Blue Angel practice schedule prior to an airshow?

Cap'n Jack

Cap'n Jack

Final Approach
PoA Supporter
Joined
Jun 25, 2006
Messages
8,909
Location
Nebraska
Display Name
Display name:
Cap'n Jack
There is an airshow coming this weekend to KLNK (Lincoln, NE). There is a TFR also for tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday, I suppose for the Blue Angels to practice. The time is 11 am-5 PM. I'm sure they won't be practicing all this time- any ideas when they might fly?
 
Many times, they may do an "arrival show" to pick out the landmark visual cues they have studied before they left the last show. Pick them out on Google Earth type charting products that overlays their orientations and distances.
 
Idea for the long TFR time is for programmed arrival of other airshow and static aircraft. Also for other show performers to run through their routines.
 
They usually do a practice shoe the day before the airshow with the full performance. They load up Fat Albert with airshow sponsors and other dignitaries. The Fat Albert ride is a hell of a lot of fun. Don
 
Yep, that's been my experience. They do a practice run through the day before minus all the pomp and circumstance that usually precedes and follows it.
At Andrews, that day is open only to certain school and community groups (I chaparoned my wife's special ed class there one year).
 
Cap'n Jack said:
There is an airshow coming this weekend to KLNK (Lincoln, NE). There is a TFR also for tomorrow (Thursday) and Friday, I suppose for the Blue Angels to practice. The time is 11 am-5 PM. I'm sure they won't be practicing all this time- any ideas when they might fly?
Click to expand...

Thursday, Fat Albert (Blue Angel 9) will show first. Most likely just prior to the TFR. Rest of the Blues will show about an hour later just into the the TFR time. They'll immediately roll into arrival maneuvers to check landmarks. They'll land, get gas, lunch etc and do a practice show later. If I were looking to watch them, I'd go out around 3pm on a Thursday.

Friday will be a normal show but only open to special groups with usually not all the performers. If it were a military base, only open for the military and special groups.
 
Last edited:
The practice TFR is only locked down during the time they have planes in the air and control turned over to the air-boss. Outside of those periods, it usually allows for IFR and airline arrivals. Just have a plan B if they are closed for practice so you don't end up like Allegiants COO and Chief pilot who flew themselves into a fuel emergency due to poor planning on a blue angels practice day.
 
EvilEagle said:
I'm sending out three of my guys for the airshow. If you swing by the F-15 static, tell them Evil sent you to keep an eye on them.
Click to expand...

Well it's good to see budget cuts aren't having much affect on the ANG. ;)
 
JAK_4149.jpg JAK_4169.jpg

Thanks for all the information. I practiced, as they practiced. I never noticed that gap by the engine inlets before on those planes.
 
Gap used to be bigger on on the YF-17. I'm sure 35 AOA or Nauga could explain the reduction.
 
Cap'n Jack said:
View attachment 45295 View attachment 45296

Thanks for all the information. I practiced, as they practiced. I never noticed that gap by the engine inlets before on those planes.
Click to expand...
They're to generate shock waves to slow the air going into the intake at supersonic speeds. Jet engines can't breathe supersonic air, so it has to be brought down to subsonic speeds.
 
Oh, I thought he was referring to the gap on the LEX and not the splitter before the intake.
 
Maybe, thats just the first gap I noticed. The vents on the LEX open at higher AoA to increase airflow over the wing. The fence next to it on the top of the wing just works as a VG to strengthen the initial vortex from the LEX
 
Velocity173 said:
Oh, I thought he was referring to the gap on the LEX and not the splitter before the intake.
Click to expand...
The gap at the LEX root on A through D models is fixed but, like KTUP says, is to increase flow at higher AOA. On E-G models there's a vent and a spoiler on either side that modulates the flow, but on A-D is just a rectangular hole. The vertical fence on top of the LEX (coincidentally called the 'LEX fence') is there to burst the vortex coming of the LEX at high AOA to keep the vortex from beating the vertcal tails to death. A little trivia is that the LEX fence is cantilevered, only attached to the LEX at the LE and midboard, the aft portion "hangs free" over the LEX. That's because Northrop built the aft fuse and Boeing built the forward barrel and the fence spans the join line - they didn't want to have to mate up halves of the fence or align the mounts so Boeing (then McD-D) just cantilevered it.

The "plate" on the inboard side of the inlet is a boundary layer diverter/splitter. The inlet itself generates a normal shock to decelerate supersonic flow on the Hornet, the splitter is there to 'scrape off' the lower-energy boundary layer. Some of that lower energy flow is also diverted as cooling air on the other side of the plate. Big-sucking fast jets like the F-4, F-14, F-15 need compression inlets and ramps, but the Hornet does without.

