A Special Homecoming for a Blue Angels Jet

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11319

Quote:

A Special Homecoming for a Blue Angels Jet

St. Louis Science Center employees proudly unveil a retired Blue Angels jet built by Boeing in the Gateway City more than two decades ago. The aircraft is expected to be permanently erected in front of the St. Louis Science Center Planetarium by the end of the year. [St. Louis Science Center photo]

The St. Louis Science Center now has bragging rights to an exhibit most other museums around the country would no doubt love to have.

The disassembled Blue Angels jet -- made the long trip to St. Louis on the back of a trailer from Pensacola, Florida. The private unveiling of the jet drew dozens of people who wanted to watch history in the making; after all, this F/A-18B Hornet was built by Boeing, right here in St. Louis.

"It’s a chance to honor both the people at Boeing who made this plane 27 years ago and the people that are still out there today doing this wonderful job for our community and our country," President and CEO of the St. Louis Science Center, Doug King explained.

King credits Boeing leaders for helping them them accrue their newest treasure, and says the jet, once fully assembled again, will be displayed outside the Planetarium, in the next few months.

Boeing F/A-18 Program Manager Mike Gibbons described the event as a homecoming.

"It should inspire a lot of young citizens here in St. Louis to hopefully want to be in the aircraft business, and if nothing else at least aspire to be involved in Science and Math," Gibbons said.

Flight Leader of the Blue Angels Pilots, Commander Greg McWherter was also on hand to watch the jet arrive at what many hope will be its final resting place.

"For it to come home to its birthplace is amazing. There are so many great people who live here who support our men and women around the world, so it is very special that it is here," he said.

CH2Tdriver · **Posted:** Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:02 pm

The people at Boeing did not make it 27 years ago. The proud folks at McDonnell Douglas did.

Ztex · **Posted:** Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:13 pm

Is it just me or does the Boeing tone of that article make you a bit miffed....

Next thing we'll see is the Boeing P-5 Mustang. grrrr

The Inspector · **Posted:** Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:44 pm

The YF-17 was beaten out by the F-16-and anyone who is operating under the concept that Boeing came out on top in the 1997 merger needs to report to the nurse for a pee test.
Most of the current issues Boeing is struggling with are a direct result of all the G.O.B.'s from Long Beach winding up on the board (in Chicago, not Seattle) and in positions of power in the company. They are the guys who decided that 'Globalization' was the way to go on the Dreamliner and we're all seeing how that's working out. They did the same thing to MDC by milking the commercial side to offset big profits from military until the military side went into decline and the long ignored commercial stuff was 'old news' to airlines who weren't interested anymore and the MD-11, which could have been a great airplane became a heavy, shorter range oinker than it was supposed to be.

The corporate mentality is why there are almost no folks with 25-30 years left @ Boeing, they've been driven out with 'golden handshakes' now, just a handfull of old guys who do just enough to get things done, but no inspirational, innovative things and lots of brain dead FNG's who have no one to learn the art of building airplanes from and never will. The spirit of 'git'er done' doesn't exist anymore within the fences @ Boeing, just mostly unknowing, incurious drones and old timers waiting out their pension time.

Stonecypher, who oversaw riding MDC into a smoking hole, 'Mr. Ethical' is the direct reason that every employee @ TBC has to sign an ethics pledge every year something to do with old Harry getting caught doing a bit more than just patting his secretary on the pooper...................

wls3 · **Posted:** Wed Sep 15, 2010 9:56 pm

"The St. Louis Science Center now has bragging rights to an exhibit most other museums
around the country would no doubt love to have".

Five retired “Navy Blue Angels”: F/A-18s were recently made available.
This one arrived at the Valiant Air Command's museum in Florida on 20 May.

