t-birds 2006

[SCEPTER]

does anyone care?

http://www.airrace.org

[Leo]

Re: t-birds 2006

Aw Cmon, their not that boring, and they do bring in the non-race fan crowds which = more fans=more money.
My best view of them last year was actually form my back yard. They did some of the form ups out my way and were LOW. Just happened to be home at that time Thur and Fri, it was worth it!

[wolfee]

Re: t-birds 2006

hehe yeah there really not to bad at all from my last vantage point either.

I was at the end of the runway helping to recover and take fuel samples of the Biplanes when one of the solo guys took off.
One second I was under a Pits. the next I was on my back looking strait up the exaust of an F16 going strait up with after burner! :shocked

Now this was a few years back. I think I was about 15 or so.

[racersedge]

Re: t-birds 2006

i care....... period.

[Leo]

Re: t-birds 2006

Since we're reminiscing...
Years ago I went down to Moffet to see the Blues. It got late, and one of the people I was with wanted to go. We took the shuttle back to the parking, me whining about it (even tho I was almost 30). Standing next to the car, we were in the turnaround area for most manuevers, they kept flying right over our heads, the solos looking down on us from what seemed like no more than 100 feet. AWESOME! It was all we got to see of the show (the rest was out of our sight) but we all still talk about it to this day.
And the T-birds, watching my brother come unglued a few years ago when the sneak pass surprised him was wrth years of watching the rest.

[Tin Man]

Re: t-birds 2006

Used to be the same with the Blues at Fleet week in SF. All the locals would anchor their boats on the southwest side of Treasure Island cause the Blues would use the white Hospital as a visual and rejoin point. I swear they would look down at you and smile as they whizzed buy at a couple of hundred feet. Didn't happen this year, they were all over the place.

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: t-birds 2006

One second I was under a Pits. the next I was on my back looking strait up the exaust of an F16 going strait up with after burner!

That's what it's all about.. ain't life grand!!!!

[AirDOGGe]

Re: t-birds 2006

When they flew at Moffett in the A-4s the Blues diamond formation made low passed directly over my house during some maneuvers.

Loved it, but one of my cats didn't. He literally got the **** scared out of him when they did (I know, because I had to personally clean the mess from under my bed afterwards). The F-18s rarely flew that close though.

I too enjoy the Blues and T-birds when they come to Reno. The formation flying skills they demonstrate blows me away every time. Snowbirds too.

[jason]

Re: t-birds 2006

Don't forget the T Birds will have a female pilot in 06

[deepsky]

Re: t-birds 2006

I can't think of a single reason, not to like the T-birds!

[Race 29]

Re: t-birds 2006

Don't forget the T Birds will have a female pilot in 06

I haven't been able to find anything official from the USAF about this. Their web site still has the '05 crew up. Capt. Angela Johnson is the only female listed as part of the officers lineup. She's the public relations Officer. If I remember right, they've had female PR Officers in the past that didn't make the team the following year (I worked directly with one in the late 80's).

Don't get me wrong, I honestly believe that having a woman on the team would be an awesome recruting tool, and is SEROUSLY overdue considering all of the great women pilots out there now. I just haven't seen anything of it this year so far. I'm hoping I've just been looking on the wrong web sites.

Race 29

[Stevo]

Re: t-birds 2006

Here ya go Race 29. Word around the campfire is that the Thunderbirds have made it very clear that they (The Thunderbirds) are a Team. No one is to be singled out for special treatment, ie: separate interviews because they just happen to be the first female pilot in Thunderbird history.

[Propellerhead]

Re: t-birds 2006

I can't think of a single reason, not to like the T-birds!

Oh yeah, here's one: <rant> The hokey canned narration. I really hated the way they kept breaking up the music and the over-reliance on celebrity testimonials. Bring back the LIVE narrator please!!! Oooh, Larry King is impressed by T-Birds, BFD. Granted, the Snowbirds are a different act entirely, but their audio program was tasteful and not annoying.</rant>

Rob

[AirDOGGe]

Re: t-birds 2006

Being out at the fenceline most of the time, I had my radio tuned to the T-bird flight leader's broadcasts . Did anyone else hear him this year?

His calls to his team-mates during maneuvers was very entertaining and not done in the usual monotone voice you hear from military airshow teams, almost melodic ("going UP...............little MORE pulllllllllllllllllll...........Little MORE pullllllllllllllllll............Little MORE pullllllllllllllllllllll......").

I wish I had the set-up to have taped it at the time. He drew a lot of smiles out there. I've never heard a flight leader (blues, T-birds, snowbirds, etc...) make calls like that before.

[hattend]

Re: t-birds 2006

Being out at the fenceline most of the time, I had my radio tuned to the T-bird flight leader's broadcasts . Did anyone else hear him this year?

His calls to his team-mates during maneuvers was very entertaining and not done in the usual monotone voice you hear from military airshow teams, almost melodic ("going UP...............little MORE pulllllllllllllllllll...........Little MORE pullllllllllllllllll............Little MORE pullllllllllllllllllllll......").

I wish I had the set-up to have taped it at the time. He drew a lot of smiles out there. I've never heard a flight leader (blues, T-birds, snowbirds, etc...) make calls like that before.

There was a program on Discovery (or Military Channel) called "A Year in the Life of the Blue Angels" (or something close to that). It was a 4 part/hour program on how a new pilot is chosen and how the training goes. THe Blues leader is the same way...a little more puuuuuulllllll. They even do it at the show brief table. They fly the whole routine at the briefing table.

Don