Thunderbirds or Blue Angels

[seaninsa]

I have seen the Tbirds perform at two different shows and I saw the Blues three days at Miramar. I have to say I like the Blues better. The Tbirds take forever to get up in the air. Has anyone else notice this? I also find their music kind of annoying. The narrator for the Blues is also better. Would love to hear what others have to say.

[Realbigtaco]

I have seen the Tbirds perform at two different shows and I saw the Blues three days at Miramar. I have to say I like the Blues better. The Tbirds take forever to get up in the air. Has anyone else notice this? I also find their music kind of annoying. The narrator for the Blues is also better. Would love to hear what others have to say.

I will 100% agree with you, the Blues are WAY better.  When you see on the schedule 2pm – ground show, 2:30 – air show, you know there is something wrong there.  And this is a very dated subject here we've been talking about this for ages.  And the time is one of the major reason people like the Blues better.  From march out to wheels up you are looking at about 10 minutes max for the blues.  I've seen the T'birds take 35 minutes before (and this was without malfunction, if you want to factor that in one year at March we waited 45-50 minutes for them to taxi out, then #5 taxi back to swap planes then taxi back out).  I think one of the other things I've noticed is that the Blues show just seems to flow better.  During the T'Birds the have some big lulls in there show. 
The funny thing is, is that some of us just so adamant about how much better the Blues are that it kind of skews you opinion of the Birds.  Nate can attest to this, but last year at Aviation Nation practice day we were nit picking these guys so much and saying stuff like "the Blues were better then this at Winter training (which might have been true....)".  Then it dawned on me that these guys might be the 2nd best air team in the world and here we are dogging them.  I guess when it comes down to it they are both stellar teams, and what the men and women of both these teams do is indescribable, but growing up in Fightertown U.S.A. i'm more partial to the boys in Blue and Gold.

[kick Z tail out]

You just now noticed? Just kidding.

Yep, the T-Birds are notorious for wasting 20+ minutes waiting to take off. An Air Force defender once got butt hurt at my comments and said that the Air Force has strict EOR checks that must be made. Which still didn't do much to disprove my comment that the Blues are way faster. They taxi down and within 2 or 3 minutes of hitting the runway they're starting the show. The Thunderbirds lose the attention of half the crowd before they even leave the ground. In the last few years I started paying attention to the crowd and you hear a LOT of grumbling and complaining from the general attendee.

Thunderbird's narration does typically seem to lean towards the effeminate as well.   No offense intended to any T-Bird fans here!

And my last criticism is of the flying itself... I've seen many shows where you could drive a semi truck through their diamond formation. They don't come close to the Blue's formation skills.

[kick Z tail out]

I will 100% agree with you, the Blues are WAY better.  When you see on the schedule 2pm – ground show, 2:30 – air show, you know there is something wrong there.  And this is a very dated subject here we've been talking about this for ages.  And the time is one of the major reason people like the Blues better.  From march out to wheels up you are looking at about 10 minutes max for the blues.  I've seen the T'birds take 35 minutes before (and this was without malfunction, if you want to factor that in one year at March we waited 45-50 minutes for them to taxi out, then #5 taxi back to swap planes then taxi back out).  I think one of the other things I've noticed is that the Blues show just seems to flow better.  During the T'Birds the have some big lulls in there show. 
The funny thing is, is that some of us just so adamant about how much better the Blues are that it kind of skews you opinion of the Birds.  Nate can attest to this, but last year at Aviation Nation practice day we were nit picking these guys so much and saying stuff like "the Blues were better then this at Winter training (which might have been true....)".  Then it dawned on me that these guys might be the 2nd best air team in the world and here we are dogging them.  I guess when it comes down to it they are both stellar teams, and what the men and women of both these teams do is indescribable, but growing up in Fightertown U.S.A. i'm more partial to the boys in Blue and Gold.

Haha yep. The Thunderbirds have their moments (wish they would return to their 80s glory, they used to be rock solid!) where they look crisp, it's just unfortunately few and far between. I am a reformed Thunderbirds fan... now a big fan of the Blue and Gold.

Speaking of which... as much as I love the Blue and Gold jets, I must say that I still think the Thunderbirds have the better paint job. 

But again on the flying note, it's pretty sad that watching the Thunderbirds fly their homecoming show (Nellis) at the END of their season, they were 10 times more loose and sloppy than the Blues were in the middle of Winter Training. That really says something.

In the end though, obviously the pilots on the Thunderbirds are skilled aviators and would kick some major tail in a dogfight. And that's what really matters! They are all defenders of our freedom and joking, ribbing, and criticisms aside I am in debt to them for what they do.

[Wombat_1]

Awwww C'mon!!! This is a no brainer! The Blues fly the F-18 Hornet. Go figure!!!

[rander]

I saw the Blue Angeles at El Sweato in march  and again at The Great Minnesota Air Show in june. I also saw the Thunderbirds at The duluth Air And Aviator Expo. The Thunderbirds Flew into Duluth with #2 sick. The #2 did not Fly all weekend and left me feeling a bit cheated in the end.  Toward the end of the Thunderbirds performance did #5 move into the #2 slot in the diamond. The Thunderbirds look like they fly with a greater wingtip to canopy separation. May be 4 feet or more..

The Blue Angels Performed Flawlessly at the El Centro Air Show under clear a sunny skys. The weather at St Cloud Minnesota was a bit more trying. When the Blues  took off under mostly sunny skys the first half was a HIGH show. The weather moved in quickly and the Blues did the last 1/3 of their show as a LOW show  with out even batting an eyelash. Not even a hint of an interuption in the routine. Still a very impresssive air show under difficult weather conditions.  THe Blues fly 18 inches apart!

My vote is For the Blue Angels.  OOOOOORRRAAAAHHHH!!!!  

[seaninsa]

In the end though, obviously the pilots on the Thunderbirds are skilled aviators and would kick some major tail in a dogfight. And that's what really matters! They are all defenders of our freedom and joking, ribbing, and criticisms aside I am in debt to them for what they do.

Not calling into question if they are skilled. They have more skill then I will ever have in flying.

Does anyone find that music they use at the beginning annoying? It is kewl for about the first 2 mins and then gets old. When I was the Wings over Houston show the lull in the show made people want to leave. I think the fastest getting up in the air are the Snowbirds. To bad they can't perform those checks while another act is up and then when introduced them are off and up doing their thing.

[kick Z tail out]

Not calling into question if they are skilled. They have more skill then I will ever have in flying.

Not saying you were... it was meant to take the edge of of what I said in case any Thunderbirds fans get offended.

[aero-engineer]

In my opinion, Boss McWherter has had the Blues in top form the last two years.  Best I've seen since the early 90s.

Also, the F-18 is a much larger aircraft than the F-16. I think this makes the F-18 diamond manuevers more impressive than the T-birds.

I was a Blues fan in the early 90s, then became a T-bird fan in the late 90s and 2000s, but have come back around to the Blues.

Yes, the T-birds have really extended that "ground show" and I agree, it is too long now.  Yes, the T-birds don't fly as close as they used to anymore either.

Right now, I prefer the Blues to the T-birds.

Kevin
aero-engineer

[Code20photog]

Put 9 planes in the air and come talk to me.

Red Arrows.

[seaninsa]

I guess you are referring to the Snowbirds?

[nmcbride]

I guess you are referring to the Snowbirds?

http://www.raf.mod.uk/reds/

[Midnight Mover]

Snowbirds fan myself