Well... this blew up! Thanks so much everyone for watching! It'll take me a while to get all caught up here but suffice to say I already have at least one excellent lead on getting the footage. Stay tuned!
Major FYI regarding Tail Hooks landing Aircrafts: All current Aircrafts can land in the postage courts. CAN 😢🎉 ON CARRIERS & LAUNCH! This is do to a standard emergency tail hook designed into the plans! This exists for combat over open wate. See photos Note I can't confirm the F22, and the. F35 non-virtucal 😅capability. I these cases the arresting nets are also used while non-regisered/quaified but
First female Blue Angel jet pilot...so awesome. I know her from high school where she played varsity hockey with my daughter. Read on her bio that she has 200+ carrier landings...must have seen combat action at some point.
I was On the HST CVN75 working in the BOW catapults when this Blue angel landed on deck. They got him out of the LA ( Landing area) and taxied him to Cat one where my topside crew for CAT 1 was waiting to get him hooked up to the cat. Then with in 4 seconds he was back in the air. HST was my best command i was ever assigned to. GO NAVY
FYI, I'm a retired Navy CWO4. My last duty station was Fighter Squadron 142 aboard USS IKE. You asked about a video of Blue Angel on landing on USS HST. ALL landings and take offs aboard a bird farm are video taped. There's a fixed "PLAT" camera imbedded in the flight deck landing area center line forward of the AG wires. There is also a manned TV studio type "PLAT" camera located on the flight deck side of the island structure on the same level as the Flag Bridge. If that video still exists you need to contact OP Division of the Operations Department of HST. OP Division is the Photo Lab. If they don't have it they can tell you where it's archived. Getting permission? If the ship is at sea all you need is the Skipper's permission. Aircraft age on landings is not really relevant. The Tomcat was 32 when it was retired, the Phantom II was over 20, the Skyhawk was over 20, the Corsair II was over 25. It's a matter of maintenance and condition of the air frame. Carrier Landing Training, known as Field Carrier Landing Practice or FCLP, is seldom conducted at an active Naval Air Station. The "Bugs" (Hornets) at Oceana in Virginia Beach shoot FCLPs at Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress about 10 miles SSW of NAS Oceana. The arrested landing equipment at active Naval Air Stations is NEVER used for training, but is for emergencies only. I'm actually not sure of the parameters but it's something like requalification is required if it's been over 30 days since your last trap on a birdfarm.
When he touches on aircraft age, he means the relative age of the aircraft compared to other aircraft of the same type. The Super Hornets that the Blue Angles transfered onto were close to retirement, being replaced with F-35 and new block F-18. They do get an overhaul, but they pretty much fly their aircraft until the wings fall off and just get a new aircraft rotated in.
Lucky! I was supposed to see them practice last year but it rained and they couldn't get the conditions they needed. I only saw them in a tight trail formation behind a police car on the interstate.
Those fly overs are great! I used to live near the airport in Redding California, and all the teams would come over us for practice and the show. Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Snow Birds.
Many years ago as a Naval officer I was attending Intelligence School at an Air Force base. The AF members of my class grudgingly admitted that Navy pilots were pretty bad**s because of their ability to land on carriers. Go Navy!
This is the first time I have heard about this. I am a retired USAF aircraft avionics technician. Love the Thunderbirds, but I relish the Blues. Thank you for posting this video. I think it's worth the search.
Glad you enjoyed - thanks for watching, and for your service! It’s a fascinating little curiosity in history for sure. Hopefully someone with more info on it sees this 😅
Hey, me too! Retired AF, prior avionics crafstman (on the flightline, not backshop) on F-15C/D models. I've long preferred the Blue Angels to the Thunderchickens.
I believe one of the modifications to a blue angels jet is an additional fuel pump because a standard f/a-18 can only fly inverted for 48 seconds before an engine stall and the blue angels jet with the extra fuel pump can do it till the pilot passes out. I definitely could be wrong on this but I am fairly confident it is true
It is true that they have an added fuel pump. It doesn’t give them unlimited time though. The 48 second figure you gave is closer to the fuel pump number. A standard F-18 actually has much less sustained inverted time.
