Update:
In response to and in honor of a U.S. Air Force wife who attended more air shows “than fields got dandelions,” I added a photo of the U.S. Air Force’s flight demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, at the end of this post.
Well, the U.S. Navy has a “pretty good” flight demonstration team, too, the Blue Angels. They fly sleek McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets, below.
The U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, perform the Diamond 360 maneuver at the Ocean City Air Show. The Blue Angels are scheduled to perform 68 demonstrations at 35 locations across the U.S. in 2015. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrea Perez)
Their C.V. states that, since 1946, the Blue Angels have flown for more than 260 million spectators.
Well, this past weekend a few of those spectators in Pensacola, Fla., got a much closer look at those Hornets than they had hoped for when Angel #5 flown by Lt. Cmdr. Mark Tedrow flew close enough — but still at a safe altitude — to send tents and beach umbrellas flying through the air “to the cheers and applause from the beachgoers.”
Watch the video below:
Original Post:
I love military aircraft — even the much maligned F-35*
Here are some great photos of them.
Two F-15E Strike Eagles from Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, fly alongside the wing of a KC-135 Stratotanker from Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., during a refueling mission June 25, 2015, over the Inland Northwest. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Veronica Montes)
An F/A-18E Super Hornet launches from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington during the Carrier Air Wing 5 fly-off in the Pacific Ocean, Nov. 21, 2014.
Sailors and distinguished visitors watch an F-35B Lightning II aircraft conduct vertical takeoff and landing flight operations aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1). Wasp is conducting the F-35B first phase operational testing to include flight deck operations, maintenance operations and logistical supply chain operations at sea. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist William Tonacchio/Released)
A B-1B Lancer takes off from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, to conduct combat operations April 8, 2015. Al Udeid is a strategic coalition air base in Qatar that supports over 90 combat and support aircraft and houses more than 5,000 military personnel. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman James Richardson)
Royal Australian Air Force Maj. Andrew Jackson, the 61st Fighter Squadron RAAF squadron leader, takes off in a RAAF F-35A Lightning II at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., May 14, 2015. This flight marks the first F-35 sortie for the RAAF. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Devante Williams)
A crew chief walks past two F-22 Raptors parked on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, April 8, 2015. After a weather hold, the Airmen made it possible for pilots of the 90th Fighter Squadron to execute a training mission where they penetrated simulated enemy airspace, and dropped Joint Direct Attack Munition guided bombs on a target area adjacent to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photo/Justin Connaher)
A pilot from Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., flew the 1,000th F-35A Lightning II training sortie March 31, 2015. The 56th Fighter Wing is the fastest F-35 wing to reach the 1,000-sortie milestone in the Defense Department. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Devante Williams)
Twelve Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers, from the 909th Air Refueling Squadron, taxi onto the runway during Exercise Forceful Tiger on Kadena Air Base, Japan, April 1, 2015. During the aerial exercise, the Stratotankers delivered 800,000 pounds of fuel to approximately 50 aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marcus Morris)
Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 31st Fighter Wing, Aviano Air Base, Italy, fly over Europe on March 20, 2015. The aircraft were participating in a flying training deployment with the Estonian air force and also participating in additional, unrelated training with the Finnish and Swedish air forces. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Christine Griffiths)
F-22 Raptors and F-35 Lightening IIs fly in formation over Eglin Training Range, Fla., after completing an integration training mission, Nov. 5, 2014. The F-22s are assigned to the 94th Fighter Squadron on Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. The F-35s are assigned to the 58th Fighter Squadron on Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
Lt. Col. Christine Mau, 33rd Operations Group deputy commander, navigates her F-35A through the “bird bath” after returning from her first flight on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, May 5, 2015. Mau, who previously flew F-15E Strike Eagles, made history as the first female F-35 pilot in the program. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Marleah Robertson)
Added: The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, below.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform during Air Power Day at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Oct. 21. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)
* The F-35 has experienced significant schedule and cost overruns. Plenty has been written about it, including by this author here, here and here.
Lead photo: Fireworks explode behind a C-130 Hercules during Celebrate America, July 2, 2015, at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Celebrate America is an annual event that provides military members and their families the opportunity to enjoy games, food and bands before culminating in a fireworks display to celebrate Independence Day. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Delano Scott)
All photos and captions: DOD
Follow Dorian de Wind on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ddewind99
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.