|
Blue Angels RETURN TO PENSACOLA BEACH JULY 9-12
It's that time of year again - time to get revved up for the 2008 Red, White & Blues Week, the largest annual event on Pensacola Beach.
Visitors and residents from the region flock to Pensacola Beach for food, fireworks, free concerts and two air shows featuring civilian and military aircraft and Pensacola's own Blue Angels.
The week kicks off with the Blues flying Circle & Arrival maneuvers at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, July 9 and continues with a practice session at 2 p.m. on Thursday, July 10.
The full dress rehearsal begins at noon on Friday, July 11 and includes Aeroshell Aerobatics, Vortex Aerobatics, Gary Ward, Julian MacQueen, a Search-and-Rescue (SAR) demonstration by the U.S. Coast Guard and, of course, the Blue Angels flying Fat Albert (C-130) and F/A-18 Hornets. The main event, the Pensacola Beach Air Show, starts at noon Saturday, July 12.
The U.S. Coast Guard, in coordination with the Air Force Parachute Water Survival School, will perform a Search-and-Rescue (SAR) demonstration for spectators in their HH-65 Dolphin, a twin-engined, single main rotor, MEDEVAC-capable helicopter. Air Force personnel will parasail above Gulf waters and drop more than 500 feet, and Coast Guard pilots and rescue swimmers will demonstrate the rescue techniques used to save the lives of people in peril on the water.
Fat Albert, a C-130 Hercules, has tricks of its own to impress the audience, such as the rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO) at a steep 45-degree angle. This maneuver allows passengers and the support crew to float weightlessly for seconds as the plane levels off.
The Blue Angels never fail to impress crowds with thrilling passes, maneuver and rolls in F/A-18 Hornets. The Blue Angels' highest maneuver, the vertical rolls, are performed by the Opposing Solo (up to 15,000 feet) and the lowest is the Sneak Pass (50 feet) performed by the Lead Solo. The fastest speed during the show is about 700 mph (just under Mach 1; Sneak Pass) and the slowest speed is about 120 mph (indicated speed; Section High Alpha), both flown by the solo pilots.
At the end of the routine, all six aircraft join in the Delta formation. After a series of flat passes, turns, loops and rolls performed in this formation, they execute the team's signature "fleur-delis" closing maneuver.
|
|
