on June 1, 1953, when the 3600th Air Demonstration group was formally shaped. The primary “Thunderbird” was the appropriately named F-84G Thunderjet, a fighter/bomber that performed a job within the Korean Struggle. The squadron first thundered into motion shortly afterwards on June 16, 1953, at Williams Air Pressure Base in Arizona. Since then, the squadron has flown a collection of different jets, together with the F-4E Phantom and the T-38 Talon, earlier than transitioning to the extraordinary F-16 fighter and in the end switching to the F-16C in 1992, the aircraft they fly to today. 

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A novel level concerning the Thunderbirds show is the group chief’s name to motion. Because the planes put together for takeoff, the flight chief transmits the phrases, “Thunderbirds, let’s run ’em up.” This goes out to the opposite pilots, but in addition over the PA system of the airshow. 

In personnel phrases, the enterprise finish of the squadron consists of eight pilots (six of whom are demonstration pilots) and 4 help officers. The squadron chief is the primary pilot, with the remaining pilots designated one to eight. Every pilot additionally makes use of the callsign “Thunderbird.” All pilots will need to have a minimal of 1,000 hours of flying time and have to be a present F-16 pilot.