I am a retired US NavyY Aviation Maintenance Chief with two tours in FA-18 Hornets. As I watched the podcast when they started lifting the hornet off the trailer I kept saying No, No and No. Each aircraft has designated hoist points when lifting the aircraft using a crane. I don't know what the hell these people were thinking when they decided to wrap one of the hoisting straps under the nose of the fuselage. The aircraft probably suffered structural damage. I know this aircraft will be put on static display but my point is if you dont know what you are doing just ask a SME. That is why the aircraft was not balanced the entire time they started the lift.
As someone who had been involved in Depot Level maintenance for many years now, my hat is off to you guys at Frontier of Flight. It is amazing what you did 4 days.Re-winging is always a delicate job, but you did it like pros.It would be cool to be able to plug it in to ground power occasionally to see the cockpit displays light up. Great video!
Thanks for sharing this video. I saw the Blue Angels for the first time at Luke Air Force Base in 2018. Wouldn’t be surprised if this is one of the same Hornets that I saw in person.
Growing up on Pensacola Beach and friends with actual blue angel pilots it’s my favorite jet fighter of all time. Even though my uncle retired as a general flying the F-16. I was watching a video this morning on our local news and and there was an F-18 from the Blue Angels on or at Bell Chase Louisiana. Which is awesome because my uncle was a Colonel and flew the A-10 warthog there. Randall Falcon.
I was in VT-6 in the same hanger as the Blue Angles. I did some work for them one weekend and they gave me an autographed picture of the Blues. 1970. One of my most prized possessions.
I have so much Love for the Older F-18’s, I worked on them in a Marine Fighter Squadron in the 80’s before this one was built. The best part is one of the Ladies i served in the same Unit with on Active duty, also served with the Blues after i got out. Now She sits in the Kalamazoo Air Musuem on display and I go see her when I can!!!! She is currently painted as a VMFA-251 Thunderbolts A/C (not who I served with) She is Beautiful.... This video brings back great memories, Thanks for sharing...
The MEM airport is installing with a concourse rehab, automatic plane marshalling units like this that work autonomously over a wifi link. Then they return to a docking station to recharge their batteries. They are programmed with a path, and have sensors / cameras that check for obstructions and clearances during operation.
Wow, I actually saw this on the interstate a few weeks ago and told my wife it was probably going to some museum somewhere. never imagine it would be in my area.
Man! This terrific, getting up close to these gorgeous machines, almost as if you're one of the team! Just like the flying, the transport and hoisting of the F/A 18 - Hornet goes pretty much like smooth clockwork! In the Blue Angels' paint scheme, each of these planes are beautiful aerial masterpieces!
@@MoctezumasRevenge1 yeah the engines don't matter for museum aircraft (probably better without so less to worry about fluid leaks) and cost a few million each, probably cheaper for the museum to buy the aircraft without, and the navy, if they can't reuse the engine in another jet can sell it to a foreign partner. Also if not purely a economical decision probably maybe part of the decommissioning regulations (they don't always make logical sense)
So cool. I saw this rig at a truck stop off i20 in Tyler and took pictures with it and everything. The driver was very polite and patient with me being a jet nerd. Awesome to know where it was going and why.
God bless all the men and women who engineered, built, flew, and maintained these amazing aircraft! Thank you for the great memories watching you perform at all the air shows! God speed to the men and women who were lost in this airplane! Looking forward to seeing the Super Hornets into the future! Thank you again to all of you involved! My favorite place in the world is Pensacola, and the beaches of Florida and Alabama and seeing the Blue Angels coming home to Pensacola from El Centro winter training grounds a sight this 52 year old man will NEVER FORGET!!
F18 its absolutly amazing plane, i see this on live in Poland Radom Air Show (possible 2008 yer, not renember exactly) sorry for my english . I love Mig 23 and F18 tooo ;) .
Blue angel #4 just arrived here in Hawaii a month ago. It's on display at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. Freaking awesome. They actually let spectators watch them put it back together. My son and I stayed for a few hours watching. Lol.
I'm surprised the crane operator didn't use a spreader on the front of the jet when picking it up. I see where there's a bend in the wing where the straps squished the plane, come on guys! If they were relocating it to fly again I would guess that would be a $20,000,000 repair bill.
