Navy Blue Angels Vs. Thunderbirds: Who Is Better? 

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My first thought on seeing the Thunderbirds was - white is not a good colour for a display aircraft for obvious reasons.

Seeing the flash coming off the visor of a blue’s pilot, giving a thumbs up while he’s inverted is awesome. The Pensacola Beach air show can’t be beat.

Being a PJ stationed at Nellis I got to watch the T-birds and the BA's go back to back a few times. I give the nod to the BA's.

To me, it's like comparing deep-dish vs NY style pizza. They're two different things; neither is better. They're both demonstrations of sheer excellence.

The mostly unnecessary ground show that the T-Birds do can only be seen 1% of the audience in the front row. The rest of the audience can hear the F-16's start up, and are wondering why it is taking soooo long for the show to start. The Blue Angels start up, go through a couple checks, blow smoke, and are up in the air in a couple more minutes. Win!

All I’m going to say is, you saw the Thunderbirds doing quite a lot during Covid. The Blue Angels did not, as they could not maintain 6’ of social distance between them. 😁

The Blues do have a ground show too. I've seen them a few times march to the plane in formation. Canopies all close in unison. Spool up and ground checks. Even the crew that removes the chocks are moving together. You also left out the beloved "Fat Albert". Seeing a C-130 with rockets to assist in short runway take offs (JATO) is impressive to say the least.

This should be interesting. I like them both. However, I'd like to see both teams compete against each other in an aerial dogfight, flying vintage World War 1 airplanes, painted with their respective colors and designs. Now that would be awesome to see!

As a retired KC-135 & KC-10 Boom Operator, i have to say, thank you for giving props to your crew chiefs. For the things they do to keep the missions going, i too want to say thank you to all of my crew chiefs, from the Lead, all the way down to the "Third Wipe." Great video without being too bias.

could watch the Blues and Thunderbirds everyday if possible.

Back in the late Jurassic, I saw the Blues and the Thunderbirds fly in the same airshow, one after another. Both teams were flying the F-4 and it was great stuff.

I took my son to see an airshow a few weeks ago and we saw the thunderbirds there. They made him cry with one of their sneak passes, but he loved them and has done “air shows” with all his toy planes every day since. The blue angels were performing at the first air show I ever went too, and they’re what sparked my interest in flying. I can not choose lol

Spent 5 years in El Centro ca growing up every January and February we got 10 weeks of the angels airshow it was cool as a kid on recess watching them fly

I've seen both and I thoroughly enjoyed both. Both teams are a credit to their services and our nation!

I've seen the Blue Angels 4 or 5 times and the Thunderbirds 2 times. I like the Blue Angels more, but my all time favorite show was a Thunderbirds show. It was a cold cloudy day so there was mostly only base personnel and their families. It wasn't crowded. And watching the planes appear out of the clouds suddenly was breathtaking.

My father was a huge fan of the F4E Thunderbirds, since he had maintained similar versions while serving in the USAF during the 70s. But the best show is the one put on by the Blue Angels in Seattle over Lake Washington. Flying at altitudes lower than the tallest buildings in Seattle has always been a site to behold. Nothing says Seafair and the Hydro races more than when the "Blues" come to town. You forgot to mention, the "blues" also get a +1 for using the "Fat Albert" C130 as part of the demonstrations.

I've seen the Thunderbirds going back to when they were flying the F-4's, then moved on to the T-38's and now the F-16's. I'm hoping that sometime soon in my life, I'll see them move to the F-15 for their shows. Because I've seen them growing up all my life, and I served in the USAF, I have to go with loyalty here. I have seen the Blue Angels a few times, but there's just something about the Thunderbirds and their history with me.

First time I saw the Thunderbirds I had already watched the Blue Angles at least 4 previous times. I remember thinking, Man... these guys are better!

You having to give 2 Points at the end says it all. I barely see people pay attention during the ground show. I've seen both, and the BAs just make you feel different, it feels like.magic

Being a former Marine I'm partial to the Blue Angels. And landing on Aircraft Carriers is insane. But I will say that both the Air Force and Navy/Marine Corps have some awesome pilots. Go Navy!!!

What is awesome is to get to see them both. We had the good fortune in 2021 to have both come to the Kansas City Airshow that took place about a mile from my house. They started flying over for practice on Thursday before the weekend show. It was amazing!!!

I have seen both teams a total of 11 times with my son and I love them both. They do a great job of showcasing Air Force and Naval aviation for the next generation. Those 11 airshows (and family lineage of military service) are why my son is considering flying for the military after he graduates from college this December. I'd say they have achieved their objective, Ryan.

