The Blue Angels: Prime Video

[Senior Pilot]

For those with a Prime subscription, the Amazon Original “The Blue Angels” documentary is well worth watching IMO. Some exaggerated showmanship at times but the flying and the camerawork are amazing.

Toward the end the improvement in formation keeping is staggering, just inches of separation at times: not bad at all, IMO.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1960x2000/4bc31b1c_8417_4487_9cfd_9ad47d8c8b70_bd5bd8946952caf7878d57c 4b29361f3fcc5eca6.jpeg

[Cobra92]

I can support Senior Pilot's claims, seen it twice, once at local Imax yesterday evening, and this afternoon on big screen tv. Nice to see the techies supporting crew and families were featured too, but the flying scenes - Amazing! Go see if you can. :)

[Jobza Guddun]

Good shout. Quality of filming is superb, brought a bit of brightness to an otherwise dark day. Thanks Splot.

[wub]

Just watched it, some of the aerial filming is superb. How the camera got so close to the formations was astonishing.

[57mm]

There's an equally impressive vid of the team equipped with F4s. Some of the footage is from the slot, where two large pink burners are framed in the upper windscreen. Superb flying.

[megan]

There's an equally impressive vid of the team equipped with F4sLink?

[57mm]

Sorry, don't have one.

[havoc]

Not sure if this is the one mentioned above

Bing Videos

Blue Angels View From the Cockpit F4 Phantom (https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=blue+angels+f+4&mid=8F65474D00827F8BB0F88F65474D00827F8BB0F8&FORM=VIRE)

[megan]

Thanks SP, that took one back on a nostalgic journey with the Pensacola scenery, our instument training was carried out with VT-6 who were in the hangar next to the "Blues", flying the Grumman F-11 Tiger at the time, beautiful little aircraft.

Thanks for the link havoc :ok:


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1560x960/f_11f_0230_right_bank_891efe7b0273489f138f2c04bf7eec623bd087 3f.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/801x987/fr013_3432a9dc95963c0fe1725875d88db5dcff574d74.jpg

[57mm]

Many thanks, Havoc. Awesome F4 flying and solo too!

[cavuman1]

@Senior Pilot: an excellent video! During my misspent decade in the District of Columbia, I always made it a point to attend the Joint Base Andrews Airshow. Because my then-wife worked for the Speaker of the House, our family was able to attend on Thursdays; the full show for Congressional members, but no public, i.e. no teeming crowds. Superb static displays of fifty or more aircraft followed by performances by numerous aerobatic and jump teams, solo demonstrations, and finally, from our front row center vantage point, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels did their best to leave us tachycardic and breathless.

The 'Birds are extraordinary; their F-16 Fighting Falcons are beautiful and their synchrony is unparalleled. Except for the Angels, who are, without a doubt, the finest precision flying squadron ever assembled! Their flying reminds all of us who slip the surly bonds of the splendor and magic of flight with which we are fortunately blessed.

- Ed

[John Nichol]

I just caught up with the new Amazon Prime video (thanks to this forum) - I thought it was a truly fantastic doco with some astonishing flying sequences and brilliant filming.
Needless to say, there is quite a lot of 'showmanship' in their brief and prep. Not something we reserved Brits would get involved in but I thought it looked really impressive.
I had no idea they flew without G-suits - and the short section on GLOC is certainly revealing. Especially if you have ever experienced grey-out or worse.
Highly recommended.

[SpazSinbad]

Oldies here would have flown aircraft without G-suits such as perhaps the venerable Vampire or Sea Venom but they would have a 6 G restriction. Meanwhile an aspect of how to deal with G without that suit article - never experienced G-LOC meself. :}
Educators, reporter fight gravity, nausea as they fly with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels jet fighter team 04 Sep 2010 https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2010/09/educators_reporter_fight_gravi.html
GRFX: http://media.cleveland.com/pdgraphics_impact/photo/04cgbluejpg-984255ed23362d93_large.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/999x1050/blueangelshandlegforces_ae3cb8ed8da624c2399495ff019aa19fe5ff aef5.gif

[tdracer]

I had no idea they flew without G-suits - and the short section on GLOC is certainly revealing. Especially if you have ever experienced grey-out or worse.

I found the explanation of why they don't use G-suits interesting to say the least (that the activation could cause an unwanted input to the stick).
An old buddy who was a USAF pilot had a different explanation (the T-Birds don't use G-Suits either). According to him, it was because there is so much emphasis on the 'show' - these good looking, young fit pilots parading to their aircraft before the airshow. G-Suits are bulky and detract from the 'good looking physically fit' pilots, so they don't want the pilots to use them.
Because of the lack of G-Suits, they limit just how many G's they pull during the airshow (I read somewhere that both the Blue Angles and the Thunderbirds usually get relatively old, high time aircraft since they won't be pulling as many G's as the line aircraft do.)

[beee]

Truly a wonderful show. Must watch!

[Mike51]

I also found it interesting that the Blues select the new ‘Boss’ from the active fleet squadrons, and not from a pool of former team members with prior experience of the team.

[havoc]

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1418821075446676?fs=e&s=TIeQ9V&mibextid=xCPwDs

[John Nichol]

I found the explanation of why they don't use G-suits interesting to say the least (that the activation could cause an unwanted input to the stick).
An old buddy who was a USAF pilot had a different explanation (the T-Birds don't use G-Suits either). According to him, it was because there is so much emphasis on the 'show' - these good looking, young fit pilots parading to their aircraft before the airshow. G-Suits are bulky and detract from the 'good looking physically fit' pilots, so they don't want the pilots to use them.
Because of the lack of G-Suits, they limit just how many G's they pull during the airshow (I read somewhere that both the Blue Angles and the Thunderbirds usually get relatively old, high time aircraft since they won't be pulling as many G's as the line aircraft do.)

I thought this was quite a curious explanation too.
I had watched the 'parade' of the crews marching down the line, climbing into the jets, co-ordinated handshakes and LSJ/Helmet passing, and wondered 'how are they going to don their turning-trousers now they are in the jet?' Was it a bit like struggling into your pants on the beach shrouded in a towel? It wasn't until much later that we discovered they didn't wear g-suits....