Blue Angels - Victims of Budget Cuts?

[707guy]

Actually the demo "teams" are all instructors who volunteer to fly demos at shows in addition to their regular flying - same for the maintainers who travel to the shows. The aircraft are also not dedicated to the demo team but are whatever aircraft the squadron can spare for that weekend.

That being said - when I was with '15 in the late 80's the demo was a qual any fleet guy could get and I believe the requests for demos were handled by whoever had the time and optar to make it work.

IMHO the fleet aircraft demos are a "force-multiplier" in the sense that the Blues can only make 35 show sites a season whereas with fleet aircraft available on both coasts you reach a larger audience.

 

[MIDNJAC]

^^^ VFR Baby!

 

[phrogpilot73]

Why would you want to be on a demo team anyway? Static display is where it's at baby, no worrying about a pesky 12 hours bottle to flight planning rule!

 

[KBayDog]

Why would you want to be on a demo team anyway? Static display is where it's at baby, no worrying about a pesky 12 hours bottle to flight planning rule!

phrogpilto73: Captain of the East Coast Phrog Static Display Team.

 

[pilot_man]

Why? If anything, it's a waste to have a dedicated single-ship demo "team" for a fleet aircraft. They should be the first to get the axe. Fleet squadrons handle the Harrier demos; there is no dedicated demo team on either coast. It's a qual that fleet guys get. If we can source it from active duty gun squadrons with our deployment tempo, then so can the Navy.

"Hornet goes left, Hornet goes right, Hornet goes fast, Hornet goes slow" really needs a dedicated aircraft and aircrew? Really?

Yeah, there is no dedicated demo team for Hornets. It's just a qual that a few dudes at the RAG can get and then fly using RAG jets when needed. Harrier goes up, Harrier goes down. Who really gives a shit.

 

[KBayDog]

Harrier goes up, Harrier goes down.

Slight threadjack here: Had a Gator skipper (SWO-type) who wasn't too fond of Aviator-speak...particularly the word "Down" (when referring to an aircraft's maintenance status....especially the Harriers). I think that word raised the hair on the back of his neck - and, as an air-capable ship's skipper, I can understand where he was coming from.

Anyway, he'd call Primary and chew the Boss any time a pilot called and said his bird was "down," so good times were had over L/L as we (pilots, Flowers, and the Boss) tried to find clever euphemisms for the reason our aircraft were unable to launch, came back early, etc.

 

[phrogpilot73]

phrogpilto73: Captain of the East Coast Phrog Static Display Team.

I'll be signing autographs after the precision keg stand demonstration.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[squorch2]

Anyway, he'd call Primary and chew the Boss any time a pilot called and said his bird was "down," so good times were had over L/L as we (pilots, Flowers, and the Boss) tried to find clever euphemisms for the reason our aircraft were unable to launch, came back early, etc.

"my flying contraption is defunct, air master."

 

[Flying Toaster]

AF has just announced cutting all their demo teams with the exception of the Raptor and T-Birds. Makes perfect sense, since the F-35 is going to "replace" the F-15, F-16, and A-10 anyway, why not start prematurely like they did with the rest of the fleet...

http://www.acc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-111201-048.pdf

We face significant fiscal constraints and are making tough decisions about the
best ways to continue providing combat airpower to warfighting commanders, which is
what we do as the Air Force’s primary force provider.

One decision we’ve made is to sponsor one single-ship demonstration team for
the 2012 air show season, scaling back from the six teams we’ve historically sponsored
– A-10 East & West, F-16 East & West, F-15E and F-22.

For the 2012 season, we’re sponsoring our F-22 demonstration team to perform
at up to 20 shows. In addition to the F-22 demonstration team, the Thunderbirds are set
to complete a full season next year, and their schedule will be announced next week at
the International Council of Air Shows conference.

Reducing the number of single-ship demonstration teams will allow us to
reallocate more than 900 sorties to our wings so they can maximize their flying hours for
combat readiness training, offsetting some of the reduction we’ve seen in flying hours.
Most importantly, reallocating those sorties will provide an increase in more than 25
combat-ready fighter pilots – that’s a very good thing for our Nation and wise
stewardship of our limited resources.

The opportunity to showcase our aircrew at air shows around the country is
important – and we’re confident our Thunderbirds, F-22 demonstration team and Air
Force Heritage Flight Foundation will continue highlighting the extraordinary work of all
our Airmen.

 

[Recovering LSO]

"...we face significant fiscal constraints..."

like how to keep golf courses and gyms in better shape than the other services' operational facilities? The AF could cut enough from its MWR budget to run a medium sized country.

 

[Sapper!]

"...we face significant fiscal constraints..."

like how to keep golf courses and gyms in better shape than the other services' operational facilities? The AF could cut enough from its MWR budget to run a medium sized country.

No way they have the best stuff in all of Baghram and Kyrgistan (sp!?) then what would happen?! I keed i keed....

 

[707guy]

^^^ VFR Baby!

‎"Pugna Ama Arma Ferre!"

 

[phrogdriver]

"...we face significant fiscal constraints..."

like how to keep golf courses and gyms in better shape than the other services' operational facilities? The AF could cut enough from its MWR budget to run a medium sized country.

I doubt even the USAF MWR budget would be more than a drop in the bucket compared to hardware, and even flight hours. Let's be honest. Their bases are the way ours should be. While the the USAF goes overboard on some stuff, the Navy and USMC are penny wise and pound foolish as far as facilities and MWR. '60s-era buildings leak more heat and electricity than they actually use, for example. We bitch about fat bodies, but our gyms suck. We go all apeshit about environmental stuff, yet our recovery equipment and facilities are cromagnon-level.

 

[Recovering LSO]

Let's be honest.

there needs to be a tongue-in-cheeck emoticon here so sarcasm can be better detected.

for example. We bitch about fat bodies, but our gyms suck.

let's not get started on this one again. never met a fat-body who's excuse was the "gym isn't nice enough". all it takes are some running shoes and some time.

 

[Jim123]

let's not get started on this one again. never met a fat-body who's excuse was the "gym isn't nice enough". all it takes are some running shoes and some time.

For that matter, our much maligned commissaries sell an FDA-approved, fat-burning wonder drug known as "vegetables."