BLUE ANGELS win hands down for me. I love them so much!!! 💙💛✈

Max!!! The fact you were an F15 Eagle pilot is an automatic 120% pure American badass! That beautiful aircraft will always be my favorite.

Got to see both teams at one airshow a couple years ago. Both are amazing to watch. I'm going to have to give the nod to the angels though. They had just switched to the super hornet that year which made for a lot louder, more in your face show. They also performed a longer show. That's not to say the thunderbirds held anything back. They were awesome to watch. Great video. Thanks

The Thunderbirds are better performers than the Blue Angels in my opinion, I got to see the Thunderbirds for my 1st time in person and they are so beautiful, amazing, and majestic

Dam that has to be a helluva transition from balls to the wall to Sunday sightseeing flying. Appreciate your service.

For me it starts with the vessel. The Viper has this more "bity" smell. I like it more than the Hornet. The Viper looks like a street fighter, the Hornet like a wall street dude.

I got to see both in '03 in Dayton within hours of each other. It comes down to what you like. The viper is faster, better thrust to weight and makes tighter turns. The hornet has better low speed handling and their closeness is impressive. I prefer the faster, ripping style of the Thunderbirds. But, this is definitely a matter of taste. Both teams are AMAZING and I am so proud of them for their service to this great country!

Love the channel. Thanks for giving a shoutout to the crewdawgs. Being USAF veteran, specifically aircraft maintenance and with the 'birds including the ground crew in the show, I gotta give the nod to the home team.

I like Thunderbirds more because of the ground routine with maintenance crew. As a former SF, my team have our own ritual rin every mission. We pat our armorer's back and thank him for maintaining our gears right before we departure. We survived Both Iraq and Afghanistan thanks to people that maintenance our gears well. Great vid, thanks.

As a kid, the first team I ever saw was the Thunderbirds at the Reading airshow sometime around 1983. I was blown away. I hadn't even heard of the Blue Angels until a couple of years later. Because the Thunderbirds were the first team I ever saw, for you other flight instructors out there, that law of primacy kicks in and they will always be my favorite. But I love both shows and anytime I can see either, I will.

Awesome video man! Great stuff!

I've always been an fa 18 hornet fan, and loved blue and yellow paint scheme. I've seen way more Blue Angel shows than Thunderbird shows but I've never been as impressed with the Thunderbird shows. I feel like the overall show the Blue Angels produce is more synchronized and times better for the crowd. The one Thunderbird show I went to seem short and multiple times we wondered if the show was over because there was a long gap of absence from even the solo jets. I do say the Thunderbirds have a few unique maneuvers that are pretty cool.

Remember the F18 is the plane the Air Force rejected they chose the F16 the Navy gets the Air Force scraps!👍🏼🤯🔫

It’s a tie…saw both teams at Dover AFB this year and my unit hosted both for the AC Airshow in 2005. Each has its own identify that reflects the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. Would love to see the echelon pass in review with all 6 jets. Such a beautiful formation and picture worthy!!

Found you today! Great stuff! Loved this breakdown and the breakdown of Growling Sidewinder's F-22 v SU-34! Can't wait to see more.

As a former USAF crew chief, I have to give it up to the Thunderbirds, because they show their maintainers some love.

I remember in elementary school in 1979 in Middletown, OH, which is south of Dayton, OH. Sometimes when we went out to the play yard, we would see the Thunderbirds practicing maneuvers for the upcoming Dayton airshow. One of them flew low and slow banking around the school. He then started doing maneuvers over us. I still remember my friend falling off the swing when he did a fast pass, lol. I don't know if he really saw us, but it seemed like he did.

Definitely going to see both!!! 🎉

Growing up as a military dependant my Father was a Marine in Vietnam and then after Nam he got out for 1 year then decided that civilian life wasn't for him and he joined the Air Force. When I graduated high school I joined the Marine Corps and earned my EGA with that being said having seen both perform many times during my lifetime, The Blues have never once failed to impress me and you failed to mention that the Blues also have a BIG ole New C-130J Fat Albert that puts on one hell of a show and my Boys the Blue Angels do it all without a G Suit !!! The best show I have ever seen was when I was a youngin, They had all the Major Air Forces display teams flying that weekend, Blues Angels,Thunderbirds, Snowbirds, Frecce TriColori, Red Arrows and I got to sit in my favorite aircraft of all time a Blue Angel F-4 Phantom. The best modern day show I have seen is San Francisco Fleet Week the Blue Angels put on one hell of a show.

Great video Max Afterburner! Point Mugu just had an amazing airshow in March of 2023 with both demo teams! I have a 4K video of it, and others do as well.