Former naval aircrewman here, 1996-2003, flew P-3 Orions out of NAS Jax. I was in the Navy when this happened and even then it wasn't talked about much. I saw a pic of #1 getting ready to launch and that was it. Always thought it was a cool idea and thing to do, all 6 birds trapping on a carrier and getting a photo op on the deck seems like a no brainer, maybe someday.
Right? Seems like a no brainer. And why they didn’t make a bigger deal out of it when it did happen is beyond me. I don’t know if they could pull it off today with the age of the Rhinos they’re flying. Thanks for watching and for your service!
I read all of the comments (154 at the time), but no one mentioned anything about carrier availability. There isn't always a carrier off either coast conducting flight ops. It was a very fortunate coincidence that the Truman was available.
My Father retired a Blue Angel F-4 ADJ, Sherman Field, NAS Pensacola, 1974. I joined the USMC in 78 delayed entry, Escambia HS. That picture you see of me there, is in that same hanger in 1999, when I worked there for Burnside Ott United Nuclear Corp. That is the uniform. Semper Fi ! Oorah !
Last night (6/15/24) I watched a documentary on Amazon Prime about the Blue Angels … very much worth the time to watch!!! A big THANK YOU to all service members for the USA Military!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I am a plank owner of the Truman and was one of the crew operating the catapult when this happened. I took several photos from my perspective on the catapult while the jet was being hooked up for launch.
If you post an email address I will send the pictures I have to you. The one picture you showed in the video of the jet on the catapult looks like one of the pictures I took which I have shared on facebook several times.
Awesome! Yeah I just found all the photos I could that were publicly available. There aren't many! And they aren't in very high resolution. Would love to see more - I'll definitely be doing a followup as I now have a lead on the video as well. aerospacehorizonschannel@gmail.com thanks for watching and your service!
I was a boomer on the KC-135 and back in 2010 we dragged the Blue Angels team from Washington State to Alaska for an air show. Got some pictures of it. Was a lot of fun! Navy/Marine Corps airplanes refuel off our boom using a drogue, or “Iron Maiden”as we call it. It’s a basket that dangles from the tip of the boom and it can be a challenge for the pilots to connect. One Blue Angel even struggled with it. Haha they’re only human!
I see the word ‘boomer’ + Navy and I’m thinking about something else. It goes underwater and shoots off nuclear booms. I got a tour once 32 years ago. I saw lots of booms.
@@aerospacehorizonsthank you! Also even though I did 24 years Air Force, I grew up a Navy brat. Back in the mid-80’s my family was stationed at El Toro Marine base (BRAC’d a long time ago) and I remember seeing the BA’s flying over out house practicing for the upcoming air shows (which I always loved going to). Anyways this was about 1986 or 7 and I’m thinking the F-18’s they were flying must have almost been brand new? I believe it was A-7’s they used before the Hornet?
As a 65 year old Pensacola resident whos dad worked at NAS Pensacola NARF, I have attended Blue Angel air shows sense as was old enough to walk. FIrst air I saw was the F11F then moving onto the A4 , F4J, back to the A4 and now the F18.
I saw the Blue Angels in 1969. My dad was assigned to their security team at NAS Albany Ga. ( formerly Turner Air Base SAC.) The night before the show they came to our house for supper. I had an autographed photo I kept for yrs until it was destroyed in a house fire.
I checked into my first squadron while they were out on Harry S Truman in 1998, missed thay trip by a week. I was also on Truman during that air demo at sea in 2020. Seas were a bit rough but the Blue Angels didn't disappoint!
I attended AAIWSM school in Pensacola. The Blue Angels buzzed our house, everyday. A couple years later, I had a chance to ride on 'Fat Albert'....❤❤❤❤
Great video and story! BUT...the F-4s flew the best show! The Skyhawk and Hornets are mind-boggling, but for pure brain-busting ear-ringing POWER the Phantom was phantastic!
