This is pretty insane.

WOW! Their hands must be as steady as those of a surgeon to keep the wingtips of these airplanes from banging into each other.

Totally amazing.

And I thought my home team, the Red Arrows were good.

The Red Arrows are indeed very good :-)
 

The action inside the Blues Diamond is anything but "steady". In fact the direct opposite is the case.
Each position has its own nuances but in common are the ever constant subtle power and control changes that are a must to maintain position. Lead can actually "feel" the slot in the Diamond if the slot is in position as slot's bow wave affects lead's trim.
The two wing positions require constant throttle changing as bank is introduced both in turns and in rolls.
There's a LOT of action going on and both the aircraft AND the pilots hands and feet are never still all during the team's display.

Hope this helps a bit with understanding.

Dudley Henriques

From the Blue Angels Website,

 

G-suits are designed with air bladders (pockets) that inflate and deflate to keep a pilot's blood from pooling in the pilots' legs while executing sharp, unpredicted combat maneuvers. Unlike combat flying, the Blue Angels demonstration pilots know the maneuvers they will fly prior to execution, so each pilot knows when one will be experiencing heavy gravitational forces. Anticipating the changes in gravitational forces allows the Blue Angels demonstration pilots to combat the G-forces with muscle contractions. In addition, the Boeing F/A-18's control stick is mounted between the pilot's legs. The Blue Angels have a spring tensioned with 40 pounds of pressure installed on the control stick that gives the pilot a "false feel." This allows the pilot minimal room for uncommanded movement. The pilots rest their right arms on their thighs for support and stability while flying. Therefore, inflating and deflating air bladders in a G-suit would interrupt this support and stability, causing uncommanded aircraft movement. In this case, G-suits would detrimentally impact flight safety.The closest the diamond will fly to each other is 18 inches during the Diamond 360 maneuver.

Thats an amazing video with even more amazing pilots doing what they do best - miss the blue angels flying since they shut down military air base next town over - Their airshows are awesome - thunderbirds also but the blue angels are my favorite

Have seen them fly numerous times.  I love listening to them on my scanner as the Lead talks through the routine.  Amazing that they maintain 3 feet wingtip to wingtip at 300 knots.  As noted above, no g-suits.   

When I was stationed at MCAS Yuma, Az, I would sometimes take a day off and go over to NAS El Centro to watch and listen to them practise. I never get enough of those guys!

When I was a LOT younger, like back in '69 or so, I saw them fly that Diamond formation, of F-4 Phantom II's this time, through the big blimp hangar there at Moffet Field, which I lived very close to at the time. Amazing control of such a big, heavy aircraft!   

Thanks for the video! I appreciate it a lot

Pat☺

I'd be interested to know how their heart rates during a display compare with those found during combat.

 

I remember reading about testing during the Vietnam conflict which showed that night time carrier landings gave a higher pulse rate than combat - I'm guessing that flying F18s less than two feet apart during a display is even more stressful than that!!

I'd be interested to know how their heart rates during a display compare with those found during combat.

 

I remember reading about testing during the Vietnam conflict which showed that night time carrier landings gave a higher pulse rate than combat - I'm guessing that flying F18s less than two feet apart during a display is even more stressful than that!!

I've worked closely with the Blues on several occasions. They have relayed the stress level to me based on their own research both mentally and physically as being about that felt by a professional football player playing a whole game.

Dudley Henriques

I'd be interested to know how their heart rates during a display compare with those found during combat.

 

I remember reading about testing during the Vietnam conflict which showed that night time carrier landings gave a higher pulse rate than combat - I'm guessing that flying F18s less than two feet apart during a display is even more stressful than that!!

Keep in mind that the extreme close formation proximity is not maintained throughout the Blues entire show routine. That proximity is restricted to the opening Diamond Banana Pass in front of the crowd.

The rest of the show is flown in close but not THAT close and proximity varies depending on the maneuver being performed. Each maneuver has it's own profile and all through the display the pilots are making extremely subtle changes in position within the formation.

