I'm green with envy of anyone who got to see either the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels in F-4s. I started attending airshows in 1987, after both teams left their Talons and Skyhawks. The F-4 Phantom was still in service in some single aircraft demonstrations I attended and I loved the noise and smoke. Out here on spring break in Pensacola Beach right now and got to watch them practice today (4-3-24) from our 9th floor balcony. Fun stuff. Never gets old. Top Gun and airshows are precisely why I became an aviator. God bless these fine folks.
Couldn't have said it better friend. I did see the demo at Travis AFB in '73 I think. That would make me 11 at the time. Never missed either team if they were close. McClellan was an AFLC base, and they did the major overhauls for F4's among other types. I'd sit on the roof of my patents house and watch them on final to KMCC. That HOWL that you could hear for miles. Man, those were the days. This year at CCAS we get the Thunderbirds and the Italian Fereccee Tricolori (one of only 8 shows in the US) with an F/A18E demo and Tora, Tora, Tora. Should be a great time for all!
I saw the Blue Angels and The Thunderbirds at a big air show at Keesler Air Force Base when I was 7 years old. Both teams performed that day flying the F4. My dad bought my brother and me the display model kits of the 4 plane diamond. I got the Thunderbirds, my brother got the Blue Angels. The kits came with a base and each plane was attached to the base with a lightning bolt. Did anyone else have those model kits?
I saw the Thunderbirds for the first time in 1969 at George AFB, California. I was 5 years old, and was so happy i was able to see the F-4 Phantom. It's the reason i did a 21 year career in the military, if you've never seen the F-4 fly you really missed out on watching that beautiful bird fly😊.
Cool, I was too young to know to pester my Dad for a show, and didn't arrive to GAFB until '87 but did F-4E/G maint. four yrs. there. Also did 21 yrs. total.
Born an AF Brat in ‘59! In ‘98, 20 year Retired CG! Have seen both teams! Pre retirement, got to ride the CGC, the Air Show Center between Alcatraz & The SF Water Front! Omg 😆! The F-4 Will Always be my Favorite 😍! While in Germany, ‘69ish our Boy Scout troupe got a tour of the C-5 making debut tours to various AF Bases! HUGE to a bunch of 10-14 year old kids! Lol 😆
I just visted Skip's grave a couple weeks ago at NAS Pesecola at Barrancas Cemetary to pay my respect. Skip grew up just a few miles from where I live in Michigan. Watching the Blue's in '72 at Willow Run is the primary reason I made my career in aviation. RIP
Saw the T-Birds there in 69. Flew the low show because of overcast. It was loud. I have loved loud airplanes ever since. I to went on to become a YIP freight dog later on...flying loud airplanes :)
@@Three_PercenterI was ATC Tower Manager at YIP from '12 - '15 retiring 12/15. Had the honor of working with their 1st female pilot Katie (C130) & Jeff Kuss (also RIP) for their YIP '15 show. Kalitta, USA Jet, Ameristar, & National with their '57, '47's and DC-8 were fun.
I met Lt. Cmdr. Skip Umstead when I was a boy in 1972 at the Quad Cities Airport where the Angels did a show. He was so nice. I didn't get to meet Capt. Murphy. I felt so bad when I found out the news. Rest in honor men.
I had the privilege of knowing Skip well - he was one of the outstanding Crusader pilots (VF-53, 'Iron Angels') aboard Bonnie Dick (USS Bon Homme Richard, CVA-31), 1968 WESTPAC (Tonkin Gulf) deployment, Vietnam. No finer Naval officer, pilot, gentleman anywhere. A professional's professional! Teammate, shipmate, & friend to all! Admired & loved by all! Loved his work! Devoted to his work & to all those who in any way contributed to it! Intensely proud of the U.S. Navy & its heritage & traditions! Utterly committed to the highest standards of aviation, & to good scholarship in all of its dimensions! Always a conscientious advocate for safety & welfare across all rates & ranks! His passing was a terrible loss for us all! Thank you, Skip, for the extra-special privilege of knowing you & serving with you! R.I.P., dear friend!
@@bobwilson758 Seems like yesterday we were all in the ready room, watching the plat, listening to briefs, & discussing the day's/night's events. Never mind that it was 56 years ago. Skip was a truly special person. & his memory will never fade. Thank you for your wonderful video!
Grew up watching the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. It was the Blues in A4s at NAS Atlanta that got me in the Navy. Appreciate all the folks involved in those wonderful teams.