My 14yo son wants to fly with the Blue Angels. Would be the first pilot in the family. My dad was avionics in the Navy, his dad was 1st Amored Division, and my cousin went airborne/air assault.
At TOPGUN when it was at Miramar, I worked with Boss George Dom and another Blue Angel before they joined the Blues. George's callsign was "Elwood," and Marine Major, Pat Cooke's, was "Kato."
Stumbled across this channel - great video - have subscribed. The photo of the F-18 landing is made so much better with the two F-14s in the background!
Retired Navy Captain here. Worked for CNET 98 -02. CNET owns the Blue Angels. My understanding is that the Blues’ aircraft are the oldest in the inventory. Well maintained for sure but aircraft are no longer certified for carrier landings.
@@foxstrangler yep. After the planes are no longer certified for carrier use, they go to the Marines. When the Marines are done with them, they go into the pool of planes used by the Blues.
When Snort made his famous knife edge carrier pass, he claims he told the photographer to make x# of copies and destroy the negative. Things were different back then.
@aerospacehorizons just stumbled onto a Swordsman Tomcat with his name on it in Elmira NY while on vacation. It's in bad shape. It would be perfect for a restoration through interest from the community considering his untimely passing. Maybe even a display explaining his idea to use laser guided bombs (Bombcat)
I was a BT-3 on the USS Albany CG 10 Gieta Italy. 77-80 She was the Flag of the Sixth Fleet. We were doing Ops off the coast with the CVN America and the Saratoga. It's amazing to watch and be a part of. I kick myself for not doing 20! Very cool story, love Naval history 7 relatives including my Dad were all Navy.
Grandpa was on the Saratoga. I know they were in Naples twice. During the stop in Pearl Harbor my Mom got pregnant with me. She was born in San Diego, my aunt in Jacksonville and other aunt in Italy. My family was born over a bunch of Navy bases. I moved with them ito Philadelphia Navy base where Grandpa retired from the ship and became just a normal guy. Here we are freaking New Jersey.
One of the best descriptions of landing on an aircraft carrier was from a GIJoe filecard. "...you know what it's like to land on a carrier at night? Try jumping on a moving skateboard while blindfolded!" Not to mention that skateboard could be moving side to side, up and down, left and right, and doing all at the same time.
Something else to think about. While the carrier is moving forward the airplane has to compensate for that because he's landing angle off the forward movement of the ship. Another FYI, I was driving Constellation at 35 knots when the Skipper said All Stop. It took 10 miles. You don't stop a ship that's 990' at the waterline and displaces 82,500 tons on a dime.
Nov. 1998, I was onboard the USS John C Stennis, CVN-74, We JUST changed homeports from Norfolk, VA, which we started our 1st Maiden Voyage Around the World Cruise, left around Feb. 1998, & Arrived in San Diego, CA, Coronado Island, NASNI Aug. 1998 ...
Love the channel! Love the picture you show of the Blues flying past CVT-16 USS Lexington at NAS Pensacola. We used to spend 3 weeks every summer camped at Fort Pickens from the early 1960s until about 1982 as a family. Later, my father (a native Pensacolian) and mother retired on Pensacola Beach.
Loved the Lady Lex, my dad worked on base at hanger 632 and we would pick him up on payday Fri. She would be docked right there close to the hanger, what a beautiful site to see.
I got to go on the Lexington when it was still active duty. It was a boy scout trip from Tallahassee to Pensacola to see it. We watched it from the pier make a slow looping turn to come in port side. My Dad, ex Navy, had made the arrangement with the Navy's public affairs office. The Captain came off the ship to examine the pier because they hit it a little hard upon docking and he was concerned about damage (there was none). My dad introduced himself and our scout troop to the Captain, who happily "upgraded" us to a full VIP tour summoning one of his junior officers to give us a full blown tour including a meal in the ship's mess hall. What a memory! Fun fact...the Lexington was the last carrier with a wooden deck.
