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
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.
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 am a Plank Owner of the Truman and was onboard when this happened. I was up in Vultures Row and there were tons of people with video cameras (cell phones where not a thing). You might want to reach out to the current Public Affairs Officer. I am sure they still have a copy of the footage.
@@tracym3002 amazing! If you’re comfortable sharing - I’ll be doing a follow up video soon. Would love to include as many photos as I can: aerospacehorizonschannel@gmail.com
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
The Reason that Blue Angel Aircraft do NOT Land and Take off from the Carriers is that those Aircraft have HIT the MAX Number of Cats & Traps and are no LONGER considered Carrier Qualified Aircraft. I have several Boot Camp and A-School classmates that did tours with the Blue Angels and it is a Very Prestigious Assignment for Navy and Marine Aviation Personnel but it is ALSO one of the Toughest assignment because the Maintainers AKA (Ground Crew) Specially the Airframes who are the ones that deal with the Landing Gear and Skin and Pain of the Plane normally work 16 hour days to make sure the planes are flightworthy. Back in the early 2000s my Squadron sent me an Avionics Tech and a Full Airframe Team to help the Blue Angels swap the wings on #4 Plane because it had developed cracks and had to be replaced and we went to a Naval Air Station that had a Static F/A-18 display and we took off the wings and had them inside an Air Force C5 Galaxy and we installed the wings and got everything Ready for the SHOW with about 90 minutes to spare. Normally swapping wings on a plane is a three day affair and we did it in less than 20 hours. My team and I were made honorary Blue Angels and I actually got an invitation to join them about year later but I was already heading to my choice assignment.
Fascinating! Wow what a story. Making a note of this to come back to - could be a cool story to tell on the channel if you're interested. Thanks for your service!
The maintainers are no joke. We flew into one of the NAS's for an airshow in a 1945 Grumman TBM Avenger and discovered a small sheet metal deformity in the flap area after landing. Technically grounded us, and we were concerned about departing after the show. Many of our pilots and volunteers are prior Navy guys, so we had a few connections. Next thing I know, the Blues ground/mx crew comes out and patches up our plane - log book / maintenance records signed off by "US Navy Blue Angels" mx officer. About the coolest damn thing I've seen around the airshow circuit.
@@WALTERBROADDUS It is a bit weird just like the planes that the Blue Angels use are the worn down planes but are Painted and Polished to look Brand New for every Air Show! The Ground Crew work their Collective Asses Off to make sure that every since Plane is UP and Ready for the Show no matter what!
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 !
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.
I work at a Naval Air Station now where F18 pilots are trained to fly F16's that the Navy requisitioned from the Air Force. You should see the ear to ear grins on their faces after their first flight. The F16 is a little hot rod that turns on a dime compared to their F18's. They love it.
I was a young Sailor stationed in MCAS El Toro, CA 1986-89, watched the Air Show numerous times in that base. I believe the Blue Angels first used the F-18 in 1988, that jet is awesomely beautiful.
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!
@@mpojr And much of that is having higher performing airplanes. It takes a lot of extra structure (aka weight) to withstand carrier landings. This weight means less performance from the airplanes all else being equal.
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.
A longtime Annapolis resident, I get to see the Blue Angels every year. Some years, I go down to the Academy and watch the show, and other years I just sit in my back yard and wait for them to roar overhead. It never gets old.
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!
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 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.
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.
Never crossed my mind about ever seeing a Blue Angle jet landing on an aircraft carrier. Thank you for this video, my hats off to Naval Aviation throughout its history.
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 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?
I'm sure someone else has mentioned this but if it hasn't been mentioned - the Navy, as a rule, video records EVERY carrier landing. There is the head on angle of the airplane approaching the ship and then there is also a camera on the island that records. I'm also positive that if it was known that a Blue Angel was going to be landing on the carrier there were people recording it.
All carriers have photographer's mates (my Dad was one)...maybe now called media specialists. The post card looks like a stop-action...sharp focus, high shutter speed and all with the island in the background...things a photographer would have considered. My Dad did super high speed photography too. 3000 frames per second of how munitions impacted various things.
One thing I know that is relatively well known is that one of the current F/A-18 Super Hornets was the one flown by “Maverick” in the “Top Gun: Maverick” movie.
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.
I trained at least 500 people on dynamic teamwork and personal accountability for your place in the team using the Blue Angels as the perfect example. I would have loved to know about this one in a million chance to show off a unique skill.
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 ...
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!
