Re: Blue Angel low pass over SF Bay at almost(?) mach 1

muff528 wrote:
"Dudley Henriques" <dhenriques@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:5smdneFeU_SRG7_anZ2dnUVZWhednZ2d@xxxxxxxxxx
Vaughn Simon wrote:
"Dudley Henriques" <dhenriques@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:uYqdnfo4bu3a67_anZ2dnUVZ_rLinZ2d@xxxxxxxxxx
Great pass. Quite frankly I'm surprised they got authorization to do it.
I did not catch it this year, but the Blue Angels SF show is an amazing thing. It will awe and thrill any aviation buff, and is well worth the trip to experience. And quite frankly, I am surprised (and cautiously delighted) that it still happens. It is the only place that I have seen an airshow happen right over the heads of thousands of people. The crowd thins only a bit when you get past the water's edge. There are so many boats on the bay, one could almost walk from boat to boat.

There is a sort of mutual love affair between SF and the Navy. ...and yes, like lovers everywhere, they have the occasional spat.

Vaughn
Some of the best shows with the teams were during the early days when out of restrictive airspace.
The Thunderbirds did one at Okinawa in the F100's that had Herman Salmon flying the solo out over the ocean where he was "forgotten" by the crowd; (all air force and AF civilian base personnel)
The Diamond sequenced with the Diamond Roll and exited the show line. Fish timed the entry exactly right. He came in low from the ocean 90 degrees in back and behind the crowd. He timed it to go supersonic just as he crossed over their heads at about 500 feet. It was like a cannon went off. Nearly everybody hit the ground flat as he passed over them. They were taken completely by surprise. Nobody knew he was coming!
To this day, they talk about Fish's super pass at Okinawa.
Can't do this stuff any more. I have to admit it's a lot safer not to do it, but I'll tell you as well; there just ain't NOBODY ALIVE today who was there that day who will tell you they would have rather not been there as Fish "opened the show"
DH

--
Dudley Henriques


I was at this show in 1956 at Bartow Air Base, Florida. Not quite 6 years old but I remember it very well.
I think this was F-100C. Also a very low surprise pass that no one expected and quite a shock to all who were there.

http://home1.gte.net/res0f19c/pics/Mach1F100.jpg

BS, TP


That would be Bill Pogue's airplane. Bill flew the slot and solo in the 100 from 55 through 57.
Bill flew on Jax Broughton's (Thud Ridge) F100 team. Jax is still alive and well the last I heard. He recovered from a heart attack last year and is out in California recovering. We shared a few emails as of early this year.

--
Dudley Henriques
.

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