Here's some great videos but this time featuring the Blue Angels and the Snowbirds(check out the line abreast loop roll ). The Blue Angels are shown in their complete show(minus the ground crew's performance) and Steve has labeled them in the correct sequence from what I can tell. Hope you enjoy!

http://www.stevesairshow.com/2006shows/ ... ideos.html

What a perfect high show for the Snowbirds! Thanks for the post. Steve does a great job recording.

I just got back from Toronto where I was at the CNE for two days. I got to see for the first time the Snowbirds call their show off two minutes into their routine due to weather.

Thanks to a great friend I had a private tour of the hangar where the Snowbirds were and two VIP tickets to the show. It was an awesome experience.


The view from a boardroom with tinted glass.
http://www.virtualsnowbirds.com/users/r ... droom2.jpg

From the opening of the hanger you can see in off to the left in the boardroom picture.
http://www.virtualsnowbirds.com/users/r ... BIRDS1.jpg

Cool takeoff sequence with the Diamond Half-Cuban. Almost looked like a Thunderbird Clover from the angle where the camera man was.

Did you guys notice how close #4 came to a collision in the "Echelon Parade" at 0:24?

I like the way they pitch break for landing in rapid succession. It looks cool! Also looked like #2 didn't get quite the pitch-up needed...

Steve's videos are great!

I'm going to try to make the Jacksonville airshow with the Blues at the end of October. Can't wait to compare the show to the Thunderbirds, especially the timing. Hollywood has his hair on fire and it will be interesting to compare how Cmdr. Foley maneuvers the Diamond around between maneuvers! This show is two weeks prior to Aviation Nation, so it will be a perfect opportunity to see both teams at the very end of the year (when they perform their best). Burner, you coming?

Also, for you Phoenix peeps. The Blues will be in Phoenix, Arizona the weekend prior (Oct 21-22). Just a heads up!

Got it 6. I plan on attending the one in Phx. Can't wait to see them. This is the only show in Phx this year. It will be neat to see the difference.

Convertible

I did notice that near collision LD ! I watched the entire show(not including Fat Albert) from beginning to end today. Did you notice that after the show opener when the diamond hit show center they break apart but there was no apparent call by the Boss? As they come out of the manuever you can hear the Boss and then there is silence and a sudden break by all of the pilots. I wonder how they do that or if perhaps there was a call but it didn't come over Steve's equipment?

Did you see how loose and aft the left outer pilot got in the line abreast loop?(track 11) Also, the right side pilot(I believe Blue Angels #2) really cupped in the roll.(track 3) All in all I really enjoyed watching the complexity of their show and would like to know how tight the timing is. I also really enjoyed the solos and all of their cool hits!

You can definitely tell the Blues are more fluid in the way the F/A-18's behave compared to the "stiffer" flight control system of the Vipers. Cupping, spacing etc is all part of any show and really showcases the difficulty these pilots go through every show at a different show site, different weather, air texture etc.

Did you notice the exit profiles for the Solo's after each pass? One of them (there are a few variations) goes something like this:

• 45 degree bank towards the crowd.
• Pull! 30 degrees nose high - Float.
• Roll wings level. Hesitate.
• Roll Left Inverted. Hesitate.
• Roll Left 270 degrees to Knife Edge. Hesitate.
• Roll wings Right to level once again and CLEAR.

Sounds like a bunch of fun, yeehaw! Btw, you can hear Dino teaching Merlin this in the "Year in the Life Of" DVD during a training season briefing. It may look like they improvise, but this is practiced and mastered too as anything you see in the show!

The Blues use less calls and more cadence typically with a few distinct pronunciations of a syllable in the right word compared to the Thunderbirds who "spell it out" in contrast over their comms. It's highly likely the scanner could have missed a bunch. Happens all the time if you're monitoring two or more freqs and in the instance you were talking about the Solo's would have just released their brakes and powered up for takeoff, so the scanner could have jumped freqs back and forth twice and basically missed both calls at worst.