Sean Tucker Oracle Airshow

Bob

Only because they fly aircraft painted Blue.

Spent a year on Navy Exchange and found the average Navy Pilot could
not hold a candle to USAF Pilots.

The Navy does have a better PR organization then the USAF though, so
you may be brain washed )

Big John
AAC, USAF (Ret)
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On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 16:07:16 -0700, Bob Fry
wrote:

The Thunderbird show seems to emphasize "look at how cool our planes
are", and not "look at how skilled our pilots are".

If you want to see skilled pilots, you'll have to watch a Navy show.

"Gene Seibel" writes:
Thunderbirds have power, Snowbirds have skill, Blue Angels have both.

Heh. I saw the Blue Angels once in San Francisco. They put on a "show".

The planes went "ROAR"! Then they popped out of the fog, flew
straight overhead, and popped back into the fog. And repeat.

I'm sure it would have been cooler if the entire city wasn't blanketed
in low clouds and fog. (Apparently they decided to just do a bunch of
low passes instead of completely cancelling the show due to weather.)

Being from Toronto, I have seen the Snowbirds many times, and they
impress the hell out of me.

Chris
--
Chris Colohan Email: PGP: finger
Web: www.colohan.com Phone: (412)268-4751

Oh now Big John,
Sounds like alittle bit of Air Force jealousy there! All I will say is
I have never seen any Air Force pilot land a plane on a carrier at night
The Air Force has good pilots but I would give the edge to Navy and Marine
pilots who can land on a match stick at sea.

Patrick
student SPL
aircraft structural mech

"Big John" wrote in message
...
Bob

Only because they fly aircraft painted Blue.

Spent a year on Navy Exchange and found the average Navy Pilot could
not hold a candle to USAF Pilots.

The Navy does have a better PR organization then the USAF though, so
you may be brain washed )

Big John
AAC, USAF (Ret)
`````````````````````````````````````````````````` `````````````````````````````````````````````````

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 16:07:16 -0700, Bob Fry
wrote:

The Thunderbird show seems to emphasize "look at how cool our planes
are", and not "look at how skilled our pilots are".

If you want to see skilled pilots, you'll have to watch a Navy show.

"Big John" wrote in message
...
Bob

Only because they fly aircraft painted Blue.

Spent a year on Navy Exchange and found the average Navy Pilot could
not hold a candle to USAF Pilots.

The Navy does have a better PR organization then the USAF though, so
you may be brain washed )

Big John
AAC, USAF (Ret)