Dudley Henriques

When I was stationed at MCAS Yuma, Az, I would sometimes take a day off and go over to NAS El Centro to watch and listen to them practise. I never get enough of those guys!

When I was a LOT younger, like back in '69 or so, I saw them fly that Diamond formation, of F-4 Phantom II's this time, through the big blimp hangar there at Moffet Field, which I lived very close to at the time. Amazing control of such a big, heavy aircraft!   

Thanks for the video! I appreciate it a lot

Pat☺

Pat;

I'm going to assume you were some distance away from this when you saw it. Most likely what you saw was the diamond low and behind the hangar as opposed to through it.

There are two reasons I have for saying this. First I don't recall any F4 team being releived and replaced during the F4 period for the Blues and that most certainly would have been the case had a team even attempted to fly through the Big Bertha hangar at Moffit. Actually that would have been the best scenario had this been tried. The result really would have been a disaster.

Secondly, it would have been impossible. Even 1 F4 trying this would probably not make it as the compression wave bouncing back on the aircraft from the hangar walls would have been quite unpleasant to the airplane :-)

A friend, Corky Fornof, actually did fly a BD5-J through a hangar for a Bond film. The stunt was highly coordinated with experts brought in to do the math on the compression wave problem. Windows had to be opened to specific parameters to relieve the pressue as Cork flew through the hangar. It was a VERY dangerous stunt and the BD5-J is a very small jet compared to an F4...let alone four F4's in a Diamond.

From a distance it is very easy to mistake the team flying through a hangar if they are low enough to dissapear behind the structure :-)))

 

Dudley Henriques

And yet, oddly, there isn't a single maneuver or formation the Angels perform that isn't considered standard AGM maneuvering or formation flying in the Navy/Marines. They may get a slight bit tighter in the formations, or more precise in their maneuvering, but there isn't a single Navy/MC Fleet qualified pilot that isn't pretty familiar and able to perform every single maneuver and fly every formation. Read up on this sort of thing in the FA-18 NATOPS, for example, and you will see what I mean.

A1-F18EA-NFM-000

CHAPTER 9

Special Procedures

9.1 FORMATION FLIGHT

9.1.1 Formation Taxi/Takeoff.

 

 

During section taxi, ensure adequate clearance between flight lead’s

stabilator and wingman’s wing/missile rail is maintained. The leader will take position on the

downwind side of the runway with other aircraft in tactical order, maintaining normal parade bearing.

See figure 9-1. For three aircraft formations, line up with the lead on the downwind side, number 2 on

the centerline, and number 3 on the upwind side. Wingtip/launch rail overlap should not be required

but is permitted if necessary. For four plane formations, line up with the lead’s section on the

downwind half of the runway and other section on the upwind half. When Before Takeoff checks are

completed and the flight is in position, each pilot looks over the next aircraft to ensure the speed brake

is retracted (spoilers down), the flaps are set for takeoff, all panels are closed, no fluids are leaking,

safety pins are removed, rudders are toed-in, nosewheel is straight, and the launch bar is up. Beginning

with the last aircraft in the flight, a “thumb up” is passed toward the lead to indicate “ready for

takeoff”.

9.1.1.1 Section Takeoff.

 

 

For section takeoff, all aspects of the takeoff must be prebriefed by the

flight leader, to include flap settings; use of nosewheel steering; power changes; power settings; and

signals for actuation of landing gear, flaps, and afterburner. Engines are run up to approximately 80%,

instruments checked, and nosewheel steering low gain ensured. On signal from the leader, brakes are

released and throttles are advanced to military power minus 2% rpm. If afterburner is desired, the

leader may go into mid range burner immediately without stopping at military power. Normal takeoff

techniques should be used by the leader, with the wingman striving to match the lead aircraft attitude

as well as maintain a position in parade bearing with wingtip separation. The gear and flaps are

retracted on signal. Turns into the wingman shall not be made at altitudes less than 500 feet above

ground level.