Fun aside - most carrier currency is based on night landing capability. Which expires after only SEVEN DAYS! Or at least it used to back in my day. On the 8th day, you have to get a couple of day carrier touch and goes and a day arrested landing before you can land at night. The longer you go without a night landing the more training is required before you're allowed to come aboard after sunset. This is why most flight days while deployed go until midnight or 1 AM - there has to be enough night landing opportunities to rotate all the pilots through so they can punch their ticket once a week or so. Shifting gears, around the 2:45 mark you imply that some Navy airfields have arresting cables set up so that students can practice carrier landings before trying it at the boat for the first time. And also for landing emergencies. TLDR: It's only for landing emergencies, never for carrier landing practice. Many airfields do have "short field" and "long field" arresting cables at each end of the runway designed to safely stop a tailhook-equipped jet while keeping from rolling off to either side. But these are purely used for emergency situations where an aircraft's ability to maintain directional control and/or stop on a runway is compromised. Common causes include flap, engine, wheelbrake, and nosewheel steering malfunctions. A cable on the approach end of the runway ("short field gear") can help catch a landing aircraft, while another cable on the departure end ("long field gear") can help with a high-speed takeoff abort or as a Hail Mary for an emergency landing aircraft that misses the short field gear. Even some Air Force fighters have little wimpy tailhooks, and some of their runways can "rig the gear" when an aircraft has an emergency to help them stay on the runway. These arresting gear are normally thousands of feet from the approach end of the runway. There is no need for a Landing Signals Officer or even a meatball glideslope reference - it's quite easy to touchdown well ahead of the cable and simply drive right into it. Totally different story on the carrier, where you're targeting a roughly 50 foot box and the entire runway is only about 500 feet long. These land-based runway arresting cables are NOT used for carrier training for many reasons. -First, the experience of catching land-based runway cable is far gentler than catching a carrier wire. There is no reason to yank the aircraft to a stop (causing undue stress) if you have the space to allow a more gradual deceleration. Plus, that same cable can be used for delicate Air Force fighters that weren't designed to withstand the stress of carrier arrested landings. Catching a land-based cable feels like hitting the brakes in your car a little more aggressively than normal (nothing even close to locking up the brakes though). Catching the wire at the carrier feels like running into a tree at 40 MPH. There's no comparison. And it doesn't matter if a new pilot never experiences that feeling in training - once you actually catch the wire the hard work is over and you're mostly along for the ride (and WHAT A RIDE). There is simply no need to ever catch a land-based cable for training. -Second, most Navy airfield cables are set up nowhere near the targeted touchdown point for Field Carrier Landing Practices. They might be a thousand feet down the runway from the targeted touchdown point. That's a long way when you are trying to touchdown consistently within a 50 foot stretch of runway. If you fly the ball to touchdown, you might still have a thousand feed to go before hitting the cable (which is how it's supposed to work - if you get a little high you don't want to miss the emergency cable). -Third, the skillset being trained is flying a precise approach to specific spot at the right angle of attack and on centerline (of the carrier box, not the runway - separate discussion). Actually stopping on the runway does nothing except extend the training evolution and wear down the airfield arresting gear and aircraft hook points (which have to be replaced after every 10 arrested landings). Skillwise, the hard part is putting the jet down in the right spot, NOT the actual stopping part. You might have 6 jets in the pattern trying to get 10 landings apiece - touch and goes are the name of the game with minimum landing interval. The Landing Signal Officer standing at the edge of the runway near the "meatball" glideslope reference can easily see where the aircraft touches down before taking off again and making room for the next aircraft. Bottom line: catching a wire during land-based Field Carrier Landing Practice - which doesn't feel at all like the carrier, spools out a long way, takes a long time to reset, and wears out itself and the aircraft hardware with each use - would add no training value while drastically extending an already time-consuming qualification process. Many Navy airfields have "carrier boxes" painted at each end of the runway, along with "meatball" glideslope references very similar to what it used on the carrier. When training to go to the carrier (either for the first time or for refresher training), those items are most DEFINITELY used . . . but never the arresting gear. FLY NAVY!
Fun fact as to your first point: When we were doing Northern Edge off of Alaska in the Summer of 2004 (I think), all of the pilots got out of night qual. It never gets dark that far north in the summer! Even the occasional "pinkie" as the sun was touching the horizon at midnight didn't put much of a dent in the numbers. Made for a long couple of days to re-qual everyone once we headed south again.
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!
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!
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'....❤❤❤❤
During the 1960s, a F-4 Phantom II (BuNo 153025) had previously flown with the Blue Angels, and during 1969 she transferred to the VF-213 Squadron as NH-113 and in 1971/72 she became NL-102 of VF-51. She would be later shot down by a MiG-21 near Bai Thoung/Thanh Hoa, North Vietnam April/27/1972
A few things from my - also partially speculation/years of following the team and picking up random facts - similar to what you mentioned, each aircraft that can land on a carrier has a specific number of 'traps' they can do which ties into fatigue hours etc, to my knowledge any recent legacy hornets (last 15-20 years or so) have been 'out of traps' where they would have to go to either the blues, a Marine squadron that isn't attached to a carrier, or be retired. Interestingly since the Super Hornets are LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) jets I don't believe all of them were certified to land on the carrier, the Top Gun II jets that the Blues ended up with were all later stage LRIP (LRIP 3 I think) jets. From what I've heard from what I would consider 'reliable sources' the Blue Angels specific F/A-18E/F NATOPS because of this and other reasons explicitly prohibits carrier operations. Additionally there are now software changes to the FCS that weren't tested for carrier capability (because it wasn't needed), so I'm not sure the Navy would be willing to take that risk, and changing software would be easy, but changing the software while still having the AFS (spring) installed wouldn't be something tested/certified afaik, so then you would have someone who has gotten used to flying with the AFS trying to fly without it, just a lot of variables for the modern Navy that I don't think they would deem worth the risk. Glad to see someone talk about the Blues that clearly does some work/research rather than just a quick Google Search which seems to be common for most videos/articles.