What number is it? 1 went to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington. 5 went to the Hickory Avation Museum in North Carolina. The Legacy 7 Hornet is still with the team. This is the teams only Legacy Hornet left now but it is flying out to a few more locations before retirement. The double seat Super Hornet had arrived but I think it still needs some last minute checks before it’s ready. 3 4 and 6’s whereabouts are unknown.
@@stingerveteran1982 Noooooo!!! Boneyard?! The horror. Seriously now, I'm a tax payer and have been most of my life and all I'm asking is for a freakin' HORNET IN MY FRONT YARD!! Am I asking for too much? I think not.
I just found out number 4 (not this one, this was originally 2) went to Yankee Air Museum in Michigan. Unfortunately I guess 3 and 6 are the ones that were not so lucky....
I was stationed on board the Lexington in Pensacola when he was assigned to the Blues. 86 was the first year of the hornet to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation.
YESSS!!! I was squirming in my seat when I saw they were peeling off that original number. Perhaps they have some good reason for it, but to me it just feels very sacrilegious to change anything about the identity of this honored warrior and protector. If she was good enough for you to want her in the museum, then I think she's good enough as she was the last time she settled from the heavens back to the Earth.
In honor of Lcdr Pat Walsh who is from Dallas, TX. But Im sure he didnt actually fly that particular Hornet BuNo though. His is in the boneyard by now.
From another site: "During its years of operation with the Blue Angels BuNo 163435 wore every number from 1 to 6. It wore the number 3 as it flew over Dallas-Fort Worth during Operation America Strong. It is carrying number 4 in honor of Admiral Pat Walsh, a resident of the Metroplex and a former Blue Angel pilot."
Agreed, just seems wrong to have to permanently ground this baby. What a beautiful, gorgeous aircraft, not to mention what she stands for, and the incredible warriors who pilot ships like her.
@@c1ph3rpunk I didn't hear them state a reason. I'm not in aviation, so I don't know if airframes time out like parts do. But either that or some other condition that rendered it financially infeasible to keep in operation.
@@c1ph3rpunk The blues have now transitioned to the super hornet. The legacy hornet like this one have been outdated for a while, so there is really no use for it anymore, sadly
So they change the tail number and the pilot's name of the original, I use to work on these planes at McDonnell Douglas 25 years ago. I was told that the tail number never changes even at the planes last days, that Col. Pilot was wrong, he said the number means more then the position of the Aircraft then he was called away, nice conversation.Brings back good memories.
I watched this very jet many times when I was in A school in pensacola. It's sad to see it become a permanent fixture to be faded by the sun for the foreseeable future.
Well it reached the end of its service life which Is unfortunate but it did what it was able to do and the Super Hornet will carry on the torch of the Legacy Hornet. The Legacies were becoming harder to upkeep in the last few years. Being put on display is better than being sent to the scrap heap.
I just got a extra scale f/a 18 hornet and you can install your jet #. I went to fleet week sf one year and we got a low flyover from 4. I had no clue who flew 4 in the legacy hornets. The F18 I’m basing mine off is #4
Is there a reason it couldn't be flown to it's destination or is just more economic to haul it? Oh... just noticed it's been demilitarized and stripped of it's engine.
I’m a rigger and have moved all sorts of cool things with a crane and some rigging, but never a fighter jet.. should use union guys. IW387. Should have put some softeners around the sharp edges near the cockpit.. I know that jet isn’t that heavy about 30,000lbs with engines and everything out together. Also those straps they used up front are good for 15,000 each In a straight pull like they had. They had two together with a shackle so it was absolutely good for the weight. But I’d still use softeners. They did a good job tho
The BEST forward hoist point rakes a strap across the sharp leading edge of the wing? I CAN"T believe the Navy would hoist a hornet like this off a carrier desk in such a fashion. This might qualify for Bubba's Garage... but I'm pretty sure the U.S. Navy wouldn't hoist a hornet like that.
We got #8 at the Hickory, NC air museum back in December, but they flew it in with another two seater to take the pilot back. The entire city turned out to welcome it.
