Warbird Information Exchange

Why 2 #7s?

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/multimedia/images/08-11-06-2.html

For luck ?

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When they bring on new pilots to train for the next year, they employ two-seaters for training during the last month or so of the season. I guess it's tradition to train and do Media rides in "#7" so they put it on both of the two-seaters that go to shows at the end of the year. I think they train one Diamond pilot and one Solo at this time. They also do VIP rides with them. They are peel-and-stick numbers, so they pull them off and reassign a regular 1-6 number if they two-seater will be used in a weekend (public) show.

Rich

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com

Last time I saw the Blue Angels fly at MacDill, they had a bird not pass preflight warm-up, so they pulled it and put in the back-up bird. They changed the number right there on the flight line while everyone waited!

I thought it was neat so I took a photo of the two number "7"'s parked together on the Shuttle Landing Facility Ramp during the show.
Since the public was not allowed near the operations area, I just thought some of you would find it interesting that there were actually 9 Blue Angel F-18's on the ramp. Some without any numbers at all.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

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Normally, there is only one two seater is assigned to the unit. The possibility is they had a single seat Hornet damaged by a bird strike (in Cleveland?) and its substitute was a two seater? The full image looks like BuNo's 161943 and 161746 (both B models) which Joe Baugher's site lists as each being assigned to the Blue Angels.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

The picture looks OK to me, the leftmost #7 is running in the #4 slot position and the lens being used is probably a macro or wide angle which will distort things somewhat. Do you watch baseball games and ever wonder why the shots from the outfield cameras make the batter look taller than the pitcher even tho the pitcher is 66 feet closer to the camera and standing on an elivated piece of dirt? It's a natural trick caused by focal foreshortening and the human Mk 1 eyeball/brain not being able to process that input and make sense of it.

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Don't make me go get my flying monkeys-

There are always two 2-seaters assigned to the team, but they don't both travel to shows until the end of the season when they begin training usually. I have about 50 shots of both 2-seaters at shows over the past 5-6 years.

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com

I think this coming year they will be flying "C" models and their "A" get retired. Not sure if they got all of their C's yet, I know they got a few last year that were getting their mod's.

Mike

When you download the full size image,you see that it has been Photoshoped

I don't think it was photoshopped, as I was at the show and both "7" were flying together.
Jerry

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"Always remember that, when you enter the ocean or the forest, you are no longer at the top of the food chain."

Still, I have shots of #7s in both the Boss and Slot position in the diamond. Either NAS Jax or Oceana (Media show, not a public show) a couple of years ago.

Rich

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Rich Kolasa
www.crystalgraphix.com