Although it's been twenty-six years since the Blue Angels flew over Toronto - I was nine - I distinctly remember smaller, faster planes.
Budget cuts?
Safety considerations?
...but no, the Navy just wanted the Marines to get there first. Four F/A-18's on a flyby almost directly overhead.
(Neither of these photos have been cropped.)
2 comments:
26 years ago the Blue Angels flew the A4 Skyhawk, a much smaller plane.
So they only looked like they were faster. It's an illusion, just like a huge cargo plane on approach looks like it's about to fall from the sky yet is going 200mph.
Length:
F18 = 56 feet
A4 = 40'
Wingspan:
FA-18 = 40'
A4 = 27'
Top speed:
F18 = Mach 1.8 (supersonic flight prohibited over land in populated areas)
A4 = 675 mph (subsonic)
The A4 has a tighter turn radius, which makes them look faster, too. In reality, the Blue Angels probably fly as fast as it's safe to do so, and not much has changed over the years but our perceptions.
Good to know, thanks.
While I understand the desire to showcase the latest and greatest - does the F-18 still count? - I have to say that the smaller, (relatively) slower planes do seem like a more practical choice. An uncle of mine flew F-18's for Australia, and I know that they're amazing planes, but putting them in front of an air show audience is a little like running Indy cars on a go-cart track.
Of course, my Canadian bias may be showing - our national acrobatics team flies very old, very subsonic Tutor trainers. With nine planes in the air, they are an impressive sight. Getting a chance to see the Snowbirds perform is a little like visiting Grandma at christmas - you never know if this is going to be the last chance....
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