How about a link to some info on this plane? When it was made? What the history of it is? What action it see? What carriers was it home to? Etc. Thanks!
Hey Brandon, if you haven't already done so, there is some information available at the Frontiers of Flight Museum website regarding this aircraft. You can also "Google" BuNo 163435 to find more of the information you're looking for. It's got a pretty decent naval service history.
same with historical locomotives and unique rolling stock, so many sent to the boneyard and had to be cut up as per treaty for nuclear reduction as with the b52s some still perfectly flyable even if old, just gobbled apart or gillotined and snapped in two, even more so old collector cars
Actually, allow me to correct the rank! Yes Admiral Walsh was a LCdr when he was with the Blues but he retired in 2012 as a four star Admiral, that should've been mentioned in this presentation otherwise it brings discredit to a true American hero!
Could have sold or kept the #2 sticker even if it was all balled up . Use the money for the aviation museum , i would have easily paid 100$ for it lol :)
The reason is that they demount and keep many of the modules from the plane and that flying it over to the museum, demounting it there and then transporting everything they demounted back to base would cost a lot more. And when a military aircraft is retired they do a full on cleaning/flushing of oil pipes, fuel pipes etc. to make it ready for display at a museum or for the scrapyard.
@William Hammond nope. The engines were taken out before this jet was put on display. Pretty much every Blue Angel jet on museum display doesn’t have engines in it anymore.
This was probably one of the final legacy Hornets the team flew from last year so I doubt it would be capable of flying again anyway. Boeing probably no longer supports the airframe anymore since moving onto the Super Hornets and it’s probably at the end of its service life anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had cracks throughout its airframe under X-ray examination.
@@jacoballen3267 I guess I’m more interested to see if a hornet could ever fly after being decommissioned. Would it be allowed by the feds? To my knowledge there are no privately owned hornets yet.
@@williamhammond3998 Not yet. The Collins Foundation has their F4 Phantom that they acquired from the Defense Department but it took an actual act of Congress for that type of surplus to be released to them.
When a military aircraft is retired they remove both engines, and select key avionics plus flush and clean all fuel/oil/hydraulic tanks to render the aircraft unflyable and safe for storage/display.
I would love to be a pilot for the Airforce, but man is it a hard position to get into.. (I get the blue angels are navy, but just saying.), like, the opportunity to fly jets like these, or one of my favorite planes, the A-10 thunderbolt II, and being able to shoot it's 30mm gun would be one interesting career. But, only like a very, very tiny portion of applicants get accepted to be pilots, and I don't meet the physical nor academic standards for it. I'll just stick with Cyber Security for now..
@@xyzaero9656 I hope so, but aerodynamic force is spreading on all of the surface and this touch of the belt is exactly as like as point weight, but looks that the LErx sustained it :)
I'm not a crane operator or an aviator. I didn't know the term LERX. But I thought the same thing. The rear pick point looked good. Front point looked sketchy. I'm sure that's the sanctioned way to do it. I thought at least if wrapping that leading edge with a strap that something would have been used to keep the strap from getting cut.
@@bryanwelsh7608 they for sure used an approved maintenance procedure. Jets are built like tanks .. hard to believe, even civilian jets. One always thinks they are delicate pieces, but actually they are built to withstand huge forces in flight and aperently, as seen in the video, can also take a “harsh” ground handling 🤷🏻♂️
@@freetobe3 That makes zero sense I have helped prep even old WW2 and Korean War birds for static display and we always kept the struts and suspension healthy unless being put on a pole these birds always need to be moved sooner or later.
@@CVSiN If you're talking about it's "kneeling" stance then that is actually how the gear is extended on the ground. They're only fully extended in the air and work as a "shock absorber" when landing, since the plane is used in naval aviation which means that it's meant to tolerate rough landings
Seems to me like it would be less expensive just to fly them from one place to another. Not sure I understand the logic behind disassembly, ground transport, and reassembly..
The reason is that they demount and keep many of the modules from the plane and that flying it over to the museum, demounting it there and then transporting everything they demounted back to base would cost a lot more. And when a military aircraft is retired they do a full on cleaning/flushing of oil pipes, fuel pipes etc. to make it ready for display at a museum or for the scrapyard.
