Warbird Information Exchange

Blue Angles Heritage Flight?

F8F- LSFM (or new owner of F8F)- (Already in B/A Paint Scheme)
F6F- LSFM (Need to be repainted and a loose a couple windows)
F9F- Cavanaugh Flight Museum? (Or maybe somebody else?)
F-11- Your on your own. (I have no idea on this one!)
F-4- Collings Group (Maybe?)
A-4- Collings Group (Maybe?)
F-18- From the men in Blue

Or maybe the Navy will attempt to finally start to fly the aircraft as a 'Heritage Flight' That sounds possible to me! I wonder...

Any thoughts?

It would be sweet to see, but man an F9F and F-11. That is going to be tough.

_________________
Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

Hello,
The Navy has started the Legacy Flight (has been around a couple of years, but is getting more organized and popular this year). The question has been brought up to the Navy demo commanders, and they are completly seperate from the Blue Angels just like the Heritage Flight program is seperate from the Thunderbirds. The past couple of years when that topic has been brought up, it has not been met with excitment by the Navy. With the Blue Angels being based in FL, and the Navy demo being based out of Oceania, I suspect that the Legacy idea will not merge into the Blue Angel routine. One of the purposes for the demo teams is to allow the Blue Angels and Tunderbirds to stick to their very scripted and precise ground show and air show. The demo teams have a demonstation that is much more open to having civilian acts join up for the Heritage Flight or Legacy Flight.

When we painting the LSFM Bearcat that topic came up quite a bit. I doubt it would ever happen. The museum does have Heritage & Legacy pilots. Im sure in the next few years the Hellcat would be getting a new paint job but im not sure what colors.
I always thought it would be cool to have the F8 and one of the Blues solo pilots do a Legacy flight. Maybe someone can photoshop something up for our amusement!

_________________
Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly!!

http://www.390th.org/
www.LSFM.org

Trae

_________________
Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly!!

http://www.390th.org/
www.LSFM.org

Trae

Didn't the Blue Angles toy with the idea of using F7U cutlasses?
Chuck

Yes the Blue Angels used the f7U Cutlass. It was so bad, they withdrew it halfway through it's inaguaral season.I think it may have been replaced by the F-11 Tiger.
Also, when they first started the Blues, the Hellcat routine featured a Hellcat "shooting down" a real captured Japanese Zero. The zero was damaged in the second season and was replaced with an SNJ. I think they also had some TV-1's or TV-2's (Lockheed T-33) in Blues paint schemes.

We talked to them about repainting the TA-4 in 7 jet colors for last years 60th Anniversary season. We wanted to do a Blue Angels Legacy with the current 7 jet early in the day of the airshow. The Boss ( Foley ) said he liked the idea but that there was too much going on for the #7 Narrator to be flying on show day.

The Blue Angles tried the Cutlass in 1952, using them in the #5 & #6
A/C.
That would predate the F-11 by several years.
Chuck

Here's my question:

Anyone know why the Navy chose the Hellcat over the Corsair for begin the U.S. Navy's Aerial Demonstration Team?

The Corsair would seem to have been the better of the 2 aircraft considering that the Navy kept it on in strength after the war.

So why the Hellcat?

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

Good question. I'd like to know myself as well.

I wonder what a F4U-1 or -4 would look like in BA markings?

Im sure it had something to do with the relationship with Grumman and the Navy.

_________________
Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly!!

http://www.390th.org/
www.LSFM.org

Trae

Haha yeah i bet

It was Butch Voris' choice I think. I heard he was told, pick the best planes, the best men, and make it happen. I'd have to say he did

_________________
"There are two types of people here; airshow whores and airshow prostitutes. The whores, like you and I, do airshow stuff for free, whereas the prostitutes are paid" - Reg Urschler

A couple questions:

1: On that note I wonder what a P-51, P-47, or even a P-39 would look like in the Thunderbird's markings?

2: What happened to the Zero that the Blue Angles flew in the beginning?



Also: I still am trying to visualize what six brightly colored Corsairs would have looked like if things had turned out different.