Thunderbird Down

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Darrell
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Thunderbird Down

Post by Darrell »

One of the Thunderbirds crashed after today's air show after the AFA graduation. The pilot is okay:

http://gazette.com/thunderbirds-jet-cra ... le/1577424

http://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/02/th ... o-springs/

The plane appears to be largely intact, if a bit bent at the nose. I misspoke in the Memorial Day thread, I thought the commencement was Wednesday. The plane went down SE of the Springs, making an approach to the airport/Peterson AFB from the south, I assume. The crash site is actually in the same general area as the infamous 737 crash site from years ago.

Evidently a Blue Angel went down today as well, no word yet on the pilot in that incident.

ETA: The Blue Angel pilot went down with the plane, he didn't make it.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/06/02/us ... essee.html

:(
Eppur si muove--Galileo
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Netpackrat
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Re: Thunderbird Down

Post by Netpackrat »

Sounds as though the Blue rode his plane down to save people on the ground. I read elsewhere that it went in right next to an apartment complex.
Cognosce teipsum et disce pati

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randy
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Re: Thunderbird Down

Post by randy »

Damn.

I remember the day that almost the entire Thunderbirds team went into the Nevada desert.

This stuff is dangerous even in peacetime. People tend to forget that as they make it look so easy and effortless.
...even before I read MHI, my response to seeing a poster for the stars of the latest Twilight movies was "I see 2 targets and a collaborator".
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SoupOrMan
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Re: Thunderbird Down

Post by SoupOrMan »

Yep. Telling gravity to go pound sand for even a little while is a dangerous proposition no matter how often it listens to you.
Remember, folks, you can't spell "douche" without "Che."

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First Shirt
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Re: Thunderbird Down

Post by First Shirt »

The amazing thing is not that they augured in, it's that more of them haven't. I've seen both the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, and I'm astounded that they can find anyone to fly these things. Some people have more balls than brains!
But there ain't many troubles that a man caint fix, with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six."
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mekender
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Re: Thunderbird Down

Post by mekender »

First Shirt wrote:The amazing thing is not that they augured in, it's that more of them haven't. I've seen both the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, and I'm astounded that they can find anyone to fly these things. Some people have more balls than brains!
I am pretty sure that they pick the Blue Angels pilots by seeing which guy on the carrier will strap into the CO's chair on the bridge and try to make the whole carrier fly...
“I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform.” - Norman Thomas, a six time candidate for president for the Socialist Party, 1944
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JustinR
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Re: Thunderbird Down

Post by JustinR »

First Shirt wrote:The amazing thing is not that they augured in, it's that more of them haven't. I've seen both the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, and I'm astounded that they can find anyone to fly these things. Some people have more balls than brains!
No, that's not it at all. It's not about Maverick show-offs, it's about precision. They don't accept arrogant screw-ups into their ranks, where they might kill themselves or teammates. Watch some of the videos about the selection process, and then the practice sessions where they are all sitting in a conference room with their eyes closed, visualizing a practice run together, and getting the timing of their individual callouts/maneuvers JUST right. They are highly dedicated professional pilots that are able to do everything in their aerial show with very little margin for error, time after time, because they have practiced the hell out of it, not because they are macho.
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Netpackrat
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Re: Thunderbird Down

Post by Netpackrat »

What Justin said... A sure way to offend any aerobatic performer is to refer to what they do as "stunt" flying. The point is to practice and control things to the point where it becomes "boringly" routine.
Cognosce teipsum et disce pati

"People come and go in our lives, especially the online ones. Some leave a fond memory, and some a bad taste." -Aesop
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mekender
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Re: Thunderbird Down

Post by mekender »

JustinR wrote:
First Shirt wrote:The amazing thing is not that they augured in, it's that more of them haven't. I've seen both the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds, and I'm astounded that they can find anyone to fly these things. Some people have more balls than brains!
No, that's not it at all. It's not about Maverick show-offs, it's about precision. They don't accept arrogant screw-ups into their ranks, where they might kill themselves or teammates. Watch some of the videos about the selection process, and then the practice sessions where they are all sitting in a conference room with their eyes closed, visualizing a practice run together, and getting the timing of their individual callouts/maneuvers JUST right. They are highly dedicated professional pilots that are able to do everything in their aerial show with very little margin for error, time after time, because they have practiced the hell out of it, not because they are macho.
There was a show on TV a few years back about it and it is one hell of a rigorous process.
“I no longer need to run as a Presidential Candidate for the Socialist Party. The Democrat Party has adopted our platform.” - Norman Thomas, a six time candidate for president for the Socialist Party, 1944
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slowpoke
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Re: Thunderbird Down

Post by slowpoke »

I saw a lot about the thunderbird crash on antional and message boards, but o one mentioned the blue angel that crashed in TN the day before. He didnt make it.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/lo ... /85312838/
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