I am a retired US NavyY Aviation Maintenance Chief with two tours in FA-18 Hornets. As I watched the podcast when they started lifting the hornet off the trailer I kept saying No, No and No. Each aircraft has designated hoist points when lifting the aircraft using a crane. I don't know what the hell these people were thinking when they decided to wrap one of the hoisting straps under the nose of the fuselage. The aircraft probably suffered structural damage. I know this aircraft will be put on static display but my point is if you dont know what you are doing just ask a SME. That is why the aircraft was not balanced the entire time they started the lift.
Even to my untrained eye I knew that was wrong.
As someone who had been involved in Depot Level maintenance for many years now, my hat is off to you guys at Frontier of Flight. It is amazing what you did 4 days.Re-winging is always a delicate job, but you did it like pros.It would be cool to be able to plug it in to ground power occasionally to see the cockpit displays light up. Great video!
Thanks for sharing this video. I saw the Blue Angels for the first time at Luke Air Force Base in 2018. Wouldn’t be surprised if this is one of the same Hornets that I saw in person.
What a souvenir that is. I mean if I had that I would be made for life, with joy ;)
would make for interesting conversations... "guess what I got in my pole barn...???"
Growing up on Pensacola Beach and friends with actual blue angel pilots it’s my favorite jet fighter of all time. Even though my uncle retired as a general flying the F-16. I was watching a video this morning on our local news and and there was an F-18 from the Blue Angels on or at Bell Chase Louisiana. Which is awesome because my uncle was a Colonel and flew the A-10 warthog there. Randall Falcon.
I was in VT-6 in the same hanger as the Blue Angles. I did some work for them one weekend and they gave me an autographed picture of the Blues. 1970. One of my most prized possessions.
I have so much Love for the Older F-18’s, I worked on them in a Marine Fighter Squadron in the 80’s before this one was built. The best part is one of the Ladies i served in the same Unit with on Active duty, also served with the Blues after i got out.
Now She sits in the Kalamazoo Air Musuem on display and I go see her when I can!!!! She is currently painted as a VMFA-251 Thunderbolts A/C (not who I served with) She is Beautiful....
This video brings back great memories, Thanks for sharing...
11:53 this remote controlled thingy is the coolest bit in the video.
agreed
The MEM airport is installing with a concourse rehab, automatic plane marshalling units like this that work autonomously over a wifi link. Then they return to a docking station to recharge their batteries. They are programmed with a path, and have sensors / cameras that check for obstructions and clearances during operation.
Wow, I actually saw this on the interstate a few weeks ago and told my wife it was probably going to some museum somewhere. never imagine it would be in my area.
Man! This terrific, getting up close to these gorgeous machines, almost as if you're one of the team! Just like the flying, the transport and hoisting of the F/A 18 - Hornet goes pretty much like smooth clockwork! In the Blue Angels' paint scheme, each of these planes are beautiful aerial masterpieces!
Awesome, I've been looking forward to this video all week! Great stuff!!
I've pumped a few gallons of JetA into that airplane. Sad to see it retired.
why do the blue angles have a golden yellow on the paint job if they are called the blue angles?
I mean in the lettering
Nhvc Mopedrs the Navy flag is blue and yellow.
@@mannesthemenace3428 blue and gold
US Navy colors
It reached the end of its service life.
I never fully appreciated how long the fuselage on that jet was until I saw it on that trailer in this video. Beautiful plane, and great footage.
I'm a Navy veteran and used to load ordance on them F/A18C models..I would love to have that on display on my front lawn.. 👍🇺🇲🤙...
That's so cool.
Our Yankee Air Museum in Michigan got the #4 last week. It looks awesome on display with the Museums F-84 Thunderbird..
The Navy keeps the engines?
@@MoctezumasRevenge1 yeah the engines don't matter for museum aircraft (probably better without so less to worry about fluid leaks) and cost a few million each, probably cheaper for the museum to buy the aircraft without, and the navy, if they can't reuse the engine in another jet can sell it to a foreign partner.