One of my hunting /fishing friends flew B 25s in WW2 his son was a Blue Angel . I didn't know all this for years? He just didn't talk about it. He passed away and his son called me and asked if he could come over, I told him I would come to his dads house because he was very busy with the funeral. His dads will left me his rifles and fishing gear which was a lot! These were two very nice people.
@@josephhaddakin7095 My friend saw action but wasn't in the Doolittle raid. He did tell me when the battle for Okinawa was going on he saw the mushroon cloud from one of the Atomic bombs. He nor any of his crew could figure out what it was.
I’ve got those dating back to my first show in 1990 as a kid and man it’s awesome to still see so many people keeping these things like I did. Got to meet the crew that went to the USSR and now having worked with some of the team members from the new doc that came out it’s just a great time to be in the industry
The Blue Angles was my obsession as a kid. They being my elementary schools mascot and meeting crew every year k-5 didnt help. Wish I still had my school shirt. Still love watching them practice when they come to town.
That is very interesting because in the recent interview with The Fighter Pilot Podcast, Capt. Gil Rud (that was the Blue Angels Boss during the transition from the A-4 to the F/A-18A) said that the Hornet they got were old airframes (pre-production IIRC) that where not carrier qualified
they do tend to be 'trapped out" airframes, in other words, they wouldn't want them used regularly on carriers anymore, but a 'just one more" wouldn't hurt. and the military makes exceptions all the time, Lol! so Capt Rud is definitely correct but there are always exceptions to the rules
I was a Bird Farmer (John F Kennedy CV-67) in the mid-seventies and seeing that photo at 11:05 with the Tomcats in the background sure brought back memories. Very interesting story, thanks for making this video.
Being from the UK, I've only managed to see the Blue Angels once. That was back in the '70's (I think it was '73 or '74) at the RAF Hucknall Air Show. In those days they were flying F4 Phantoms. Absolutely awesome!
Great piece of information. I was lucky enough to see the transition from the A-4 Skyhawks to the F-18 Legacy Hornet. I was in my early teens and this was when the USNAS BERMUDA was still open. I got to see the airshow in 1986 & 1987 and I believe either the same year of following year we had Hurricane Emily. That was a big weekend for Bermuda. We got to see all Forces on display, with performances, meet and greets, going onboard different planes, walking up close, mock engagements. Best time for a nerdy kid in Bermuda.
My dad had an international job and we were living in Amman, Jordan in the late 70s. The Blue Angels flew over our school (they did a lot of overseas good will tours, at least back then). It wasn't a regular school day it was maybe the 4th of July or something because I remember a country fair atmosphere, all the kids and all the parents were there, barbecues and games, then the Blue Angels roared by, did a couple of rolls and loops, released some smoke. Everyone was clapping and laughing and half an hour later the pilots were at the barbecue, still in their flight suits, chatting with people and ruffling our hair and we kids went mad! The british Red Arrows did it too once. The pilots were much more reserved when they visited, they changed into field uniforms, they didn't mingle as freely and of course they flew less sleek looking planes (to a 10 year old. I think they flew Hawker Hawks, tubby little training jets that were fantastically manoeverable but didn't look like much while the Angels flew decomissioned fighters). Anyway the kids were all team Blue Angels after that.
I was hoping this happened on the Ranger CV61, but I was gone 13 years before it happened(and you may have shaved or eaten soup out of the Ranger by now). It would have been in the thousands of images I have of 3 years on ship 77-80. I never stopped taking pictures the entire time I was on board.
Minor point of clarification. The arresting gear on the field at Pt. Mugu is only for emergencies. Not to allow for practice traps. I was stationed at Pt. Mugu and have done hundreds of passes in the FCLP (Field Carrier Landing Practice) pattern in a Hawkeye. We just do touch and go’s and get graded on those passes. The field gear is a pain to re-rig so it is used sparingly. Otherwise, great video!
