Thunderbird Callsigns

Velo · Post by **Velo** » Tue Apr 12, 2011 5:07 pm

They will be flying in a few weeks at both my home airport at my workplace. Luckily for me, they will be on our ramp and I will be working. Will try to get some pictures.

Blaze · Post by **Blaze** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:55 pm

Beaker · Post by **Beaker** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 3:54 pm

BIL or B/L and Apollo?

Apollo... what is this, Battlestar Galactica?

Post by **Teej** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:04 pm

Those are what we thought we saw in some earlier seen video...but it's not clear enough to call confirmed. "B/L" is especially odd. Heh.

Post by **Lawndart** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 4:25 pm

Teej wrote:"B/L" is especially odd. Heh.

Not necessarily... go back to '07-08 and with Deuce's callsign "D bal".

Post by **Lawndart** » Fri May 06, 2011 12:20 am

Great photo of Apollo by Staff Sgt Richard Rose Jr. Some really nice detail of the new MBU-20/Ps.

Only one more to go...

Blaze · Post by **Blaze** » Fri May 06, 2011 10:48 am

Nice shot! I'm really starting to like how the MBU-20/Ps look on them.

OT: Looks like the headrest on the Aces II is painted too. Link

Post by **Lawndart** » Fri May 06, 2011 10:59 am

Nice catch!

Looks like there's some writing at the top too.

Blaze · Post by **Blaze** » Fri May 06, 2011 3:00 pm

Looks like the callsign.

STRIKER · Post by **STRIKER** » Fri May 06, 2011 3:08 pm

New oxygen masks look retarded on that older style helmet. They probably just ran out of the older ones. They don't look proportionally right. I fly with the new ones and they are nice though.

Tbirds did an OK show at Beale. Still spread out as heck and the team is definitely in early season of flying, but I look forward to hanging out with them again soon.

GO PATRIOTS! 6 SHIP!

Post by **Teej** » Fri May 06, 2011 3:40 pm

Blaze wrote:Looks like the callsign.

Dunno about that. On 6's, the script on the headrest starts with an L.

Blaze · Post by **Blaze** » Fri May 06, 2011 3:43 pm

Yeah, but on 2's it really looks like "Motor."

Post by **Lawndart** » Fri May 06, 2011 3:46 pm

Teej wrote:Dunno about that. On 6's, the script on the headrest starts with an L.

Not to go too far off topic here and I didn't want to say anything, but I was thinking "Liberty" when I first looked at it... (Remember how the crew chiefs add their personal touch to the jets by writing inside various access doors...).

STRIKER wrote:New oxygen masks look retarded on that older style helmet. They probably just ran out of the older ones. They don't look proportionally right. I fly with the new ones and they are nice though.

Tbirds did an OK show at Beale. Still spread out as heck and the team is definitely in early season of flying, but I look forward to hanging out with them again soon.

The Thunderbirds always get the oldest equipment, so it wouldn't be amiss that they're using whatever is available to them to complete their mission as far as the helmets and masks go.

The team looks a lot sharper early on this year compared with recent years and they typically don't change from spread to diamond (for certain segments of the demo) until summertime, so everything is as it should be right now. Only by the end of the year is there usually a chance you'd see 'em fly the Delta in diamond.

Tailhook · Post by **Tailhook** » Mon May 16, 2011 2:38 am

I am pretty sure it is just BIL.

Post by **Lawndart** » Fri Jan 13, 2012 1:23 pm

Added #1 and #8 for 2012.

It'll be interesting to see if #6 starts the season with a new callsign, too.