Also if not purely a economical decision probably maybe part of the decommissioning regulations (they don't always make logical sense)
So cool. I saw this rig at a truck stop off i20 in Tyler and took pictures with it and everything. The driver was very polite and patient with me being a jet nerd. Awesome to know where it was going and why.
Thanks for letting me be in the video!! “ proper nomenclature “
God bless all the men and women who engineered, built, flew, and maintained these amazing aircraft! Thank you for the great memories watching you perform at all the air shows! God speed to the men and women who were lost in this airplane! Looking forward to seeing the Super Hornets into the future! Thank you again to all of you involved! My favorite place in the world is Pensacola, and the beaches of Florida and Alabama and seeing the Blue Angels coming home to Pensacola from El Centro winter training grounds a sight this 52 year old man will NEVER FORGET!!
F18 its absolutly amazing plane, i see this on live in Poland Radom Air Show (possible 2008 yer, not renember exactly) sorry for my english . I love Mig 23 and F18 tooo ;) .
They were being so careless with the aircraft. I would’ve hugged it, kissed it, cry and little and treat it with much love and respect.
Hugs and kisses don't get wings on.
I watched this plane and other Blue Angels' aircraft perform right over San Francisco in late 2018. It's amazing what they actually do up!
I lived in Pensacola so I definitely enjoyed this...
that rig driver seems to have the hookup for aiplane hauls what a lucky guy. explains why he was so careful on the straps
If imma be honest here I don’t think his doing any of the hooking up to the trailer with that thing no way
Blue angel #4 just arrived here in Hawaii a month ago. It's on display at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. Freaking awesome. They actually let spectators watch them put it back together. My son and I stayed for a few hours watching. Lol.
You don't get to see stuff like this Normally , Thanks for sharing !
If you have never seen the blue angles perform, i feel sorry for you, they are literally the best of the best that gets to push a plane to its limit.
Pucker moment when they were lifting that bird off the trailer as it lurched forward just a bit!
awesome, will have to pop over to see it.
If this doesn't make you feel proud to be American than I don't know what will. USA forever and God bless America the home of the free and the brave.
What a beautiful Bird
great video
That plane made a lot of people smile :)
Damd! That's the biggest model kit I've ever seen!
This gives a very clear idea of the hornet's size
Not very big, at least not next to an f-14 or f-15
11:55 "Watch the wing tip...oh never mind."
I'm surprised the crane operator didn't use a spreader on the front of the jet when picking it up. I see where there's a bend in the wing where the straps squished the plane, come on guys!
If they were relocating it to fly again I would guess that would be a $20,000,000 repair bill.
Mike, I was thinking the exact same thing.
Ours was flown in. Big day for the Hickory Aviation Museum in Hickory, NC.
Could you imagine pulling into a Loves or Flying J to get fuel and you see this load sitting there. Man that’d be awesome
Ok now, there are several more after the team transitioned to the Super Hornet. I live at an airpark. My front yard has room!!
One is coming to Hawaii very soon to be displayed st the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum. My son and I can't wait!!
What number is it?
1 went to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington.
5 went to the Hickory Avation Museum in North Carolina.
The Legacy 7 Hornet is still with the team. This is the teams only Legacy Hornet left now but it is flying out to a few more locations before retirement.
The double seat Super Hornet had arrived but I think it still needs some last minute checks before it’s ready.
3 4 and 6’s whereabouts are unknown.
2 of them are in the boneyard all ready. Sad. I had the pleasure of working on #6 while I was in as it had a rudder problem at NAS Lemoore
@@stingerveteran1982 Noooooo!!! Boneyard?! The horror. Seriously now, I'm a tax payer and have been most of my life and all I'm asking is for a freakin' HORNET IN MY FRONT YARD!! Am I asking for too much? I think not.
I just found out number 4 (not this one, this was originally 2) went to Yankee Air Museum in Michigan. Unfortunately I guess 3 and 6 are the ones that were not so lucky....
I was stationed on board the Lexington in Pensacola when he was assigned to the Blues. 86 was the first year of the hornet to coincide with the 75th Anniversary of Naval Aviation.
the blue angels are famous in this universe .
It’s scary how time flies. That thing looks so dated already.