My first air show was in the early 80's and it was the Thunderbirds but flying T-38s at the time. I was hooked. Then I saw them the following show when the transitioned to the F-16 which was an amazing sight. Subsequent years they would eventually alternate between the Angels and the Birds. I hold the highest respect to both team dedication and skills and am fascinated still every time I am blessed to watch them preform. All shows that I've seen have been at MacDill AFB in Tampa or the Sun n Fun Lakeland FL. The Thunder Birds are my "Home Team" since they were my first exposure and because Tampa used to be home to an F-16 fighter wing after the F-4 Phantoms became obsolete. I do however jump at the opportunity to see either team perform.

Thunderbirds are good , but the Blue Angels are incredible. Closer flying formations and harder maneuvers, better looking Jets

Nice Vid

Love to see them both whenever I get the opportunity, and have great respect for your skills and outlook. But, closeness really matters in the demonstration of precision flying. I have to give the edge to the Blues. Plus I know it's back to the fleet for these guys after their tour, to once again sortie off and the ship, sometimes at night and in foul weather. There is no higher test of operational skill in aviation than carrier ops.

Just seen you guys at new century airport KS awesome show !!

A former commander of the Blue Angels is a family friend, always fun to hear the stories he talks about during his time with them. Really fun to see your perspective from the Thunderbirds side!

It was great seeing them both in Gardner KS last year.

Thunder birds look cooler but I think the stunts and formation of the blue angels are better

They both fly together sometimes and I think there the best ones out there

As I said the very first video I ever watched of Thunderbirds was of a Ground show I fell in love right away & watched many airshow videos of Blue Angels & Thunderbirds. I also watched alot of documentaries about the teams & I cannot choose one over the other. All I can say is the work these teams do has to be lauded much more because its much much worth watching an aircraft performing an airshow than having to use it to drop bombs on humanity. 😊

Picking which is better is like asking which child you love more. 😅😅

Man, REALLY nice capture of Blue Angel 1 unloading the jet before rolling!!

25-year AF F-16 guy here. One of my coolest experiences is when I was around 7, my dad (an F-100 pilot in Vietnam) drove the family down to D-M from Phoenix to an air show where both the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds were performing in F-4s. I couldn't pick one being better than the other, but it was loud. Eight J-79s on afterburner roaring down the runway was amazing. I think that was the only era when the BA and T-birds flew the same MDS.

Thank you for your awesome videos and more importantly your service. Does being an air show pilot make you a better combat pilot?

I saw BOTH on the same day at El centro for spring training. I honestly couldnt decide which one i liked more. One of the best days of my life.

I always enjoyed watching the the rearming demonstrations when we went to the airshow, particularly the A-10 such a variety off payload configurations and of course the cannon

Nice video! It would be cool to have your take on the Red Arrows!

I saw them both at the same show at Dover AFB back in May and they both put on a great show. I have no preference, I love them both!

Loved being stationed at Nellis for the demo team confab at the end of the show season. Both performed and included the Golden Knights. One year, the Snowbirds were in town.

As an Air Force member I’ve never liked that the Navy has their own pilots. We need to conquer them lol

My uncle was a mech with the Blues when they flew F-11s in the 60s. Hooked my heart into Naval Aviation. When I was in flight school at P'cola, Tuesday was Blues practice day (they were in A-4s at the time) and that helped me focus on my goal to become a Naval Aviator. Too bad you didn't mention the C130 part of the Blues show. To me, that significantly ties in the support teams. But, in any case, both are exceptional.

Saw them both at Point Mugu over the weekend, which was my first military airshow. I got too spoiled, because now I don’t want to go to a show where either one is missing 🤣 need them both everywhere I go!

Wow! You guys fly so tight! GeezZ!

Thank you I never knew the difference between the two aerobatic teams 👍

😂”Is a frogs but watertight?” Idk man but for whatever reason, that little comment had me dying!😂😂

They have both performed locally over the years. The area has a lot of water and surrounding hills -- the Blue Angels seem to tailor their show for the geography while the Thunderbirds seem to run more of a set piece. We had the local regular suspects whine about noise and the next year, the T-birds definitely throttled back. The next year, the Blue Angels made no concessions and stated that it wasn't noise, "It's the sound of freedom". Honestly, the Angels paint scheme works better for me. With an overcast day, the T-birds are hard to pick out against the clouds whereas the darker Navy scheme still pops.

Hell yeah ADD concept of operation you such a nut I love it

Growing up in Seattle I got to see the Blue Angels every summer. Just an unbelievable show and 100% the reason I am so obsessed with jets today

Love both. Loved the pandemic flyovers. Got to see the armada arriving into the area and it was really cool seeing that many planes all at once including the tankers.