What’s even crazier is that the F-18A and B were the original jets they flew when they got the legacies, they continued to operate B models until like the mid 2010s. That’s if I remember correctly
We didn't have arresting cables at NAS North Island (that I know of). We did have an S-3 that landed on a wet runway. And since we didn't have arresting cables there, he drug the tail hook the length of the runway. I was there when Sr Chief Whitehead told us to change the castle nut and hook on that S-3. I asked my LPO at the times if I could keep the hook. Needless to say I took it. To the day it makes one helluva door stock. (AM3 was my MOS @ VS-41.)
Currency is always the thing in aviation . I am current on the Boeing 777, can’t fly Cessna 152 as that lapsed years ago , some people find that strange but different skill set. Respect to the blue angels - a great team !
I remember seeing the blue angels at an airshow in Tuscaloosa, AL. I think in 2009. Showing the capabilities of the FA-18 one came by at what looked like walking speed, then next a high speed pass. It was amazing seeing them and those monsterously big AC-130's floating around in the sky
1946-49 they flew the F6F-5 Hellcat, 1947-49 the F8F-1 Bearcat, 1949-51 the F9F-2B Panther. 1951 they were disbanded and the entire team became the nucleus of VF-19 (later VF-191). They reformed in 1952 with the F9F-5 Panther, later moving into the F9F-6. 1954-57 they flew the F9F-8 Cougar; 1957-69 it was the F11F-1 Tiger; 1969-74 the F-4J Phantom II; 1974-86 the A-4F Skyhawk. They've flown various models of the Hornet ever since.
@@aerospacehorizons As an AO2 in VA-125 at NAS Lemoore I had 5 flights in the TA-4J with about 3 hours of stick time. As a CWO2 on the staff of Commander, Carrier Air Wing (Reserve) 20 I had about 40 flights in the TA-4F with about 90 hours of stick time. 1 cross country JAX to Miramar in which I did all the flying, the CAG LSO did the landings and take-offs, same same NOLA to Jax. A number of those flights were in the JAX Aerobatic Range where the CAG LSO taught me some basic aerobatics.
I was stationed in Pensacola from 1997 - 2000 but I worked on the Search and Rescue Helicopters there. In 98 they made the maintenance where I worked go civilian contract so my last 2 years in Pensacola I got to help work the Blues homecoming airshow. One of the better times I had in my 10 years in the Navy. I have a big laminated poster of them flying over the Goldengate Bridge. They gave me that for helping them. I will poke some holes in your ageing aircraft theory though. Before I got stationed in Pensacola I was stationed at NAS Oceania where I was in VF-32. Not only did I work on F-14's, which in my opinion was the most bad ass airplane in the Navy, but I worked on F-14A which were the oldest Tomcats in the Navy. Most everyone else was already flying the F-14B or F-14D. Anyways very nice video and please keep up the good work.
I’d seen that picture online but I didn’t know why. I’d used google to look for an answer and even google didn’t provide one. Thanks for clearing that up!
Enjoyed this video very much. It was very informative and educational. I thank you for sharing this amazing fact about THE BLUE ANGELS!!! I certainly hope that you find the video that you are searching for. Thanks again.
I was at that Pt Mugu and notice that on of the blue angles didn't land with the rest. That was a great airshow! Blue Angles and the Thunderbirds! Awesome!
Why would a blue angel land on an aircraft carrier? It would have to be a serious emergency for the blue angel to land on a carrier. Most air shows are inland. I went to a show at my local NAS. We’d see them practice off shore he at the beach in south Alabama. Thank you for this. These planes are aging. It does take a toll on the airframe to fly off and land on a carrier.
It's interesting that it had no drop tanks. Normal carrier ops, those aircraft usually had two drop tanks. The plane didn't have pylons installed. So, that could be a reason. A centerline tank could have been used, but wasn't obviously.
Except oddly enough, the last 2 years! But they seem to have made steps to fix that since the 2 new F-18 pilots for the 2025 season were just announced and they are both Jarheads!
An interesting part of the Blue’s history is this: Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration squadron, have only been deployed on an aircraft carrier once, during the Korean War. In 1950, the Blue Angels were disbanded, and their aircraft, pilots, and some support personnel were reassigned to Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191), known as "Satan’s Kittens." This squadron then deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Princeton, where they flew combat missions in Korea.