Fascinating - thanks for the additional insight! I hadn’t considered that the Super Hornets the team flies are LRIP and that their FCS might not be qualified for carrier landings. Good call out. Hoping to find video of this event and if I do, I’ll do a follow up and include this very important (and probably accurate) speculation. And thanks for the kind words - trying to be diligent about the research but there sadly is next to no info out there publicly about this event. What the Blues do is too important to just do a cursory google search.
My father was a naval aviator and a volunteer at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola for 17 years, and worked crowd control for the Blues' practice shows for much of that time. As a child he got us tours of Fat Albert and the A-4s when they were in service and so he had met many of the pilots and crew over the years. What you say about them being 'out of traps' is exactly what I've heard through him and some of the people I've met. The Blues were basically getting the jets that were near end of life. So for the most part the jets are the limitation. I would imagine back when Pensacola still had a carrier there they could have easily maintained the carrier qualifications if they wanted, but they would have had to use other jets for that.
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.
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.
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."
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.
I was stationed in El Centro, CA. in the 70's . This was the Blue Angels Winter Home base. We did the Ejection Seat demonstration for the Air Show. Hoo-yah !
I lived in Seattle during the 1990's where every Summer the Blue Angels would perform their show over Lake Washington for Sea Fair. One time we heard rumors of the Blues possibly doing a carrier landing in the middle of Elliot Bay, we grabbed the scanners and cameras hoofed it down to the waterfront to catch the action. As it turned out it wasn't the Blues but a couple of fleet jets doing the traps, which was exciting enough but not the BA's. The Blues always put on a great show, so we weren't totally disappointed for not seeing them trap on the boat. I don't recall which carrier it was they parked in Elliot Bay, I probably even got to tour it at the time.
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
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.
I'm not 100% sure about this but I've heard from many people that carrier aircraft have a limited amount of "traps" and the birds the Angels fly and many adversary and marine squadrons are "trapped out"
One small correction: the arresting cables on naval bases (and air force bases) are not for training, they are only for emergency situations. You can practice flying carrier passes by just using the IFLOLS and having an LSO on station to judge whether or not you would have trapped.
i love that they still do a carrier break anyway when they land at any air strip. i always assumed blue angels never landed on carriers simply because its too risky. any landing on a carrier has some small amount of risk up to a massive amount of risk (night trap with massive swells and zero visibility with solid wall of rain). That, and there usually aren't air shows on carriers lol
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!
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.
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)
There are Photographers (PH’s)on all carriers. And I would have bet they had a videotape on the event as well as most of the photographs you have shown were probably taken by them as well.
That's why it's called a 4th generation plane. 4 generations of pilot have flown it. It's a joke, so please don't break out the calculators and write charts of what years are gen X etc.
I thought I had orders to the USS United States CVN-75, but nothing in my records says that now. When I got to Newport News in 1996, I think there were only about 40 people assigned to the ship.
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.
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
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.
Very interesting! Every Navy and Air Force airfield (and a number of civilian airports) have barrier arresting systems. All tactical aircraft (including the USAF) are equipped with a tail hook in the event of an emergency, like hydraulics going out. The airfield where you witnessed that may have been equipped with a meatball system for students to practice with, but it certainly had a barrier system for emergencies too.
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.
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
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 !
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.
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
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.
NAS Pensacola Native, They don't land on carriers because there is no crowd there to watch them like there is at the shows. not to mention the extra maintenance from the hard landings on the landing gears. I believe the NAS museum may have that video your talking about. I swear I seen it on Imax on base, back when I was a kid.
They use their reg planes for Quals and not the painted ones. I'm thinking they need to get their carrier Quals in, and didn't have the time wait to head back to Cola.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.)
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.
5:58 @SHvanderwerfff (Steve Van Der Werff) was a photographer's mate, assigned to the Blue Angels. I don't know if he was there at the time of this event, but it's possible. I met him in '96 and I know he went to the Angels some time after he went to the North Pole on our submarine. (That's the sort of career the recruiters promise everyone, isn't it?) Anyway, no guarantee he has any video or knows who does, but I thought it might be helpful to tag him here.