161948

jbell · **Posted:** Thu Sep 16, 2010 6:50 am

Wifey saw it on the trailer, same weekend the "Blues" were in town.

astixjr · **Posted:** Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:33 am

I'm happy to see it arrive for display in St. Louis but I'm not thrilled about the idea of turning it into a "popsicle". Also, I sure wish it was going on display "inside" and not on a pole, outside in the St. Louis weather. I'm headed down there today so I'll see if I can get some more photos of it.

With regard to the "Boeing/MAC" buy out, I'm not even going to dip my toe into that pond.

JBoyle · **Posted:** Thu Sep 16, 2010 11:23 am

Come on guys, chill on the Boeing/McDD deal.

Douglas was a great firm but wasn't doing well financially despite making loads of planes. McDonnell was flush with cash thanks to the Phantom and Vietnam...so they swallowed Douglas.

McDonnell-Douglas somehow took Nothrop's plane and ran with it...remember the deal where Northrop would take the lead on the F-18L land planes and McDD would take the lead on carrier jets? Somehow, even countries without carriers bought the McDD plane.

McDD was hardly an innocent babe in the woods when it came to takeovers and hardball.

Boeing swallowed McDonell Douglas...get over it.

Or perhaps you'd would prefer EADS bought it?

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11319

JBoyle wrote:

Boeing swallowed McDonell Douglas...get over it.

Actually, the heritage Boeing folks say that McDonnell in St. Louis bought Boeing using Boeing's money...

P.S. Who's Brad?

RickH · **Posted:** Thu Sep 16, 2010 4:16 pm

Quote:

Its a good story Brad!

Quote:

P.S. Who's Brad?

I wondered who Brad was too, Bart....

Never the less, good story, Northrop sued McD over the land based planes sold. Believe they won a large concession. They never ceased supplying shipsets to Boeing, so they did get a large piece of the pie.

K5DH · **Posted:** Thu Sep 16, 2010 4:22 pm

Speaking of Blue Angels F/A-18s. . .

What ever happened to that complete-but-disassembled former Blue Angels "A" model that was offered up on eBay a couple of years ago? It was quite the topic of discussion for a few weeks, then it kinda went dormant. The government was really hacked off about it, but it was apparently obtained legally and even had an "N" number assigned.

FWIW, I think Boeing ought to find a way to display "their" ship indoors in St. Louis.

Dean the curious

astixjr · **Posted:** Thu Sep 16, 2010 9:23 pm

The rumor is that the St. Louis Science Center has decided to display the F/A-18 on it's gear! I sure hope that rumor is true.

I've offered to volunteer some time and some space in one of our museum hangars to get the wings and tail surfaces cleaned up so the plane will look nice once it is put on display. Do any of you WIXers have any thoughts on getting a modern fighter jet ready for outside static display? Anyone with specific experience on doing this kind of work on a Hornet? I hope the people in charge of this project can draw some additional help from the hundreds, maybe thousands of current and former Boeing/MAC employees who had a hand in building the Hornets. Any thoughts or suggestions would be much appreciated.

CH2Tdriver · **Posted:** Fri Sep 17, 2010 10:19 am

Quote "Boeing swallowed McDonell Douglas...get over it.

Or perhaps you'd would prefer EADS bought it?"

Oh I have no problem with that. This is corporate America and mergers/acquisitions are a fact of life. Just respect the heritage. Boeing did not build that plane.

Look I can tell you there would be a lot of angry Long Islander's if say at P'cola during dedication of the Lake Michigan Hellcat it was referred to as:

"Today we dedicate this NORTHROP HELLCAT......which fought gallantly in the Pacific and build by the proud folks at NORTHROP 65 years ago...."

valdez25 · **Posted:** Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:44 pm

Saw it today with Les Heikkila stored in a hangar at Creve Coeur Airport.

Bearcat SA · **Posted:** Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:57 pm

JBoyle wrote:

Or perhaps you'd would prefer EADS bought it?

Next thing you will be calling your Beechcrafts ...Hawkers.... oops you already do :roll:

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