It is dated. :- (
changing the number on that hornet just feels wrong
YESSS!!! I was squirming in my seat when I saw they were peeling off that original number. Perhaps they have some good reason for it, but to me it just feels very sacrilegious to change anything about the identity of this honored warrior and protector. If she was good enough for you to want her in the museum, then I think she's good enough as she was the last time she settled from the heavens back to the Earth.
and the name . . . . . especially, when Lt. Cmdr. James Hailey is from your hometown.
I feel the same way. To me, it degrades the name and identity of the aviator who actually flew that bird.
In honor of Lcdr Pat Walsh who is from Dallas, TX. But Im sure he didnt actually fly that particular Hornet BuNo though. His is in the boneyard by now.
From another site:
"During its years of operation with the Blue Angels BuNo 163435 wore every number from 1 to 6. It wore the number 3 as it flew over Dallas-Fort Worth during Operation America Strong. It is carrying number 4 in honor of Admiral Pat Walsh, a resident of the Metroplex and a former Blue Angel pilot."
Thanks was my number 1 question. Why the number change.
The Blues swapped numbers quite frequently... for maintenance reasons, etc. Not uncommon at all.
Sort of bittersweet to see such a bad ass be put to sleep but at least she has a good home to retire to and folks to baby her.
Agreed, just seems wrong to have to permanently ground this baby. What a beautiful, gorgeous aircraft, not to mention what she stands for, and the incredible warriors who pilot ships like her.
@@882952 I never saw why it actually was grounded, is the airframe at max perhaps?
@@c1ph3rpunk I didn't hear them state a reason. I'm not in aviation, so I don't know if airframes time out like parts do. But either that or some other condition that rendered it financially infeasible to keep in operation.
@@c1ph3rpunk The blues have now transitioned to the super hornet. The legacy hornet like this one have been outdated for a while, so there is really no use for it anymore, sadly
Crazy to think this beauty was flying days before this
Would have liked to have seen the wings and elevators being installed...
So they change the tail number and the pilot's name of the original, I use to work on these planes at McDonnell Douglas 25 years ago. I was told that the tail number never changes even at the planes last days, that Col. Pilot was wrong, he said the number means more then the position of the Aircraft then he was called away, nice conversation.Brings back good memories.
I watched this very jet many times when I was in A school in pensacola. It's sad to see it become a permanent fixture to be faded by the sun for the foreseeable future.
Well it reached the end of its service life which Is unfortunate but it did what it was able to do and the Super Hornet will carry on the torch of the Legacy Hornet. The Legacies were becoming harder to upkeep in the last few years.
Being put on display is better than being sent to the scrap heap.
Rip #4 it was an honor to see you all fly high. Enjoy life as a piece of art now ol'girl.
This was # 2 but will be changed to be #4( as a copy) which is lame really...
The original #4 is here in Hawaii on display at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.
@@email4664 why would they do that!!?!
I want one in my backyard!
Incredible how old and beaten up these Blue Angle jets are.
I just got a extra scale f/a 18 hornet and you can install your jet #. I went to fleet week sf one year and we got a low flyover from 4. I had no clue who flew 4 in the legacy hornets. The F18 I’m basing mine off is #4
So since the one I’m getting is a legacy then mine is pat walshs
guy with the hammer little careless around a plane like that
They are not as delicate as you would think...
How cool would that have been to see it going down the highway!!! Glad they kept it from going to AMARC.
Is there a reason it couldn't be flown to it's destination or is just more economic to haul it? Oh... just noticed it's been demilitarized and stripped of it's engine.
@@atubebuff, good question. I would think it had something to do with the demilitarization process but maybe someone could add light to this subject!
@@atubebuff Cheeper to trailer it, just my guess.
Better yet to my backyard, I hope the wife doesn't mind. I'd be the coolest guy in the whole block!
@@EdsAttentionToDetail flight controls/engines are all run by a computer. That was already taken out in the demilitarization process.
MOOOOM, mailman is heeere! Open up the garage!
what a beautiful bird,sad that it will never fly again, but onward to the Super Hornets ....... Blue Angel Blue forever !
very nice。
thank you。
Scale RC jets are getting wild.