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.
As an FYI, Carri9er aircraft never time out on traps. They're always good for one more - not to say that one more would be pretty. But remember, every trap a pilot can walk away from is a good trap. A great trap is when the pilot can walk away from the jet AND they can use it again. Also, all Naval Vessels can be used as a minesweeper - Once.
Most naval aviators has done carrier landings, so that's probably why they never show case that , plus carrier would have to be in forward motion to receive jets to prevent stalling or going to fast
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!
Glad I found your channel this morning. SUBSCRIBED. :)
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
ruclips.net/video/bWO4NBx37Vk/видео.htmlsi=qaftvlikaskx4Mn5
There used to be a television show about the Blue Angels.
The link provided is a fun bit of history
Would liked to have read the comments but only three were displayed
I’m married to that Boss for 40 years! We must have a video and will search for it!
Your husband is a badass 🫡
Wow! The pilots wife! Talk about a lightning rod for finding a video of this. Thank you for putting up with your husband and being a great Navy Wife!
The internet is awesome. I hope you find the video...
Thank you Mrs. Driscoll! Bravo Zulu!
I think NAS pcola museum has it.
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.
I was going to post this. I remember watching the aircraft landing and taking off on the Closed Circuit TV system on the USS Coral Sea CVA-43.
Who knew that our Carriers are referred to as “Bird Farms”. Luv It! 👍🏼🇺🇸😎
@@topcat43truffles15 Any sailor knows it!
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.
Yippeey doo, the whole world is not american nor an american sailor
the Blue Angel that used the arresting cable at Pt Mugu was Ltcr Amanda Lee she had just joined the team and got a brake warning in her cockpit
I just watched the movie on the Blue Angels, her callsign is “Stalin”
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.
@@mart0681 Majority of pilots never see combat action
@@johnbeauvais3159Stalin?
I am a Plank Owner of the Truman and was onboard when this happened. I was up in Vultures Row and there were tons of people with video cameras (cell phones where not a thing). You might want to reach out to the current Public Affairs Officer. I am sure they still have a copy of the footage.
Working on it - thank you! And thanks for your service!
I was there as well. Got pics of it to
@@tracym3002 amazing! If you’re comfortable sharing - I’ll be doing a follow up video soon. Would love to include as many photos as I can: aerospacehorizonschannel@gmail.com
Yeah I don’t mind. I’ll dig them out this weekend
@@tracym3002 incredible! Thank you!
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
How cool! That must have been wild to see. Thanks for watching and for your service!
The Reason that Blue Angel Aircraft do NOT Land and Take off from the Carriers is that those Aircraft have HIT the MAX Number of Cats & Traps and are no LONGER considered Carrier Qualified Aircraft. I have several Boot Camp and A-School classmates that did tours with the Blue Angels and it is a Very Prestigious Assignment for Navy and Marine Aviation Personnel but it is ALSO one of the Toughest assignment because the Maintainers AKA (Ground Crew) Specially the Airframes who are the ones that deal with the Landing Gear and Skin and Pain of the Plane normally work 16 hour days to make sure the planes are flightworthy. Back in the early 2000s my Squadron sent me an Avionics Tech and a Full Airframe Team to help the Blue Angels swap the wings on #4 Plane because it had developed cracks and had to be replaced and we went to a Naval Air Station that had a Static F/A-18 display and we took off the wings and had them inside an Air Force C5 Galaxy and we installed the wings and got everything Ready for the SHOW with about 90 minutes to spare. Normally swapping wings on a plane is a three day affair and we did it in less than 20 hours. My team and I were made honorary Blue Angels and I actually got an invitation to join them about year later but I was already heading to my choice assignment.
Fascinating! Wow what a story. Making a note of this to come back to - could be a cool story to tell on the channel if you're interested. Thanks for your service!
This is quite a story in and of itself!
How cool is that?
“We’re here from the Blue Angels. We need your help.”
The maintainers are no joke. We flew into one of the NAS's for an airshow in a 1945 Grumman TBM Avenger and discovered a small sheet metal deformity in the flap area after landing. Technically grounded us, and we were concerned about departing after the show. Many of our pilots and volunteers are prior Navy guys, so we had a few connections. Next thing I know, the Blues ground/mx crew comes out and patches up our plane - log book / maintenance records signed off by "US Navy Blue Angels" mx officer. About the coolest damn thing I've seen around the airshow circuit.
It just seems perplexing that in the entire history of the unit; going all the way back to the early days, that they never landed on a carrier?
@@WALTERBROADDUS It is a bit weird just like the planes that the Blue Angels use are the worn down planes but are Painted and Polished to look Brand New for every Air Show! The Ground Crew work their Collective Asses Off to make sure that every since Plane is UP and Ready for the Show no matter what!
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 !
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.
When I was in the Air Force an F-18 had a bird strike and needed our hangar space to be repaired. We were very impressed by these aircraft.