Both teams are flat out amazing. Sometimes the location of where they fly can make a difference. I get the chance to see the BA's out here in San Francisco's Fleet Week every year. There's just something about seeing them fly over Alcatraz, Angel Island, The Golden Gate Bridge that's just a bit special. I do love the TBirds pre-flight show. I didn't know they did that when I saw them a few years back, so I wasn't in the right spot to photograph them adequately. My favorite team to watch? To quote a famous taco shell commercial... why not both? :D

The Thunderbird shows I’ve been to have all originated off-site so I’ve never seen their ground show. Might be worth checking out when they come to town for Labor Day weekend. I love watching both and both are awesome headliners but I’m a Blue Angel fanboy. 🤩

Thank you for all the great content, realy enjoy all of you ensights. I have noticed from time to time your models of Thunderbirds and Blue Angels. Can you tell me where to find them. I have seen online different ones on different sites but they really don't have the detail that I am looking for. Thank you and I look forward to more of yor content.

So glad to of seen both. My dad is retired F-16 mechanic. So we saw the air shows in AZ alot.

Great video, love your page! Have you ever seen Frecce Tricolori, and how do they compare?

Hahaha you are the cutest 😂 Love you so much

I love would love to see your opinion on the Royal Canadian Snow Birds

Hoping to see the Blue Angels in Lincoln, Nebraska this August! Even though I have liked the Blue Angels more most of my life, I now think that the Thunderbirds color scheme looks cooler. I also never really watched the ground shows as a kid, I will now

Since I am an Air Force dependent, I love the Thunderbirds. They are performing this weekend at Rickenbacker (Columbus) Ohio. I live two miles from Rickenbacker.

The blue angels did a ground show when I was in. It was precision as well.

Viper Crew Chief from 86 to 91. We were right next door to you guys! I was with the 64th Aggressors when we first went to F16s from the F5. Your hanger was always amazing! We love you guys so much! I remember the Blue Angels came to Nellis and parked across from the T-birds and then later in the day we got to see both shows! Talk about a great day! :)

Yo! You a funny dude! You are like the Ace Ventura of jet 🛩 fighter pilots! LOL!

I personally lean towards the Tbirds. But I do like that the Angles give you the C130 demo as well. I just like them both. But on a side note. I am amateur aviation photographer that like to post on flightaware. I have pics of the tbirds i would like to post. But where do you find the tail numbers of the vipers? I like to get all my tags right.

I see....you are very clever...2 points for the last category. Great job!

Great job, I’m going 2 be volunteering for the KCKS show featuring the USAF ThunderBirds next week, gonna drive 2hrs to get there from “Lil Apple Manhattan KS” just finished rewatching TopGun Mav…wow, the Viper is my fav, but the Blues are no joke…peace

I just saw the Thunderbirds in Atlantic City this past Wednesday August 24th & they were awesome

I have seen both and i really couldn't pick which one is better. I love both.

When the Thunderbirds fly without g suits....we'll talk.

Still waiting on a video that explains cockpit comms and the cadence of the boss calling the show. Those bosses sound like robots and frat boys all at once. Interesting technique.

When I was a kid I saw the Angels at Luke AFB. It was the last tour where they flew the A-4.

Just being around the town when blue angels practice over jax Beach FL is such a treat ❤ Those dudes are beyond talented

If i ever have the chance to to visit the USA - Man, the Thunderbirds AND the Angels have to be on my List...Awsome Content..

Just saw the Thunderbirds over the weekend and they are amazing. But you mentioned incorporating the maintainers. Depending on the show, the Blue Angels fly with their support plane Fat Albert and that's a sight to see.

Both are badass!

All the elements the Blue Angels, and Thunder Birds combine. Are amazing. How ever I think you should review the Red Arrows The Tornado part of the show I’ve seen nothing else like it. And it doesn’t stop there. Look um up. Mind blowing!! 👍👍

Thanks, Ryan! Today Sept.1st 2022 here in Cleveland, Ohio we have the Blue Angles in town. They are at Burke lakefront airport and flying the super hornet for the 1st time. So cool!!

I've seen you both, and loved both, but remember the F18 is built to go slow, and the F16 doesn't really like slow, so I'm sure the Blue Angels are more comfortable with getting closer, because they don't have to worry about their jet moving around as much Edit: I guess I should of watched the video first, you explained all this lol

I love watching both teams. Amazing flying. One thing I’d change on the thunderbirds paint scheme is to put the jet number on the tail like the blue angels do. It makes it exciting to see which jet is doing what.