Blue Angels question?

[ezlead]

What model F-18's are the Blues' currently flying?

Are they older Hornets or have they moved up to Rhinos?

 

Trivia question: What aircraft has the Blue Angels flown the longest in the history of the team?

I guessed F11 Tigers.

Blew my mind when I found out.

F-18 Hornets (over 20 years)

[DWCAce]

I think they are still using some A models.

[Viggen]

I thought they got a couple of trapped out F/A-18Cs?

 

 

Here are the Blue's most recently retired F/A-18Bs. I would have taken a better shot but my battery died moments after!

 

Edited July 1, 2010 by Viggen

[macelena]

McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18A/B Hornet - November 1986–Present. They are currently transitioning to the F/A-18C/D

 

For 24 years so far. Flew Tigers for 12 years, the second longest service in the history of the team.

 

 

All info extracted from the Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_angels

 

Hope it helps

[Stingray72]

Yep, the Hornets win lol.

 

To be honest, I thought they looked the coolest when they were flying the A-4F's. That plane is jst such a little mover and it looked great in the Angels colors.

[+ST0RM]

They are flying a mix of A thru D. They were supposed to be all in C/D for this season but either didn't get the jets in time or didn't get them all modded fast enough. Their El Centro season opener had #1 and #6 in Cs while everyone else were in A/Bs.

 

With the Navy proposing to buy additional Super Hornets for fill the Legacy gap, there should be some early Lot Supers available eventually. The FRS is full, and NSAWC is slowly getting their allotment. I'd suppose they will be flying the E/F within 5 years.

 

-S

[DWCAce]

It has been my understanding that the Blues got what the navy gave them, whereas the 'Birds got the latest and greatest, while still being combat capable in 24hrs.

[+Typhoid]

It has been my understanding that the Blues got what the navy gave them, whereas the 'Birds got the latest and greatest, while still being combat capable in 24hrs.

 

kinda sorta. The Blues planes are specially modded for show. They have some of their equipment removed and show stuff added on. They are not combat capable in 24 hours or really, in a practical sense, at all.

 

Whether the Thunderbirds actually are or if that is just a rumor, I don't know.