Very cool! Very versatile aircraft the F-18s are. Thanks for watching and for your service!
I work at a Naval Air Station now where F18 pilots are trained to fly F16's that the Navy requisitioned from the Air Force. You should see the ear to ear grins on their faces after their first flight. The F16 is a little hot rod that turns on a dime compared to their F18's. They love it.
I was a young Sailor stationed in MCAS El Toro, CA 1986-89, watched the Air Show numerous times in that base. I believe the Blue Angels first used the F-18 in 1988, that jet is awesomely beautiful.
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!
And Marine Corps pilots.
@@mchume65 Yes, Marines too! My husband was a Marine Lt. Col. (not a pilot though)
The Air Force gets to fly higher performance airplanes though, so that is an offset. 😁
Air Force pilots are equally bad because of their ability to shoot down the enemy,all our top aces in all the wars have always been Air Force
@@mpojr And much of that is having higher performing airplanes. It takes a lot of extra structure (aka weight) to withstand carrier landings. This weight means less performance from the airplanes all else being equal.
The Blues just finished their week here in LaCrosse WI....... The whole crew was flying over my house at low level all week.... it was wonderful.
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.
Sound of freedom
Love it when they come to French Island we hang out on the boat and watch the show from the water! 🇺🇸
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.
A longtime Annapolis resident, I get to see the Blue Angels every year. Some years, I go down to the Academy and watch the show, and other years I just sit in my back yard and wait for them to roar overhead. It never gets old.
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!
VP-50, VP-31, & VP-4
@@mchume65 VP-16 and 62
I was in the Navy 72 276 Irish station at barbers point Hawaii with P3 squadron VP 22 I was ground support equipment
Sorry about the last text I did not proofread first I was in the Navy 1972 to 1976 with VP 22 barbers point Hawaii and I did the Westpac
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 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.
Bingo. Oops. Bad word BINGO. Deck availability is the answer. Far less likely than one would think and not all incoming bosses are still CQ current.
Well availability is a lot worse now, than it was then. We have several ships in a maintenance backlog and retirement.
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.
Never crossed my mind about ever seeing a Blue Angle jet landing on an aircraft carrier. Thank you for this video, my hats off to Naval Aviation throughout its history.
Thanks for watching!
Seeing 1 Blue Angel land is cool.. Getting to see a flight of them, would be something the carrier staff would cherish for ever....
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 have been in Pensacola for 23 years. The Blue Angles are great.
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!
Tons of people in our Blue Angels groups. Asking them to help find video. Great piece of history!
This is awesome! No click bait just good content.
Thanks! Was fun to look into this one.
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!
My uncle used to fly KC 135 out of Alaska! 🇺🇸
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.
Thanks for your service and comment!
@@KillerRabbit1975 nice!
@@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?
I'm sure someone else has mentioned this but if it hasn't been mentioned - the Navy, as a rule, video records EVERY carrier landing. There is the head on angle of the airplane approaching the ship and then there is also a camera on the island that records. I'm also positive that if it was known that a Blue Angel was going to be landing on the carrier there were people recording it.
Yep - I've gotten confirmation it exists - now just working on getting it... stay tuned!
I was thinking this exact same thought! Ty for saying it
All carriers have photographer's mates (my Dad was one)...maybe now called media specialists. The post card looks like a stop-action...sharp focus, high shutter speed and all with the island in the background...things a photographer would have considered. My Dad did super high speed photography too. 3000 frames per second of how munitions impacted various things.
One thing I know that is relatively well known is that one of the current F/A-18 Super Hornets was the one flown by “Maverick” in the “Top Gun: Maverick” movie.
I do hope that particular jet is in a museum now and has maybe a tiny unique art to depict that
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.
Airframes probably 'trapped out' prior to going to the Blues
@@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.
thank you for your service
Your understanding is wrong.
@@captyg7642False
I trained at least 500 people on dynamic teamwork and personal accountability for your place in the team using the Blue Angels as the perfect example. I would have loved to know about this one in a million chance to show off a unique skill.
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 ...
The F18 Super Hornet is much bigger than you can imagine. I spent 3 days aboard CVN77 and watched the launch and landing of 2 Hornets. AMAZING 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲
Yeah it's scaled up something like 20% over an OG Hornet
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!
Fun aside - most carrier currency is based on night landing capability. Which expires after only SEVEN DAYS! Or at least it used to back in my day. On the 8th day, you have to get a couple of day carrier touch and goes and a day arrested landing before you can land at night. The longer you go without a night landing the more training is required before you're allowed to come aboard after sunset. This is why most flight days while deployed go until midnight or 1 AM - there has to be enough night landing opportunities to rotate all the pilots through so they can punch their ticket once a week or so.
Shifting gears, around the 2:45 mark you imply that some Navy airfields have arresting cables set up so that students can practice carrier landings before trying it at the boat for the first time. And also for landing emergencies.