Must be the same one someone on my Instagram saw on the road some days ago.
5:16 The kneeling hornet...
I'm surprised they didn't cut the spars like they do with Canadian aircraft. The crew of the truck and crane knew what they were doing.
Top hein parabéns guerreiros bazuka Foz do Iguaçu pr Brasil
I’m a rigger and have moved all sorts of cool things with a crane and some rigging, but never a fighter jet.. should use union guys. IW387. Should have put some softeners around the sharp edges near the cockpit.. I know that jet isn’t that heavy about 30,000lbs with engines and everything out together. Also those straps they used up front are good for 15,000 each In a straight pull like they had. They had two together with a shackle so it was absolutely good for the weight. But I’d still use softeners. They did a good job tho
Was that Lieutenant Commander James Haley Aircraft? Every time I see the blue angels airplane reminds me of the van Halen song Dreams
The BEST forward hoist point rakes a strap across the sharp leading edge of the wing? I CAN"T believe the Navy would hoist a hornet like this off a carrier desk in such a fashion. This might qualify for Bubba's Garage... but I'm pretty sure the U.S. Navy wouldn't hoist a hornet like that.
We got #8 at the Hickory, NC air museum back in December, but they flew it in with another two seater to take the pilot back. The entire city turned out to welcome it.
#8? Never a #8. Another #7 they have.
1:72, 1:48, 1:32, 1:24 and now 1:1.
Where are you going to find the shelf space?
Haha, no kidding
Cause it would be so hard to just fly it there!
Came in as number 2 pulled out as number 4 ?
i've towed my fair share of business jets but never once heard any theme music in the background. guess that happens when you tow military aircraft.
I just saw #2, #5 at the boneyard in Tucson yesterday Feb 2021
Sad... It pains me to think of these things being left out to rot....
How about a link to some info on this plane? When it was made? What the history of it is? What action it see? What carriers was it home to? Etc. Thanks!
Hey Brandon, if you haven't already done so, there is some information available at the Frontiers of Flight Museum website regarding this aircraft. You can also "Google" BuNo 163435 to find more of the information you're looking for. It's got a pretty decent naval service history.
@@andrek1709 Thank you! I appreciate that very much!
It's bittersweet to see any flying jet being turned into a static display. Better than being scrapped I guess!
same with historical locomotives and unique rolling stock, so many sent to the boneyard and had to be cut up as per treaty for nuclear reduction as with the b52s some still perfectly flyable even if old, just gobbled apart or gillotined and snapped in two, even more so old collector cars
Was this donated by the government or purchased and if so how much?
In the Air Force we FLY the planes to their destination
The AF has more money in their budget to do that. Cheaper to drive it than to pay for jet fuel.
Actually, allow me to correct the rank! Yes Admiral Walsh was a LCdr when he was with the Blues but he retired in 2012 as a four star Admiral, that should've been mentioned in this presentation otherwise it brings discredit to a true American hero!
💚
Could have sold or kept the #2 sticker even if it was all balled up . Use the money for the aviation museum , i would have easily paid 100$ for it lol :)
A Ratchet strap.....sweet!!! A+
I’d love to know what this load paid..... you think he had security the whole time ?
Why would it not have been flown there, or was it prepped for display (fluids drained etc)
Probably
Nothing like yard art 🤣
dumb question.... how come they didnt just fly it in to the airport and make it easier?
The reason is that they demount and keep many of the modules from the plane and that flying it over to the museum, demounting it there and then transporting everything they demounted back to base would cost a lot more. And when a military aircraft is retired they do a full on cleaning/flushing of oil pipes, fuel pipes etc. to make it ready for display at a museum or for the scrapyard.
Why'd they change the number? Never mind, he was Blue Angel number 2
Is it possible that some day in the future it will fly?
@William Hammond nope. The engines were taken out before this jet was put on display. Pretty much every Blue Angel jet on museum display doesn’t have engines in it anymore.
This was probably one of the final legacy Hornets the team flew from last year so I doubt it would be capable of flying again anyway. Boeing probably no longer supports the airframe anymore since moving onto the Super Hornets and it’s probably at the end of its service life anyway. I wouldn’t be surprised if it had cracks throughout its airframe under X-ray examination.