Nauga,
the vorticulturist
 
couple other legacy hornet trivia points………….not only did the LEX vents shrink in the F/A-18A, but we also got the LEX "fences", the vertical strakes on top of the LEX to stop the damaging flutter the vertical stabs were experiencing during high AoA flight. That was actually step 2 after they initially tried to solve the problem with the "cleats" at the bottom of the vert stabs which were added as a structural re-enforcement (which still remain despite arguably not being needed). Additionally, due to the weird landing gear configuration……actual main LDG gear footprint is pretty far aft……..our flight control system "toes in" the rudders on deck for takeoff so that the movable horizontal stabs have enough authority to lift the nose. This jet had tons of similar little fixes to make it flyable. Pretty interesting design evolution from the YF to the F/A-18A IMHO. When you look at the F-16A, there was much much less change when compared to the YF-16. Radar was added, and thus the nose looks different, but other than that, most everything else was retained. There are still flight control system lockout switches that were apparently artifacts of the test program where things like the LEF's were intentionally locked out, servos were turned off, etc. All that functionality remains in the operational F-16A.

edit: nauga already caught the "fences" but I guess this is a little more info
 
Last edited:
I think the first YF/A-18A's were reasonably close to early-lot A's, at least externally. Although vaguely similar, there was a tremendous difference between the YF-17 and YF-18, including a change in prime contractors :)

There are a ton of changes in *every* complex airplane as the design ages.

Nauga,
who doesn't feel that old
 
35 AoA said:
There are still flight control system lockout switches that were apparently artifacts of the test program where things like the LEF's were intentionally locked out, servos were turned off, etc. All that functionality remains in the operational F-16A.
Click to expand...
Well, you've still got MSRM and MECH/OFF/OFF, isn't that enough? :confused: :D

Nauga,
from the artifactory
 
nauga said:
Well, you've still got MSRM and MECH/OFF/OFF, isn't that enough? :confused: :D

Nauga,
from the artifactory
Click to expand...

In my current job I fly every lot of F/A-18, to include lot 8 and below F/A-18A, as well as block 15 F-16A/B…………so from that perspective, I would say almost every "system" thing in the Hornet is mucho beta than the Viper……….I took the F/A-18's automation for granted for many years I have come to realize. However, an F-16 with a good engine on a VFR day is much more enjoyable.
 
I was doing the warbird approach into Oshkosh a few years back and #7 did an overhead break right in front of me Pretty darn cool.
 
mscard88 said:
AIR FORCE does it better! :D
Click to expand...

Yes, AF does base facilities / living conditions far better than other services. :D

Now if you're talking about overheads??? Can't compare to a carrier break at 800 ft and 450 kts. :)
 
Oh I've seen some cool patterns but usually away from the base. :D

We had a couple controllers out at North Field SC (out in the boonies) for some type of test mission w/ an F15 and F16 from Eglin AFB staging out of Shaw AFB SC. First morning they were there as they were making coffee and waiting for the birds to show up, the tower rocked a bit and seconds later they heard the noise. One of the test pilots keyed his mile and says, "morning tower", "morning sir". They loved it!

Back during the Cold War years in Germany seen German F-104s doing simulated attack runs on our base, and they were smoking at low level. One morning at day break we were buzzed and my room mate saw the plane, said it wasn't one of ours (American) or a NATO bird. Probably was a Ruskie taking pics, who knows.
 
Tornados still do it over there. Fly right through the Class D and not contact tower. Used to "thump" us on occasion as well. Didn't mind though. It's their country.
 
Thanks for the information. The slots I was wondering about are the ones through which I could see the blue sky, and I have an answer thanks to the previous posters. I got more pictures today and will post a little later.
 
I give you Gen Robin Olds, WW2 Ace, 4 kills Vietnam. Rumor is he had 5 or more but they would have transferred him out if it were officially 5 or more, so he didn't claim the 5th.
 
Last edited:
Another picture from today. Other than lens corrections, as it was taken from the camera.

JAK_4245.jpg
 
mscard88 said:
I give you Gen Robin Olds, WW2 Ace, 4 kills Vietnam. Rumor is he had 5 or more but they would have transferred him out if it were officially 5 or more, so he didn't claim the 5th.
Click to expand...

Totally anecdotal, but my old man has some good friends who served under him in Thailand, and the overwhelming memory was that he was a total *******. I think his record probably speaks well enough to his personal skill, but from what I gather, he was a pretty frustrating leader. Then again, that time was pretty frustrating I'd imagine. His bio is pretty entertaining and worth the money and read.
 
35 AoA said:
Totally anecdotal, but my old man has some good friends who served under him in Thailand, and the overwhelming memory was that he was a total *******. I think his record probably speaks well enough to his personal skill, but from what I gather, he was a pretty frustrating leader. Then again, that time was pretty frustrating I'd imagine. His bio is pretty entertaining and worth the money and read.
Click to expand...

Interesting. From what I understand he was sent there to straighten out that Fighter Wing so I'm sure at the beginning of his tour he had to kick some arses and take names. Every Commander has his detractors. It is the military and a war zone after all.
 
mscard88 said:
Interesting. From what I understand he was sent there to straighten out that Fighter Wing so I'm sure at the beginning of his tour he had to kick some arses and take names. Every Commander has his detractors. It is the military and a war zone after all.
Click to expand...

+1, and I think history showed that he did that, at least when it came to results. My first CO/CC was a really hard person to work for……jekyll/hyde kind of dude where you really never knew what his reaction to something would be, and on bad days, that reaction seemed pretty irrational or at least pretty over the top. But we always had up jets that worked 4.0, we got all the unit awards you could get as an operational squadron, and so the results were there…….the sailors liked him, though I don't think any pilot did. Results are what the bosses of bosses care about though. He was promoted, and flash forward a number of years, is currently about to assume command of an aircraft carrier. The good bosses strike a happy median between people and the mission, but I guess if you can't be good at both, in this business I'd rather have a guy who got the mission done, even if he was frustrating.
 
Interesting insights - what I love about this place.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top