9.1.2 Aborted Takeoff.

 

 

In the event of an aborted takeoff, the aircraft aborting must immediately

notify the other aircraft. The aircraft not aborting should add max power and accelerate ahead and out

of the way of the aborting aircraft. This allows the aborting aircraft to steer to the center of the runway

and engage the arresting gear, if required.

9.1.3 Parade.

 

 

The parade position is established by superimposing the front of the wingtip missile

rail over the pilot’s headbox. Superimposing the two establishes a bearing line and step down. Proper

wingtip clearance is set by reference to the exhaust nozzles. When the left and right nozzles are aligned

so that there is no detectable curve to the nozzles, the reference line is correct. The intersection of the

reference line with the bearing line is the proper parade position. See figure 9-2.

Parade turns are either standard (VFR) or instrument turns. During day VFR conditions, turns

away from the wingman are standard turns. To execute, when lead turns away, the wingmen roll the

aircraft about its own axis and increase power slightly to maintain rate of turn with the leader. Lateral

separation is maintained by increasing g. Proper step down is maintained by keeping the lead’s fuselage

on the horizon.

Turns into the wingmen and all IFR or night turns in a parade formation are instrument turns.

During instrument turns maintain a parade position relative to the lead throughout the turn.

A1-F18EA-NFM-000

III-9-1 ORIGINAL

 

 

 

Is just one page as an example from the FA-18E/F NATOPS. ALL these guys must be fully qualified and requaled every month, I think, in all phases of AGM and Formation flight.

I don't mean to try to belittle the Angels, Red Arrows, Thunderbirds, or any other precision flight team, and I do love to watch them perform, don't get me wrong, but having said all that, I also don't want the skills and abilities of the rest of the Nasal Radiator's capabilities to be slighted either...

With my apologies to the Pilots, it's a force of habit from the good old days

Pat☺

During my exposure to the teams the process was as follows.

 

Pilots seeking a slot for both the Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels were selected from the existing pilot pool then went through a familiarization process where they traveled with the team allowing both sides of the equation to take a good look at the other and what's involved when the team is on the road. When selection was finalized, the selectees were integrated into the team mission and into their assigned positions.

The maneuvers flown are already known and flown by all selectees to the team. However there are subtle changes unique to the team mission that the new pilots have to be shown and practiced before officially flying a show position.
So it is accurate to say the team maneuvers are "in the book", but the "book" has been slightly "revised" to suit the team mission.

Dudley Henriques

Thanks, Dudley! You're probably right about Moffet Field. Bear in mind, I was 9 years old, and in a huge crowd of adults, all packed as close to the flight line as they would allow at the time. My memory from back then is NOT perfect, by a far cry! Also, it's been well documented that the eye-witness is the very worst possible choice for such things, Legal system opinions to the contrary. Show 10 people the same scene, and you will get 10 widely varying stories about the identical scene

Again, thanks for correcting the memory of a 9 y/o plane enthusiast

 

Pat☺

Thanks, Dudley! You're probably right about Moffet Field. Bear in mind, I was 9 years old, and in a huge crowd of adults, all packed as close to the flight line as they would allow at the time. My memory from back then is NOT perfect, by a far cry! Also, it's been well documented that the eye-witness is the very worst possible choice for such things, Legal system opinions to the contrary. Show 10 people the same scene, and you will get 10 widely varying stories about the identical scene

Again, thanks for correcting the memory of a 9 y/o plane enthusiast

 

Pat☺

You are totally correct on the eye witness scenario. Working an aircraft accident investigation you would be absolutely amazed at the various "recolections" from the eye witnessess. The angles of course are all different which causes various errors in perspective and that's only the beginning of the possible errors.

Your memory is most likely a lot better than mine really. I just might be able to recall what I had for breakfast this morning :-)))

Dudley Henriques