Thanks! He was a blast to talk to and just the nicest guy.

That’s not actually due to a jet wash! #4 lights the burner going over the crowd for the sound effect. But if they’re not careful, the F-16 acceleration is so fast they wouldn’t be able to set up properly for the rendezvous afterwards. So you might notice they’ve got their speed brakes out to keep the speed in check while the burner is on. Leads to a lot of wobbling and seeming instability because the F-16 is inherently aerodynamically unstable (that’s why it’s so maneuverable). The fly by wire computer is doing a lot of minute calculations to keep it straight and level with forces being applied both forwards and backwards simultaneously. If you’ll notice in the burner 360 maneuver at 16:12, the diamond all has their speed brakes out while in full burner because if they don’t do that, the jets will end up going way too fast. They are much further apart during this maneuver than they usually are because of that instability I mentioned. They might bump into each other without the extra clearance. Thanks for watching!

Maintenance issues. Ideally they’d all be in single seaters but since they try to use those more, they’re down more often. The Blues fly the oldest Super Hornets in the fleet so there are always issues. Thanks for watching!

Thanks! It’s a long story, but I had to splice in some audio from a practice they did at El Centro a few weeks prior to avoid the video getting hit with KZfaq copyright strikes on account of the music they play during the show. Working hard to figure out an audio solution to get the full radio transmissions in and minimize music as much as possible. Stay tuned for future shows. WingFlexAviation captured this show with the full radio calls if you want to check out his channel as well!

The nicest!

Thanks for the kind words! Yeah Scott is the best. Mildly infuriating that someone can be that good of a pilot and also be just the nicest, most humble person on planet earth too. 😂 Looking into talking with others. Stay tuned. I know Boss Kesselring is a tough one since he’s stationed out in Japan at the moment.

Not at this time, no. I have been considering making a podcast feed but I’m not sure there are enough interviews yet to justify it. I believe you can download the video if you’ve got KZfaq premium in the meantime? Thanks for your interest - hope you enjoy!

We do indeed. I did not say “he” in this video, and in fact was very careful to use gender neutral language for this exact reason.

@@aerospacehorizons sorry I miss heard you.

@@Thegeneralms1 no problem, thanks for watching!

Handheld, in a bit of a rig. I go into a ton more detail here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/j7STjKWgtNvSl4U.htmlsi=7xsnZUyPCES91apV Thanks for watching!

Which jet is which changes almost daily. They repaint them depending on maintenance issues. They were having a lot of issues with the single seaters early in the season so the two seaters got a new paint job for this show.

@@aerospacehorizons Thanks for the explanation. I wonder how the pilots need to adapt with a last minute change of plane from a single seat to 2.

@@brodricj3023 as far as I’m aware there is next to no difference flying the single vs 2 seat F-18.

It’s streaming on Amazon Prime right now!

They are entirely separate programs from my understanding. Obviously some overlap because they’re both dealing with such elite pilots. The selection process for the Blues is the selection process. I’m sure being in Top Gun would help but would by no means let you bypass anything.

Top gun is simply a combat training program that many fleet aviators go through. The Blues are a demonstration squadron, volunteer staffed, with a highly competitive and selective acceptance standard. They're apples and oranges, although many Blues are grads if the top gun program, but it is by no means a prerequisite.

Bummer for sure. But they typically give the most temperamental jets to the veterans on the team since they’re better equipped to handle it.

I think they're all pretty good pilots actually.

Thanks for the comments! Bert could always use more screen time. I’m actually working on a video all about Bert - stay tuned!

Ya know, I can’t say with 100% certainty, but I know they are very similar. #1 stays the same both years. #4 is always a second or third year pilot because that slot position is really tough to fly. I know the solo rotation is similar too with lead solo being a second or third year pilot. My understanding though is that unlike the Blues, the Thunderbirds solos don’t switch sides of the delta in their second year.

Just to add to aerospacehorizon's reply, the rotation is very similar. Two year tour of duty (normally) and opposing solo transitions to lead in the second year, and it is correct that they fly the same side of the delta for both years. Recent changes that the Thunderbirds recently adopted from the Blues rotation is that #3 transitions to #4 in their second year, which was never the case before. Also, like the Blues, their narrator now moves into a demo position after a year of narrating.

@@siouxperb5570 thanks for adding some clarity! How did the #4 rotation work before? Seems like you'd definitely want a 2nd year pilot in that slot given how challenging it is.

@@aerospacehorizons The previous procedure was that a new pilot to the team assigned to fly #4 did so for two years, as with all positions in the diamond. I agree 4 should be a 2nd year pilot, it makes perfect sense. Why the Thunderbirds didn't do it that way, I can't speak to, I have no idea. Just know that's how they did it, but now adopted the same rotation as the Blues do in that regard. Just one more side note, in the entirety of the F-16 era, the narrator (#8) was a narrator for 2 seasons, then would rotate off the team like every other pilot. Prior to this, in T-38s and back, the narrator would be the voice for one season, then rotate into the diamond for 2 years, occupying whichever wing became vacant the next season, either left or right. Again, why they did away with that is unknown to me, I only know they did. But about two years ago they aligned rotation much more closely to what the BAs do, including the narrator being a 3 year pilot (1 as voice, 2 as demo). Guess you could say the Air Force took "Blues Clues". 😂

@@siouxperb5570 Ha! Well, take from the best, I guess. Glad the teams have decided to learn from each other. I wonder if the Blues have taken anything from the Birds.

Thank you for your service!

I’ve seen the Blue Angels twice. In 2001, Phoenix (former Williams Air Force Base in Chandler, now called ‘Mesa Gateway’) and in 2016 at Miramar (now called something else). In contrast I’ve watched about 10 Thunderbirds Shows at Luke Air Force base in West Phoenix. Today I watched the show at IMAX and it’s given me much appreciation for what they do.

Hey, how about talking to people with respect? Maybe they’d listen to your suggestions.

@@aerospacehorizonsI don’t get it.

The Pilots are only assigned for a 3 year Assignment to the Blues. Then back to a Fleet Squadron.

Thank you for your service!

I’m going back for a second viewing!

Agree to disagree. 😂

Who?

Blue Angels are the gold standard across the world. Fact.

The film is not a production of the Navy. It is made by a for profit production company. They have paid for the crew and equipment that filmed it for a whole year with the team and are now needing to recoup their investment. An exclusive deal with a streamer like Amazon is the only way to realistically do that in today’s film production economy. It looks like Amazon Prime is $15 a month in the US which is less than the cost of an IMAX ticket if you unsubscribe once you’ve watched the documentary. The documentary is worth the price! Thanks for watching!