2009 MCAS Air Show

A SALUTE TO TEAMWORK - The Blue Angels history At the end of the World War II, Chester W. Nimitz, then the Chief of Naval Operations, ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team to keep the public interested in naval aviation. The Blue Angels performed their first flight demonstration less than a year later in June 1946 a their home base, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat. Only two months later on August 25, 1946, the Blue Angels transitioned to the Grumman F8F Bearcat. One year later, the 1947 team introduced the now famous "Diamond Formation". By the end of the 1940's the Blue Angels were flying their first jet aircraft, the Grumman F9F-™ Panther. In response to the demands placed on naval aviation in the Korean conflict, the team reported to the aircraft carrier USS Princeton as the nucleus of Fighter Squadron 191, Satan's Kittens, in 1950. The team reorganized the next year and reported to NAS Corpus Christi, Texas where they began flying the newer and faster verion of the Panther, the F9F-5. The Blue Angels remained in Corpus Christi until the winter of 1954 when they relocated to their present home base in NAS Pensacola, Florida. It was there that they progressed to the swept-wing Grumman F9F-8 Cougar. The ensuring 20 years saw the Blue Angels transition to two more aircraft, the Grumman F11F-1 Tiger (1957) and the McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II (1969). In December 1974, the Navy Flight Demonstration Team began flying the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II and was recognized as the Navy Flight Demonstration Sequadron. The recognition permitted the establishment of a commanding officer vice a flight leader, added support officers and further redefined the squadron's mission, emphasizing the support of recruiting efforts. On November 8, 1986, the Blue Angels completed their 40th anniversary year during ceremonies unveiling their present aircraft, the new sleek F/A-18 Hornet, the first dual-role fighter/attack now serving on the U.S.'s front lines of defense.

Diamond formation performed by the Blue Angels team.

The C-130T Hercules is affectionately known as Fat Albet Airline. Fat Albert joined the Blue Angel Team in 1970 and files more than 140,000 miles each season. It carries more than 40 maintenance and support personnel, their gear and enough spare parts and communication equiment to complete a successful air show. Fat Albert cruises at a speed of more than 360 mph at 27,000 feet. Four Allison turboprop engines, which produce more than 16,000 shaft-horsepower, provide Fat Albert with the power to land depart on runways as shourt as 2,500 feet.

After painstaking restoration by the Airshows America Team and the support of Fry's Electronics, the Patriots L-39 jets were modified for use on the air show circuit with upgraded avionics systems for navigation and communications, removal of excess weight for better air show performance and the addition of a 30-gallon smoke system. First debuting in 2003 as a two-ship team, the addition of a third jet in 2004 created a fast pace, high energy show. With the success of the 2005 season, the patriots added a fourth jet in 2006. The Patriots have electrified spectators with their patriotic red, white and blue smoke.

The Patriots have electrified spectators with their patriotic red, white and blue smoke.

Sean's performance was one of the highlights of the show. Sean was named as one of the twenty-five "Living Legends of Flight" by the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in 2003. He has accumulated more than 20,000 flight hours and has flown more than 1,000 performances in more than 425 airshows.

Sean is the world's only pilot to perform a triple ribbon cut. He flies through the ribbons at 220 mph in right knife-edge for the first ribbon, then eft knife-edge and finally inverted. The ribbons are only 25 feet off of the ground and 750 feet between each set.

Sean's performance, known as "sky dance", imposes more G-forces on his body than jet fighter pilots experience - a chest-hammering +10 to minus 8 G's!

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds fly the CT-114 Tutor, a trainer jet built by Canadair in the 1960s, used for pilot training in Canada until 2000. A robust and manoeuvrable aircraft, the CT-114 Tutor is ideally suited to formation and aerobatic flying.

U.S. Army Golden Knights team has amazing parachute skill. The can do their best work at 12,500 feet above the earth's surface, racing to the ground and land on the same spot marked on the ground!

Flying in the sky.

Shockley's Jet Truck Born into a "need-for-speed" family, Kent Shockley was destined to become a part of motor sports entertainment. His father, Les, was a pioneer of jet-propelled racing. Kent furthered his father's concept when he came up with the idea to incorporate a semi tractor. Together, the two designed and built "ShockWave", a triple-engine, Peterbilt truck, capable of producing 36,000 hp at the speed of sound. The project took nearly two years to complete at the end, yielded a truck able to rival NASA space shuttle with it 3G's in acceleration power. Today, Kent showcased the truck's firepower at air shows nationwide, racing airplanes with its three Pratt & Whitney J34-48 engines, reaching speeds of more than 300 mph, while producing 19,000 lbs of thrust. The unique display has become one of the most popular acts in the industry, appearing on ABC Wide World of Sports, ESPN and ESPN 2.

The CH-46 Sea Knight was purchaed by the U.S. in 1964 for use in the Vietnam War. It is used by the Marine Corps to provide all-weather, day-or-night assault transport carrying combat troops, supplies and equipment. Capable of carrying up to 25 troops, it also provides assault support for evacuation missions and other special operations, over-water search and rescue assistance, refueling/rearming assistance and evacuation of wounded.

The CH-53 is a heavy transport unit. Loaded with weaponry, it can carry up to 16 tons. The Super Stallion is typically loaded with M198 howitzers weighting 16,000 lbs. or Light Armored Vehicles weighting 26,000 lbs. It is capable of retrieving downed aircraft, including another CH-53 and completing humanitarian missions. Two CH-53s were used in the rescue of Air Force Capt. Scott O-Grady in Bosnia in 1995. The versatility and range of the Super Stallion have made the helicopter invaluable to the military.