They are good. They are very good. My point was that much of what they do is taught in primary flight training in Pensacola (including aerobatics and close formation flying), and the satisfactory demonstration of these maneuvers is absolutely required to earn the wings of gold, even if you are going to be flying helicopters. (That is not meant to be a slam at the helo guys -- they have a whole different skill set that I'd not want to have to learn, such as hovering in white-out conditions during ugly winds.)
Look, the Blue Angels are simply good fighter pilots who are selected to do a PR role for one tour. There are dozens upon dozens of Navy fighter pilots who are at that skill level at any given time. You don't earn your wings, and you certainly don't get to strap on a Navy fighter, unless you are a very, very good pilot. Some of them are assigned to the Blue Angels. Some others are sent on to Top Gun. Others are sent back to Pensacola as flight instructors. Interesting trivia point. One must achieve a grade of 65% in ground school to be sent on to actually fly. "65 and fly" was our mantra. Upon graduation from primary, the top grades go jets, the next batch goes props, and those at the bottom of the class go rotary wing. On Sat, Apr 17, 2010 at 10:07 AM, harry watkins <harry...@bellsouth.net>wrote: > WOW, and to think, I always thought those guys had to be good, never > thought about its who you know. WOW. > > Harry > > > Wonko the Sane wrote: >> >>> Not to throw a damp blanket over the hype, but the Blue Angels are doing >>> nothing more than Flight School 101 maneuvers -- but in very expensive >>> jets. >>> Very good show, lots of "wow" factor, but not doing anything anyone with >>> a >>> "jet" license can't do. I tend to think that Blue Angels pilots are just >>> guys who are picked by the old-boys network to maybe an an admiral >>> someday. >>> >>> Sorry, folks, went to the same school as they did. >>> >> > > _______________________________________ > http://www.okiebenz.com > For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com > To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ > > To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: > http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com > -- When the gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers. -- Oscar Wilde _______________________________________ http://www.okiebenz.com For new and used parts go to www.okiebenz.com To search list archives http://www.okiebenz.com/archive/ To Unsubscribe or change delivery options go to: http://okiebenz.com/mailman/listinfo/mercedes_okiebenz.com