TLDR: It's only for landing emergencies, never for carrier landing practice.
Many airfields do have "short field" and "long field" arresting cables at each end of the runway designed to safely stop a tailhook-equipped jet while keeping from rolling off to either side. But these are purely used for emergency situations where an aircraft's ability to maintain directional control and/or stop on a runway is compromised. Common causes include flap, engine, wheelbrake, and nosewheel steering malfunctions. A cable on the approach end of the runway ("short field gear") can help catch a landing aircraft, while another cable on the departure end ("long field gear") can help with a high-speed takeoff abort or as a Hail Mary for an emergency landing aircraft that misses the short field gear. Even some Air Force fighters have little wimpy tailhooks, and some of their runways can "rig the gear" when an aircraft has an emergency to help them stay on the runway.
These arresting gear are normally thousands of feet from the approach end of the runway. There is no need for a Landing Signals Officer or even a meatball glideslope reference - it's quite easy to touchdown well ahead of the cable and simply drive right into it. Totally different story on the carrier, where you're targeting a roughly 50 foot box and the entire runway is only about 500 feet long.
These land-based runway arresting cables are NOT used for carrier training for many reasons.
-First, the experience of catching land-based runway cable is far gentler than catching a carrier wire. There is no reason to yank the aircraft to a stop (causing undue stress) if you have the space to allow a more gradual deceleration. Plus, that same cable can be used for delicate Air Force fighters that weren't designed to withstand the stress of carrier arrested landings. Catching a land-based cable feels like hitting the brakes in your car a little more aggressively than normal (nothing even close to locking up the brakes though). Catching the wire at the carrier feels like running into a tree at 40 MPH. There's no comparison. And it doesn't matter if a new pilot never experiences that feeling in training - once you actually catch the wire the hard work is over and you're mostly along for the ride (and WHAT A RIDE). There is simply no need to ever catch a land-based cable for training.
-Second, most Navy airfield cables are set up nowhere near the targeted touchdown point for Field Carrier Landing Practices. They might be a thousand feet down the runway from the targeted touchdown point. That's a long way when you are trying to touchdown consistently within a 50 foot stretch of runway. If you fly the ball to touchdown, you might still have a thousand feed to go before hitting the cable (which is how it's supposed to work - if you get a little high you don't want to miss the emergency cable).
-Third, the skillset being trained is flying a precise approach to specific spot at the right angle of attack and on centerline (of the carrier box, not the runway - separate discussion). Actually stopping on the runway does nothing except extend the training evolution and wear down the airfield arresting gear and aircraft hook points (which have to be replaced after every 10 arrested landings). Skillwise, the hard part is putting the jet down in the right spot, NOT the actual stopping part. You might have 6 jets in the pattern trying to get 10 landings apiece - touch and goes are the name of the game with minimum landing interval. The Landing Signal Officer standing at the edge of the runway near the "meatball" glideslope reference can easily see where the aircraft touches down before taking off again and making room for the next aircraft.
Bottom line: catching a wire during land-based Field Carrier Landing Practice - which doesn't feel at all like the carrier, spools out a long way, takes a long time to reset, and wears out itself and the aircraft hardware with each use - would add no training value while drastically extending an already time-consuming qualification process.
Many Navy airfields have "carrier boxes" painted at each end of the runway, along with "meatball" glideslope references very similar to what it used on the carrier. When training to go to the carrier (either for the first time or for refresher training), those items are most DEFINITELY used . . . but never the arresting gear.
FLY NAVY!
Wow thanks for the additional context. That’s all super interesting and will definitely keep it in mind. Appreciate you watching and your commentary!
Fun fact as to your first point: When we were doing Northern Edge off of Alaska in the Summer of 2004 (I think), all of the pilots got out of night qual. It never gets dark that far north in the summer! Even the occasional "pinkie" as the sun was touching the horizon at midnight didn't put much of a dent in the numbers. Made for a long couple of days to re-qual everyone once we headed south again.
@@woodsidetj very cool story - thanks for sharing! Was 7 days for night quals standard at that time?
@@aerospacehorizons That sounds right, but if I'm honest, I don't 100% remember. I was an NFO and didn't track such things.
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!
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!
Really cool videos & trips down memory lanes. That last one is undoubtedly so wonderful for so many.
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'....❤❤❤❤
One year I got to see the Thunderbirds routine for free over my area. They were practicing away from major population. It was cool
During the 1960s, a F-4 Phantom II (BuNo 153025) had previously flown with the Blue Angels, and during 1969 she transferred to the VF-213 Squadron as NH-113 and in 1971/72 she became NL-102 of VF-51. She would be later shot down by a MiG-21 near Bai Thoung/Thanh Hoa, North Vietnam April/27/1972
That's awesome! When Driscoll and that crew was at Pensacola NAS I have a signed photo from them. ❤
One of my dad's most favourite videos is the time they landed a C-130 on a carrier deck. The USS Forrestal, I believe; didn't even need a hook
I was on HST when this happened. I was with a Marine F-18 squadron doing carrier quals preparing for deployment.