@@jacoballen3267 I guess I’m more interested to see if a hornet could ever fly after being decommissioned. Would it be allowed by the feds? To my knowledge there are no privately owned hornets yet.
@@williamhammond3998 Not yet. The Collins Foundation has their F4 Phantom that they acquired from the Defense Department but it took an actual act of Congress for that type of surplus to be released to them.
The Marine Corps is still flying legacy Hornets. I believe until 2030.
What's the reason for transporting the Blue Angel from point A to point B? why did not someone just fly it to the destination simply?
Im thinking maybe it had maintenance problems and wasnt able to fly when retired.
That is a very old hornet! My family member used to buy these things for the Navy! Why didn’t they fly this thing or is it to old to fly?
When a military aircraft is retired they remove both engines, and select key avionics plus flush and clean all fuel/oil/hydraulic tanks to render the aircraft unflyable and safe for storage/display.
Oh, museum, I was wondering Y would a F-18 be put on a flatbed, instead of flying to somewhere
Just a thought... Maybe cheaper to haul it there than the price of jet fuel to fly it there.
Why did they cover the tail wing from 2 to 4 ?
They made the aircraft in honor of Lcdr Pat Walsh who flew #4
16:52 I wouldn't disrespect a paint-finish like that.
So when are they getting the Super Hornets?
They already got them.
I would love to be a pilot for the Airforce, but man is it a hard position to get into.. (I get the blue angels are navy, but just saying.), like, the opportunity to fly jets like these, or one of my favorite planes, the A-10 thunderbolt II, and being able to shoot it's 30mm gun would be one interesting career. But, only like a very, very tiny portion of applicants get accepted to be pilots, and I don't meet the physical nor academic standards for it. I'll just stick with Cyber Security for now..
I'm pretty surprised that the belt under nose did not damage LERX edge.
I guess the LERX is the part of the airframe that has to handle the most aerodynamic forces and has to be "very" strong ???
@@xyzaero9656 I hope so, but aerodynamic force is spreading on all of the surface and this touch of the belt is exactly as like as point weight, but looks that the LErx sustained it :)
I'm not a crane operator or an aviator. I didn't know the term LERX. But I thought the same thing. The rear pick point looked good. Front point looked sketchy. I'm sure that's the sanctioned way to do it. I thought at least if wrapping that leading edge with a strap that something would have been used to keep the strap from getting cut.
@@bryanwelsh7608 they for sure used an approved maintenance procedure.
Jets are built like tanks .. hard to believe, even civilian jets. One always thinks they are delicate pieces, but actually they are built to withstand huge forces in flight and aperently, as seen in the video, can also take a “harsh” ground handling 🤷🏻♂️
Whats up with the rear mains not extending as they should? damaged in transit?
Maybe to give it a permanent stance when in static display.
@@freetobe3 That makes zero sense I have helped prep even old WW2 and Korean War birds for static display and we always kept the struts and suspension healthy unless being put on a pole these birds always need to be moved sooner or later.
@@CVSiN If you're talking about it's "kneeling" stance then that is actually how the gear is extended on the ground. They're only fully extended in the air and work as a "shock absorber" when landing, since the plane is used in naval aviation which means that it's meant to tolerate rough landings
Wouldn't be a lot easier to just fly that aircraft and disassembly it after that?
Ok but why change the number from the actual #2 to #4?
They made the aircraft in honor of Lcdr Pat Walsh who flew #4
Kinda thought these flew off the line when finished.....and tested....... how silly of me.
Seems to me like it would be less expensive just to fly them from one place to another. Not sure I understand the logic behind disassembly, ground transport, and reassembly..
The reason is that they demount and keep many of the modules from the plane and that flying it over to the museum, demounting it there and then transporting everything they demounted back to base would cost a lot more. And when a military aircraft is retired they do a full on cleaning/flushing of oil pipes, fuel pipes etc. to make it ready for display at a museum or for the scrapyard.
Wait a second, why the #2 got changed to #4?
They made the aircraft in honor of Lcdr Pat Walsh who flew #4