See subject line. If two airshows were happening in your town, with one featuring the Blue Angels and the other featuring the Thunderbirds, which one would you choose to attend?
Their shows are essentially identical. I have no personal connection to either the Air Force or the Navy, so that wouldn’t decide it. So I’d pick based on the hardware - the pair of F404 engines in an F/A-18 are louder than the single F100 in an F-16, so that would make me pick the Blues.
Hands up: who thought this was about these Thunderbirds?
I used to love the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds shows but I’m not sure I could really say I prefer one or the other. They’re much of a muchness.
Naval aviators are infinitely superior to all other aviators, so ya gotta go the Blues.
And Fat Albert is freaking awesome.
I have a soft spot for the Thunderbirds, as that was the only military airshow that ever came to Anchorage (which has an AFB) when I was a kid. But after a career in the Navy, I’ve seen the Blue Angels many times and have to go with them. I have a vague memory of a Marine air team that involved Harriers, but can’t remember the name of it.
I’m former USAF. 'Nuff said.
They both put on a great show but the Blue Angels are more skillful, and it shows.
As a “USAF Retired”, I agree that Fat Albert is awesome. If I had to chose between seeing the two teams, I’d see the Blue Angels because of Fat Albert as the deciding factor.
Thunderbirds Are Go!
I’d wait for the Snowbirds but I’m biased. My dad was on the team when I was a kid.
I saw them at an airshow in Battle Creek several years ago, and was not impressed. They seemed to do a lot of unacrobatic passes over the crowd with all nine planes lined up in echelon formation. When you’re the ninth plane in line trying to maintain your station relative to the plane next to you, it’s hard to keep it steady - and it showed; those passes always seems shaky to me.
And then of course the aircraft themselves (CT-114) don’t have nearly the performance capabilities of an F-16 or F/A-18.
My wife calls them the Snowballs.
Thunderbirds.
But, neither one are as good as the Canadian Snowbirds. The Snowbirds have slower jets and put 9 airplanes in formation at once. It’s a much better show.
I am not Canadian.
The quality does shift from year to year as the team changes out (half the team each year) and the Team Lead decides what maneuvers to perform in that year’s show.
I’ve seen good shows and bad shows (mostly between '74 and '89) and I’ve always been impressed what they can pull in those little Tutor jets. Knowing that the outer jets are booking at full afterburner and the inner jets are going as slow as they can will full air brakes has always impressed me. I’ve always found them more interesting to watch than the newer/faster jets used by other teams.
Again, like I said, I do have a family bias.
I have stills I’ve taken of both the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels flying identical (diamond) formations and BA had the tighter group, so I guess they get the nod.
But yeah, I like the Snowbirds too.
I’m so old, I remember when the Thunderbirds flew F-100 Super Sabres.
I like the Air Force guys. And they’re based in Nevada.
I’ve seen the Thunderbirds in F-100s, F-105s, F-4s, T-38s & F-16s. And the Blues in F-11s, F-4s, & F-18s.
I’m biased of course, but in general I’ve found the Blue’s performance to be more edgy / thrilling, the T-birds more graceful / engaging. During the 3 years I was at Nellis I got to watch a lot of the T-Birds pre-departure and post-homecoming shows.
I’ve also seen the Blues come within a few inches of wrecking a jet during a show. I’ve never seen the T-birds come close.
I wish I were old enough to have seen them when they went supersonic. And they’re loud now.
I’ve seen the T-Birds numerous times, but never the BA, so I’d pick the BA.
I like the Snowbirds performance over the boom and zoom of the T-Birds or BA.
The Red Arrows put on a hell of a show, though. At least they did when I saw them in the 70s.