A few things from my - also partially speculation/years of following the team and picking up random facts - similar to what you mentioned, each aircraft that can land on a carrier has a specific number of 'traps' they can do which ties into fatigue hours etc, to my knowledge any recent legacy hornets (last 15-20 years or so) have been 'out of traps' where they would have to go to either the blues, a Marine squadron that isn't attached to a carrier, or be retired.
Interestingly since the Super Hornets are LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) jets I don't believe all of them were certified to land on the carrier, the Top Gun II jets that the Blues ended up with were all later stage LRIP (LRIP 3 I think) jets. From what I've heard from what I would consider 'reliable sources' the Blue Angels specific F/A-18E/F NATOPS because of this and other reasons explicitly prohibits carrier operations. Additionally there are now software changes to the FCS that weren't tested for carrier capability (because it wasn't needed), so I'm not sure the Navy would be willing to take that risk, and changing software would be easy, but changing the software while still having the AFS (spring) installed wouldn't be something tested/certified afaik, so then you would have someone who has gotten used to flying with the AFS trying to fly without it, just a lot of variables for the modern Navy that I don't think they would deem worth the risk.
Glad to see someone talk about the Blues that clearly does some work/research rather than just a quick Google Search which seems to be common for most videos/articles.
Fascinating - thanks for the additional insight! I hadn’t considered that the Super Hornets the team flies are LRIP and that their FCS might not be qualified for carrier landings. Good call out. Hoping to find video of this event and if I do, I’ll do a follow up and include this very important (and probably accurate) speculation.
And thanks for the kind words - trying to be diligent about the research but there sadly is next to no info out there publicly about this event. What the Blues do is too important to just do a cursory google search.
My father was a naval aviator and a volunteer at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola for 17 years, and worked crowd control for the Blues' practice shows for much of that time. As a child he got us tours of Fat Albert and the A-4s when they were in service and so he had met many of the pilots and crew over the years. What you say about them being 'out of traps' is exactly what I've heard through him and some of the people I've met. The Blues were basically getting the jets that were near end of life. So for the most part the jets are the limitation. I would imagine back when Pensacola still had a carrier there they could have easily maintained the carrier qualifications if they wanted, but they would have had to use other jets for that.
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.
My Dad was on her sister ship Chicago(CG-11). I got to do the Tiger team in 76. They sure had a big superstructure.
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.
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.
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."
That’s incredible!
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.
I was stationed in El Centro, CA. in the 70's . This was the Blue Angels Winter Home base. We did the Ejection Seat demonstration for the Air Show. Hoo-yah !
I lived in Seattle during the 1990's where every Summer the Blue Angels would perform their show over Lake Washington for Sea Fair. One time we heard rumors of the Blues possibly doing a carrier landing in the middle of Elliot Bay, we grabbed the scanners and cameras hoofed it down to the waterfront to catch the action. As it turned out it wasn't the Blues but a couple of fleet jets doing the traps, which was exciting enough but not the BA's. The Blues always put on a great show, so we weren't totally disappointed for not seeing them trap on the boat. I don't recall which carrier it was they parked in Elliot Bay, I probably even got to tour it at the time.
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
Interesting! The mystery deepens.
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
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.
Great video with great explanation. So good to click on a video that is actually about what the clip says it is. Nice job, thanks !
Thanks! It appears others in the comments disagree. I appreciate your kind words. Thanks for watching!
I'm not 100% sure about this but I've heard from many people that carrier aircraft have a limited amount of "traps" and the birds the Angels fly and many adversary and marine squadrons are "trapped out"
One small correction: the arresting cables on naval bases (and air force bases) are not for training, they are only for emergency situations. You can practice flying carrier passes by just using the IFLOLS and having an LSO on station to judge whether or not you would have trapped.
i love that they still do a carrier break anyway when they land at any air strip. i always assumed blue angels never landed on carriers simply because its too risky. any landing on a carrier has some small amount of risk up to a massive amount of risk (night trap with massive swells and zero visibility with solid wall of rain). That, and there usually aren't air shows on carriers lol
Even AF jets can "take the cable" at AF bases, for reasons like the ones you listed.
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!
Thanks for watching! Wish I could have seen the F-4s. Real monster airplanes those are.
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.
No problem - thanks for watching and for your service!
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.
What a legend.
@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)
There are Photographers (PH’s)on all carriers. And I would have bet they had a videotape on the event as well as most of the photographs you have shown were probably taken by them as well.
Thunderbirds have been flying the F-16 since 83. That’s now 41 years in the same model.
That's why it's called a 4th generation plane.
4 generations of pilot have flown it.
