This is a pretty cool selfie...

Caption: "Damn attitude indicator, went out again!"
 
Maintain the tight diamond formation and do a selfie? That's both talent and ballz
 
This selfie is better

yqepemed.jpg
 
Hank S said:
I don't see the other three planes?? Many of their formations include 1 or 2 single ships separating or crossing.
Click to expand...

Wasn't stating fact... more supposition and humor attemptation.
 
nauga said:
The shot in the movie, however, is real.


Nauga,
who says, "The fox was not faux"
Click to expand...


But its not really a selfie, sure its awesome but this picture doesnt fall into the selfie category :(

"A selfie is a self-portrait photograph, typically taken with a hand-held digital camera or camera phone. Selfies are often shared on social networking services such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Tumblr. They are often casual, and are typically taken either with a camera held at arm's length or in a mirror."
 
AggieMike88 said:
Maintain the tight diamond formation and do a selfie? That's both talent and ballz
Click to expand...


Barton is left wing this year, but that could have been shot during any of the diamond's separate and re-merge maneuvers like the reverse bomb burst thing...
 
I'd say it wasn't even taken during the show. Most likely during arrival maneuvers.
 
denverpilot said:
Good eye. There's no one in the stands.
Click to expand...

That and the fact he had time to take his glove off for a selfie leads me to believe it's a familiarization flight just before the flyover.
 
Velocity173 said:
That and the fact he had time to take his glove off for a selfie leads me to believe it's a familiarization flight just before the flyover.
Click to expand...

Probably half the dudes I know don't fly with gloves.
 
Velocity173 said:
In the Blue Angels? During the shows they wear blue gloves with no fingertips.
Click to expand...

No, in the Navy / Marine Corps. Personally, I cut the tips off my gloves. Didn't know they had custom gloves.
 
Last edited:
Velocity173 said:
I'd say it wasn't even taken during the show. Most likely during arrival maneuvers.
Click to expand...

For those who admired the pretty picture but chose not to read even the caption, here it is [emphasis added]:

Blue Angel Three Selfie


Blue Angel Three pilot Nate Barton tweeted this self-portrait after he rocketed above Annapolis with the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in the background during Tuesday's performance rehearsal.


So no, it was not during the show . . .
 
Hank S said:
For those who admired the pretty picture but chose not to read even the caption, here it is [emphasis added]:

Blue Angel Three Selfie


Blue Angel Three pilot Nate Barton tweeted this self-portrait after he rocketed above Annapolis with the Navy-Marine Corps Stadium in the background during Tuesday's performance rehearsal.


So no, it was not during the show . . .
Click to expand...

I never opened the link. It took too long.
 
turbofan said:
No, in the Navy / Marine Corps. Personally, I cut the tips off my gloves. Didn't know they had custom gloves.
Click to expand...


They also remove the centering springs from the sticks in their airplanes. One of the only mod from stock that they do. Don't want to be fighting springs when trying to hold that close of a formation.
 
denverpilot said:
They also remove the centering springs from the sticks in their airplanes. One of the only mod from stock that they do. Don't want to be fighting springs when trying to hold that close of a formation.
Click to expand...

I always thought there was another reason their right forearms were so big from overuse. :D
 
denverpilot said:
They also remove the centering springs from the sticks in their airplanes. One of the only mod from stock that they do. Don't want to be fighting springs when trying to hold that close of a formation.
Click to expand...

The Blues actually have a spring installed to the stick with about 35-40 lbs of force. So in reality they are fighting that spring tension throughout the entire demo. Even have to pass a special weightlifting test to ensure they have the stamina to hold back the tension while flying.

The test pilot who was testing the original spring mechanism for the Blues crashed and died at PAX River I believe in 86.
 
Velocity173 said:
The Blues actually have a spring installed to the stick with about 35-40 lbs of force. So in reality they are fighting that spring tension throughout the entire demo. Even have to pass a special weightlifting test to ensure they have the stamina to hold back the tension while flying.



The test pilot who was testing the original spring mechanism for the Blues crashed and died at PAX River I believe in 86.
Click to expand...


I saw a documentary that claimed otherwise, you have a link or reference?

Doesn't really matter. However they do it, it's damn impressive flying. I've never seen the T-Birds tighten it up as much as the Blues do.
 
denverpilot said:
I saw a documentary that claimed otherwise, you have a link or reference?
Click to expand...
http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/aircraft/
"When the squadron receives a F/A-18 Hornet from the fleet, which are at the end of their carrier arrestment functionality, we make a variety of modifications, including [...]installing a stop watch and adjustable constant-tension stick spring..."

I was in the office that did the testing of the spring system, although I was not involved in that program. I had just begun a new program with CDR Keith Crawford, the pilot in the accident V173 mentioned, when it occurred. Bad days for many.

Nauga,
Reflective.
 
Last edited:
Nate you might be thinking if the G-suit getting in the way of flying acurrate close formation. The spring, while I imagine is tiring for them, is actually installed to provide for finer control movements. Loops being a primary one.
 
Velocity173 said:
Nate you might be thinking if the G-suit getting in the way of flying acurrate close formation. The spring, while I imagine is tiring for them, is actually installed to provide for finer control movements. Loops being a primary one.
Click to expand...
The story is that the Blues don't wear G-suits because inflation/deflation interferes with precise control if you're resting your arm on your thigh but we all know it's so they don't wrinkle their tailored flight suits. ;) The springs are to preload the longitudinal control system to get rid of any breakout and freeplay and also so that they are modulating aft stick force rather than having to reverse force (push/pull) in precise maneuvering. In A-4's (and I presume earlier) they ran in a lot of nose-down trim to get the same preload effect but that didn't work well with the F/A-18 control system. There's a fairly well-known HUD video of a low altitude roll-coupled departure that resulted from this trim issue and ultimately led to the spring system for the Blues.

Nauga,
who says, "Welcome to flight test!"
 
nauga said:
The story is that the Blues don't wear G-suits because inflation/deflation interferes with precise control if you're resting your arm on your thigh but we all know it's so they don't wrinkle their tailored flight suits. ;) The springs are to preload the longitudinal control system to get rid of any breakout and freeplay and also so that they are modulating aft stick force rather than having to reverse force (push/pull) in precise maneuvering. In A-4's (and I presume earlier) they ran in a lot of nose-down trim to get the same preload effect but that didn't work well with the F/A-18 control system. There's a fairly well-known HUD video of a low altitude roll-coupled departure that resulted from this trim issue and ultimately led to the spring system for the Blues.

Nauga,
who says, "Welcome to flight test!"
Click to expand...

That's what I've read as well...flight suit wrinkles. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top