The Blue Angles are capable of deploying anywhere in the world to the CVN assigned within 72 hours. So this includes repainting the planes, removing/adding flight Demo items, and picking up the rest of the crew. Normally they use F-18 pilots/crew assigned to 'Cola' to bring them up to staff. They use their "unpainted"" planes for Carrier Requals
Andrew - would love to hear more about using unpainted planes for Carrier Requals. I hadn't heard that and it kinda changes a lot of the details about my video. :)
Actually, the Blues did not fly the same jets from 1987 until 2020. As the airframes aged out or planes crashed, they were replaced. The total number of legacy Hornets flown by the team is over 60, I believe. All their bureau numbers are cataloged.
Yep - I'm aware. I just didn't make it clear enough in my explanation. Thanks for clarifying. My point was more that in 1998 the maximum age of a hornet was 14-15 years which meant no matter which one they were flying they had a decent chance of being in decent carrier shape. Thanks for watching!
@@aerospacehorizons Funny piece of trivia. Years ago...maybe 15 or 20, there was an aircraft broker that dealt in retired warbirds. I think in Missouri. They had a former Blue Angel Hornet, paint scheme still partially visible as it had been stripped to some extent. But, they had it in their inventory and on their site for sale at the time for something like 7 million. I think the name of the company was Airwarbirds. Something like that.
Did you know that Florida now has a Blue Angels license plate? My wife and I each have one A0AWW and A1AWW. We attend every show during the military-day Friday "practice" day at NAS Jacksonville which is every other year. Your video was really interesting and educational.
2:46 - the arresting gear you speak of at airfields isn't for practicing carrier landings, it is for emergency use only. Air force bases have field gear as well, not just naval air stations. Air force jets also have tail hooks for emergency use. Nothing like the hooks on navy aircraft that are used for ship landings.
It might be the only time that the aircraft in the blue livery landed on a carrier, but I would bet almost anything that the airframe has a lot of carrier landings in its history before it was transitioned to the Angels.
The arresting wire at navy bases is not for carrier practice. It’s 100% for emergencies where braking or controllability is in question. It’s never even located near where the FCLP box and IFLOLS are located.
It was interesting that you mentioned an emergency landing using arresting cables on a runway. I was stationed at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in 1970-71. It was a fairly common experience to see one of our F-4s (originally designed for the Navy) having to make an emergency arresting hook landing, usually because of hydraulic failure typically due to ground fire.
Very cool video!!! Thank you for this! Now, as a pilot myself (helicopters) for a government agency, I appreciate these little bits of trivia. But for the blue angels, in my opinion nothing beats the fact when the Angels flew the F-4 Phantoms!!!!! That’s when they were basically flying a “1969 Chevy Camaro SS.” Total hot rod fighter jets!
@@aerospacehorizons USAF Thunderbirds flew the F$ as well, a big heavy, difficult airframe to fly in formation and alot ofhard work for the maintainers....
One other reason that Blue Angel landings on aircraft carriers are rare is the the control "stick" for the BA jets is set to a pressure of 45 lbs downward. Not something the BAs can't handle but probably not something that you want to make a habit of.
Even though I'm an AF Veteran and familiar with the Thunderbirds, but it's pretty much the same ... they never fly a military member as an "incentive" flight only civilians ... mainly press corps. It is truly a PR team ... whether AF or Navy, but I think it would be cool if the "Boss" after taking over would do PR to the Carrier he/she came from. I was stationed at Nellis AFB ... home of the Thunderbirds and we'd get to talk to the "bird's" pilots all the time. Okay, I was Security so I had an advantage. :) But, the Blue Angels is a different set of circumstances and to get to meet and greet the "boss" from the carrier he/she came from would be so cool. Thanks for your insight. Take care and have a great day.
The picture of the blues pilots,in front of Fat Albert. Looks to me LT.CMDR Amanda Lee looks to be the fittest blue,and not to mention she wears the uniform better than the rest. Go Navy!
