Netflix recommendations?

[Griz882]

Watched it with my wife. She is not an aviation nerd but thought the flying was cool.The best part…when the potential candidates are walking along side the hangar…my wife said, “The short fat girl won’t get selected, she’d look like a blue Pillsbury doughboy in the tight flight suits they wear. The tall girl will get accepted, you watch.”

 

[JTS11]

Watched it with my wife. She is not an aviation nerd but thought the flying was cool.The best part…when the potential candidates are walking along side the hangar…my wife said, “The short fat girl won’t get selected, she’d look like a blue Pillsbury doughboy in the tight flight suits they wear. The tall girl will get accepted, you watch.”

Haha, yeah there are certain public facing jobs in the military where body-shaming is a reality...ie. you'll never see a fat Corporal opening the doors at the WH, or slaying dragons on TV ads.🤣

 

[ChuckMK23]

Not the same thing. The g-suit thing is legit, especially with how close the diamond flies.

For anyone wondering why the Thunderbirds don’t do the same thing, it’s because USAF guys are weaker. Oh, and also, the F-16 has a side-stick with an arm cradle so the g-suit doesn’t affect any control inputs.

The -18 has a center stick, so the pilot’s right leg is a common arm rest / reference point while flying that the g-suit can affect as it inflates/deflates during maneuvers. Not a real problem until you’re flying 18” from three of your buddies.

…but mostly, USAF guys are weaker.

What about contrast in O2 mask? I assume the Super Hornet is pressurized and at low altitude it's not needed however when the team is on XC, is the mask worn? And if so which model do they use?

 

[sevenhelmet]

What about contrast in O2 mask? I assume the Super Hornet is pressurized and at low altitude it's not needed however when the team is on XC, is the mask worn? And if so which model do they use?

No idea. My guess is they go ram/dump at FL410 and breathe the fresh air.

 

[JTS11]

Just curious, what's the typical post Blue Angel tour for 0-3/4's. Back to the fleet, to the FRS, shore tour? Does it take you off the golden path?

My perception is that it takes you more off the path in the Marines than the Navy, but I could be totally off base.

 

[Swanee]

What about contrast in O2 mask? I assume the Super Hornet is pressurized and at low altitude it's not needed however when the team is on XC, is the mask worn? And if so which model do they use?

Reminds me of a couple of old reseverist IPs in Kingsville who had both a mask and a boom. FAM/BI/RI/Form flight? Boom mic it was. Aero or any advanced strike flight? Mask up.

Then the first blade gate happened and people found out that the mask protects you from getting burned by the molten canopy as you ejected.

 

[taxi1]

The -18 has a center stick, so the pilot’s right leg is a common arm rest / reference point while flying that the g-suit can affect as it inflates/deflates during maneuvers. Not a real problem until you’re flying 18” from three of your buddies.

I think flying through turbulence jiggers the arm and stick pressure way more than a G-suit inflating a wee amount perpendicular to the forearm and therefore not in line with the pressures. Based on IMC form flying through scary turbulent thick cloud goo cozying right up to lead.

Hey, they'd definitely not look anywhere near as cool with all their kit on.



I know on the A4 they bolted up the slats to avoid any lack of determinism on their deploying.

 

[zipmartin]

I had a rig set up when I was a TAR flying A-4's that let me use either the mask with the embedded mic, or I just hung the mask on my torso harness, flipped a micro-toggle switch, inserted my boom mic (stored in pocket on my integrated torso harness) into the bayonet fitting on my helmet and used it. The PR's turned a blind eye to my setup but made me disconnect my rig and keep it out of sight whenever any type of inspection was anticipated. Pretty much never wore my mask when below 24K' altitude, which was where the A-4 pressurization could keep the cabin alt. at 10K'. Oh, and if I ever was going to eject, the canopy was ejected first - didn't have to go through it.

According to "Nordo", who was a SELRES in VC-12 when I was a TAR there and a former A-4 Blues member, he adjusted the right rudder pedal back to keep his right thigh higher than normal to rest his arm. They flew with several units of nose down trim to have the constant pull on the stick, which was accomplished with the spring in the Hornets. Flying was strictly wrist movement for the close formation stuff. No g suit was definitely a requirement. Not like flying a T-2 in standard training command formation.

 

[Gatordev]

This should answer many of your questions: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/entertainment/blue-angels-documentary-air-show-planes-pilots

Thanks!

I'm still trying to figure out how they got the unrestricted climb shot, though. There's zero airframe in the shot, and I have a hard time believing even a L-39 rigged out would be able to sustain the climb with a slick Superhornet. Maybe that's one of the shots where something is rigged on another Hornet.

That shot reminded me of CJ Heatley's "Anytime Baby" poster shot off the carrier. I never heard how he got that, but it's also an amazing shot, albeit a still versus having to keep in the jet in-frame for multiple seconds.

I think the climbing out may be my favorite shot in the show for pure technical reasons.

 

[zipmartin]

I saw another video, which I can't find now, that mentions and shows the use of a large drone to get some of their shots. I'll keep looking for it.

 

[johnboyA6E]

Just curious, what's the typical post Blue Angel tour for 0-3/4's. Back to the fleet, to the FRS, shore tour? Does it take you off the golden path?

My perception is that it takes you more off the path in the Marines than the Navy, but I could be totally off base.

Someone will correct me but I "think" it counts as a disassociated tour after shore/production tour. When i was in the rag, several IPs were rushing the blues and if selected it would have been a post FRS instructor tour when they otherwise would normally go to sea as CAG LSO, flag staff, etc. Maybe it counts as their sea tour because they are on the road for basically 2 years straight?

On my JO sea tour, we had a new O-4 DH who came directly from the Blues tour, on regular timing.

In his case he wasn't on the golden path and got out, I don't know if that is typical

 

[taxi1]

According to "Nordo", who was a SELRES in VC-12 when I was a TAR there and a former A-4 Blues member, he adjusted the right rudder pedal back to keep his right thigh higher than normal to rest his arm.

And I guess he never used the rudder pedal, which would have moved his arm?

I used to trim a bunch of nose down trim for low transitions. You didn't want that dead band surprising you.

 

[Flash]

Kevin Larosa, the helicopter pilot involved in most of aerial shots, is quite an accomplished pilot. Many of you would immediately recognize much of his aerial work in several modern movies including TG 2. His work here is sharp but I still wonder if a drone was used to capture some of the landing shots.

That would be the son apparently, his dad was also a pilot who did movie work and is featured in a Military History Channel 'Mail Call' ad about the P-51 that I've seen about 3000 times (along with the M1 one, with R Lee Ermey delivering the line "open up enemy armor like a can of WHOOP ASS!").

 

[zipmartin]

And I guess he never used the rudder pedal, which would have moved his arm?

I used to trim a bunch of nose down trim for low transitions. You didn't want that dead band surprising you.

3000+ hours in the A-4 and the only time I really used the rudder was in a slow speed fight, or during T.O. & landing. Single engine, center line thrust, jet propulsion - rudder just wasn't really needed 90% of the time.

 

[wink]

What about contrast in O2 mask? I assume the Super Hornet is pressurized and at low altitude it's not needed however when the team is on XC, is the mask worn? And if so which model do they use?

In the War Hoover we flew with boom mics and masks hung on our harness, which and was used only for aerial refueling. With a crew of four and one bottle of lox wearing masks at altitudes we typically flew blew through the lox way too fast for the typical mission profile, so we used boom mics. Technically the VS community and the Blues were the only ones wavered from the 3710 requirement to wear an oxygen mask. I think you'd find any instructors in the clown jet world with a boom mic rig were Viking dudes