How close do the Thunderbirds fly together?

Asked by: Steven Insorn

In their individual performances, each team flies their aircraft as close as 18 inches apart, but the Super Delta formation of dissimilar aircraft will keep a separation of 36 inches.

How close together do Blue Angels fly?

With a minimum ceiling of 8,000 feet and visibility of three nautical miles, the Blue Angels can perform their “high” show, which includes all the maneuvers. 26 | What is the closest distance that the jets fly to each other? The closest the diamond will fly to each other is 18 inches during the Diamond 360 maneuver.

What is the difference between the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds?

Based out of Florida, the Blue Angels are known for their classic navy blue and yellow F/A-18 Hornets and duel engine jet. The Air Force Thunderbirds are stationed in Colorado Springs, and sports the classic red white and blue single-engine F-16 Fighting Falcon.

Why dont Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly?

Under Department of Defense guidelines, the two teams are not allowed to perform at the same air shows because the military wants to cover as much recruiting territory as possible by using both teams in different locations throughout the year. The two teams haven’t been in Pensacola together for more than 15 years.

How fast do the Thunderbirds fly during a show?

They perform formation loops and rolls or transitions from one formation to another. All maneuvers are performed at speeds of 450 to 500 mph (720 to 800 km/h).

How close are the Blue Angels in formation?

The Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets “1–4” fly in a tight diamond formation, maintaining 18-inch (0.5 m) wing tip to canopy separation.

What is the salary of a Blue Angel pilot?

A first officer pilot at Jet Blue Airways can expect to earn $89,000 from the very beginning to the 12th year of their work. Within 12 years the first officer pilot earns about $200,000. As pilots of a multi-national company, the highest earning ones are captains, which make up to $269,000 per year.

Do the Blue Angels have a female pilot?

Maj. Katie Higgins Cook recounts first experience flying with the Blue Angels and paving the way for other female pilots. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels have been around since 1946, but it wasn’t until 69 years later they had their first female pilot take to the skies in one of their air shows. That first female was Maj.

Which plane is faster Blue Angels or Thunderbirds?

The Angels fly F-18s, and we fly F-16s. The F-18 show is typically slower but some of the formations are tighter. That’s because the F-16s are faster due to a higher thrust-to-weight ratio.

Why is the 5 upside down on the Thunderbird?

The 5 is upside-down because During the show he spends the most time upside-down. On crowd passes, and show center, he is usually inverted. Also, the F-4 Phantom and T-38 Talon fly perfectly well inverted.

Are the Thunderbirds combat ready?

Since the aircraft are only slightly modified, they can be made combat-ready in less than 72 hours. The Lockheed Martin (formerly General Dynamics) F-16 represents the full range of capabilities possessed by the Air Force’s tactical fighters.

How much is a Thunderbird jet worth?

F-16s each cost approximately $18.8 million while the F/A-18’s more modern version, the Super Hornet, costs about $26 million per plane, according to their respective military fact sheets.

How do the Thunderbirds make smoke?

In jets, the smoke oil system works with a fuel pump which transport the liquid from its tank to nozzles secured to the exhaust port. As the liquid oil comes into contact with the heated exhaust from the airplane, the oil burns, emitting its highly visible smoke.

How many planes are in a squadron?

A squadron in air force, army aviation, or naval aviation is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force.

How do I become a Thunderbird?

To become an active Thunderbird you must be nominated by at least two “Active Thunderbirds.” Nominated persons are then voted upon by the 55 “Active” members. Who is “The Big Chief? The Thunderbirds have elected Scott Jenkins as Big Chief (president) of their organization for the 2021-2022 fiscal year.

What do the Blue Angels spray?

The Blue Angels fly modified F/A-18A Hornets with special fuel tanks designed for long periods of inverted flight and, apparently, dispensing special chemicals known to a select group of “woke” individuals simply as “chemtrails.”

Do the Blue Angels ever touch?

The Hornets fly as close as 18 inches apart

In fact, it’s so close, that in 2019 two jets touched while practicing a Diamond 360. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft, other than a small scratch.

Why do Blue Angels fly with landing gear down?

The power and aerodynamics of the Hornet allows them to perform a slow, high angle of attack “tail sitting” maneuver, and to fly a “dirty” (landing gear down) formation loop.

Do the Blue Angels break the sound barrier?

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tbey do not allow jets to fly at supersonic speed. The boom would be so powerful that it would leave a wave of destruction. The actual picture of the cone depicted behind the Blue Angel jet is a “vapor cone”.

Does the pilot hear a sonic boom?

If you’re WONDERing about how pilots handle sonic booms, they actually don’t hear them. They can see the pressure waves around the plane, but people on board the airplane can’t hear the sonic boom. Like the wake of a ship, the boom carpet unrolls behind the airplane.

How fast do the Blue Angels fly in formation?

The jets in the diamond formation travel at an average of about 400 mph. The solo jets fly faster to demonstrate the capabilities of the aircraft. They perform high-speed passes, fast rolls, and tight turns. Along with varying speeds, the Blue Angels fly at varying heights.

How much does it cost for Blue Angels to perform?

between $60,000 and $80,000 per hour

The Blue Angels usually fly six at a time, meaning the operational costs are between $60,000 and $80,000 per hour — so depending on how long the flyover mission is, things could get expensive quickly. The Thunderbirds are a bit cheaper — F-16 variants cost between $8,242 and $8,701 per hour to fly.

How much fuel do the Blue Angels Burn?

Each Blue Angel-type jet (and the C-130 companion plane) consumes 1,300 gallons of jet fuel per hour. Assuming six fighters in each group (plus one support plan each), that’s 14 planes, or 18,200 gallons of jet fuel per hour.

How many pilots are in the Blue Angels?

A total of 17 officers voluntarily serve with the Blue Angels. Each year the team typically selects three tactical (fighter or fighter/attack) jet pilots, two support officers and one Marine Corps C-130 pilot to relieve departing members.