`````````````````````````````````````````````````` ``````````````````````````
```````````````````````

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 16:07:16 -0700, Bob Fry
wrote:

The Thunderbird show seems to emphasize "look at how cool our planes
are", and not "look at how skilled our pilots are".

If you want to see skilled pilots, you'll have to watch a Navy show.

The only advantage AF pilots have is 'holding their liquor'....sometimes.
:~)

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message ...
In a previous article, "Jay Honeck" said:
I've watched Tucker's incredible stunts for most of his airshow career, and
have always wondered when (not if) he was going to crash. The skill and
fortitude it has taken for him to remain alive -- while doing what he does
day after day -- is astounding.

A few years ago he was in an inverted spin when the crankshaft and prop
departed the aircraft. He recovered and dead-stick landed back on his
home airport.



He also broke his neck doing snap rolls (flick rolls) a few years back...

Big John wrote:

Bob

Only because they fly aircraft painted Blue.

Spent a year on Navy Exchange and found the average Navy Pilot could
not hold a candle to USAF Pilots.

The Navy does have a better PR organization then the USAF though, so
you may be brain washed )

Big John
AAC, USAF (Ret)

Gotta disagree with you Big John. Can't say any remarks about PR types, but, I've known plenty of fine
Air Force pilots, and they certainly have a lot of excellent pilots. But the Navy/Marine guys who land
on moving carriers at night are a special breed and a notch above. A carrier qualified naval aviator
who earns his living coming home to his ship in blue water doesn't play second chair to anyone in my
book. It's always fun to look at a Naval Air Station runway (getting harder and harder to find a pure
naval base these days as multibranch installations are becoming the norm.) and see all of the rubber is
on the same spot on the runway.

(And the Navy boys don't need a follow-me truck in front of them after they turn off the runway :-)

John

I'll add to your post and cover some prior.

Air Force Pilots on 'exchange' with the Navy, in tail hook Squadrons,
'trap' at night just like the Navy jocks do. EVERYONE cuts a lot of
donuts making night 'traps', especially in bad/marginal Wx.

The Navy Squadron I was with (VF-23) had 13 pilots and we killed 4 in
a year (peace time). None in a 'trap'.

In fact, there were no fatalities or accidents coming aboard.

Flying is a dangerous game and units deployed have a higher
probability of accidents than operating on shore even though we killed
3 of the four during work up.

I'm not belittling Navy Jocks (made a lot of friends the year I was
with them) , just not putting them on so high a pedestal. They put
their pants on one leg at a time just like Air Force Jocks )

On 'follow me' trucks. Navy uses deck handlers to guide the aircraft
after trapping, to their parking spot on the deck. Different system,
same results.

Big John
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On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 22:10:11 -0400, John wrote:

Big John wrote:

Bob

Only because they fly aircraft painted Blue.

Spent a year on Navy Exchange and found the average Navy Pilot could
not hold a candle to USAF Pilots.

The Navy does have a better PR organization then the USAF though, so
you may be brain washed )

Big John
AAC, USAF (Ret)

Gotta disagree with you Big John. Can't say any remarks about PR types, but, I've known plenty of fine
Air Force pilots, and they certainly have a lot of excellent pilots. But the Navy/Marine guys who land
on moving carriers at night are a special breed and a notch above. A carrier qualified naval aviator
who earns his living coming home to his ship in blue water doesn't play second chair to anyone in my
book. It's always fun to look at a Naval Air Station runway (getting harder and harder to find a pure
naval base these days as multibranch installations are becoming the norm.) and see all of the rubber is
on the same spot on the runway.

(And the Navy boys don't need a follow-me truck in front of them after they turn off the runway :-)

In a previous article, "W P Dixon" said:
Sounds like alittle bit of Air Force jealousy there! All I will say is
I have never seen any Air Force pilot land a plane on a carrier at night

And the first war that gets decided by who can land on a carrier at night,
I'll be sure and call on the Navy. Until then, I'll put my money on the
guys who spend their training time learning how to fight, not how to land.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"Harry very carefully read the manual - four times - because Snape would
cut off his breathing privs if he asked him a question that the manual
could answer..." -- Harry Potter and the Book Of The BOFH

In that case Paul,
You may need my old services..US Marine..we fought Didn't fly around
except as a Huey door gunner. Every marine is a trained infantryman/rifleman
FIRST!Anybody can fight when they don't see an enemy face to face. I've
never seen nor heard of the USAF launching a frontal assault on anything .
As for the carriers , that is only one skill. The Wings of Gold guys can
hold their own to anyone in air to air. I used to love going to WTI , big
wargame of different branches of service all having it out in simulated
combat. Even the Army would show up! They were all shot down the first
day..Lord it was so funny.
Those bright eyed and always on their toes Army guards..completely let a
bunch of marines take a big wooden crate onto their flight line, which we
attached a huge broom handle and put a cute piece of orange tape at the top
of it. Yep looked like a remote control! We set it in front of one of their
little Hughes jobs! I chuckle everytime I think of it!
I will hand it to Doolittle, he and his band were very skilled Air Corps
fellows to get off the carrier in those bombers...tip my hat to them. I also
think USAF security are some of the best in the world, we probably would not
have gotten our big remote control box on their flight line! But sorry ,
USAF pilots are just slightly below the Navy/Marines. And I was very very
impressed with the Royal Navy's Harrier Pilots. They are
outstanding,...thanks to the HMS Invincible for a great airshow off the
coast of Lebanon in the 80's.

Patrick
student SPL
aircraft structural mech

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
In a previous article, "W P Dixon" said:
Sounds like alittle bit of Air Force jealousy there! All I will say
is
I have never seen any Air Force pilot land a plane on a carrier at night


And the first war that gets decided by who can land on a carrier at night,
I'll be sure and call on the Navy. Until then, I'll put my money on the
guys who spend their training time learning how to fight, not how to land.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
"Harry very carefully read the manual - four times - because Snape would
cut off his breathing privs if he asked him a question that the manual
could answer..." -- Harry Potter and the Book Of The BOFH

"Chris Colohan" wrote in message
...

The Thunderbird show seems to emphasize "look at how cool our planes
are", and not "look at how skilled our pilots are".)

You obviously know little about the Thunderbirds my friend :-)

Dudley Henriques