It's a joke, so please don't break out the calculators and write charts of what years are gen X etc.
Same model yes, but probably not the same actual aircraft for 40 years.
7:29 FUN FACT!!! USS Harry S. Truman CVN-75 was originally laid down as USS United States CVN-75!!!
CVA-58 USS United States
@@christopherk8314 Cancelled five days after her keel was laid down.
I sailed on the United States once from NY to Southampton.That’s the reason the ship was so fast.
@@subman721 canceled by Harry S Truman himself. Kinda ironic; don't you think? 😉
I thought I had orders to the USS United States CVN-75, but nothing in my records says that now. When I got to Newport News in 1996, I think there were only about 40 people assigned to the ship.
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.
Fun note...The Blue Angels have been a team longer than the US Air Force has been in operation. Blues: 1946. USAF: 1947
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
Awesome! How’d you get to meet the team/crew?
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.
Pretty amazing Doolittle's Raiders taking off from the Hornet in B-25s.
@@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.
Very interesting! Every Navy and Air Force airfield (and a number of civilian airports) have barrier arresting systems. All tactical aircraft (including the USAF) are equipped with a tail hook in the event of an emergency, like hydraulics going out. The airfield where you witnessed that may have been equipped with a meatball system for students to practice with, but it certainly had a barrier system for emergencies too.
Yep. I believe the Blue jet I witnessed landing had a hydraulic failure of the braking system. Thanks for watching!
Looking at the Field Carrier Landing Site certainly makes you appreciate their skill
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.
Cool video. You might contact RUclipsrs Ward Carroll and Vincent Aiello. I think they may have been a part of the Truman air wing at that time.
Good suggestion - huge fans of both of them!
Can’t really get a much cooler thumbnail than that!
A Blue Angel landing on a carrier with 2 F14 Tom Cats!
Wow Epic
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
I had one of those pics as my desktop background way back in middle school in 1998 😊
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 !
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.
Yep - have had that pointed out. Thanks for watching!
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!
Yep, I’ve had that point called out. Thanks for clarifying, and for your service at Point Mugu! It’s a very cool spot.
@@aerospacehorizons Sorry. I didn't mean to pile on. But, you're right, Pt. Mugu is the best kept secret in the Navy.
@@woodsidetj no problem at all! I really appreciate you watching and commenting.
The conversion includes removing the 20 mm M61A2 lightweight Gatlin gun along with the closed loop rotary linkless feed system.
Well that was a cool story. I never knew the BA don’t land on carriers. It never crossed my mind. Super cool video🤟
Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!
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
If it were easy, the Air Force would be doing it. Fly Navy! Fly Marines!
" Go Navy! " " Fly Navy! "
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.
Thank you for your insight and your service! Absolutely nothing beats the Tomcat. Legendary jet.
NAS Pensacola Native, They don't land on carriers because there is no crowd there to watch them like there is at the shows. not to mention the extra maintenance from the hard landings on the landing gears. I believe the NAS museum may have that video your talking about. I swear I seen it on Imax on base, back when I was a kid.
They use their reg planes for Quals and not the painted ones. I'm thinking they need to get their carrier Quals in, and didn't have the time wait to head back to Cola.
Heading up to the Bagotville Airshow this weekend in Canada to watch the RCAF and their F/A-18s fly.
That's all cool! Thanks for sharing!
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.
I'll be listening to Dick Jonas tonight
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!
Sure was - thanks for watching!
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!
I am an A4 aviator with 220 traps. (About Half at night). Your comments are on point, very accurate. The oldest I belirve were the tiger cat F11s.
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.
Awesome! Love the A4. Thanks for watching, and for your service!
@@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.
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.)
Great story, thanks for sharing. Learned a lot of information I never would have known. 👍🏼🇺🇸😎
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.
GREAT video, Man!!
Thank you! More to come!
5:58 @SHvanderwerfff (Steve Van Der Werff) was a photographer's mate, assigned to the Blue Angels. I don't know if he was there at the time of this event, but it's possible. I met him in '96 and I know he went to the Angels some time after he went to the North Pole on our submarine. (That's the sort of career the recruiters promise everyone, isn't it?) Anyway, no guarantee he has any video or knows who does, but I thought it might be helpful to tag him here.
THanks for such great info
Terrific video and we’re very proud of the Blue Angels with all other branches of military.
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.
As an FYI, Carri9er aircraft never time out on traps. They're always good for one more - not to say that one more would be pretty. But remember, every trap a pilot can walk away from is a good trap. A great trap is when the pilot can walk away from the jet AND they can use it again. Also, all Naval Vessels can be used as a minesweeper - Once.
Such an awesome story and background info. Thank you for sharing!!!
Most naval aviators has done carrier landings, so that's probably why they never show case that , plus carrier would have to be in forward motion to receive jets to prevent stalling or going to fast
Cool video! Never even thought about the BA landing on a carrier.