Heck of a story. Incredible & vivid memory! Passionate man. As an athlete, we remember things play by play. Those that are truly passionate about their endeavors, can recount every play. Every point. This is very apparent here. 🇺🇲 We salute you Sir.
I was in an F4J Squadron, VF-102 Diamondbacks outta NAS Oceana, Va. The excitement of the "fighter jets, now VFA" never leaves you! Two years ago, the Angels flew in South Atlanta. Watched 'em at the end of the runway on Friday. Tickets on Saturday. YES, Sunday TOO!!!
Seen both of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds when they used the F4's. NOTHING compares to the brute power of the Phantoms. RIP to all who lost their lives in service to our country.
I watched the blue angles by my home as a kid in willow Grove pa...saw the F4s many time and then the A4... They would fly right over my high-school on Friday practice day and right over my parents home...was so very special!!!
Same here. Was a great place to grow up. Pull in the lot off PA 611 for an airshow every day, especially during the Vietnam war. Sad to see what it's become along with Johnsville NADC. A lot of history lost.
Always a pleasure watching Air Shows at NAS Lakehurst back in the day. One of the reasons why I enlisted, and still proudly serve today! We still drive out to Lakehurst to use the gym and Commissary. It is such a special place to us.
My grandpa was Skips brother- And my dad was told a lot of Skip when he was younger. I would have loved to meet him, but he died before my dad was born. I also find it so fascinating- the Blue Angels, how much training they have to go through to be able to fly a plane like that! Also, thanks for making a video about Skip! They always take his name off of Wikipedia, no matter how many times my dad keep putting his name on there. He was actually really happy when he saw this video!!
I was MOS-6657 on Marine F-4J's from 1976-1979 (VMFA-333) First cruise on the USS-Nimitz and many Cold War encounters. Imho, the most impressive Blue Angel and Thunderbird aircraft. But.......the equivalent of a Muscle car on a go cart track. Beast RIP
I've seen the Blue Angels perform in the F-11F Tiger, the F-4 Phantom, the A-4 Skyhawk and the Legacy F/A-18 Hornet. I know it was the thirstiest, and not the most maneuverable plane, but the Phantom was my favorite. The same goes for the Thunderbirds, of all the models they flew.
I remember the event well. I was an Airman stationed at Oceana, VF-101 when the Blues went through the fuel pits. Sometime later on we got the word that they'd had a crash up at Lakehurst.
I saw a Thunderbird crash at an airshow in '73. F4's have always been my favorite, both in demonstration and just on daily ops... nothing better to keep a little kid outside. The daily sonic booms ànd constant flyovers never got old!
The shows you fellas put on with the F -4 Phantom were super special ! When Navy went A - 4 and Air Force to T -38 shows were maybe a bit different but still a lot of fun to watch . Thanks to both teams - We love you all ! Super mechanics also , Of course - top notch .
John Fogg was my neighbor in Pensacola. He lived in the apartment below mine when I was an instructor pilot at VT-6, Whiting Field. He was also involved in a 4 plane mid-air in which there were no fatalities in '72 or "73. He later became mayor of Pensacola. In the above photo he is 3rd from the right.
My grandfather was Engineering Officer for the team from ‘66-‘68. I remember him saying that he tried to get the team to bypass the Phantom for the Skyhawk. He felt that the Phantom’s flight characteristics were not suited to the demonstration maneuvers. And, maintaining the Phantom posed a serious challenge in light of the teams rigorous show schedule.
I was 8 yo and went to quonset airbase to see them..they day before we got to go meet skip umsted and Mike Murphy because my father knew a guy at base...I have a picture w skip..they were the nicest guys....I still have the picture..I remember my mom telling us about the crash...we were so sad...these guys were our heros...so sad..it was not long after we met them...my mom was a Murphy and Mike Murphy was laughing because we said we could be related....sad...rip skip and mike...
Skip was a personal friend and a prince of a man. I attribute a contributing factor to "supervisory." Skip had flown a full tour and was then called back to lead the team. I had had a brief visit with him during that time and noted that he seemed really tired. I think he was experiencing something like combat fatigue.
I chased the team for two seasons while I was in VF-101, and typically spent time with Skip. He was always willing to discuss procedures pilot to pilot, airspeed, attitude, altitude, etc. He confided that after three years on the team, he was tired and looking forward to the end of his tour. After Boss LCDR Don Bentley was taken off the team, I was surprised to see that Skip was called back, knowing his desire to not have such a full schedule with little to no time off. In the short time that I knew him, he was a "prince of a man." Years later I had my senator fly a flag over the US capital in memory and honor of my many friends and acquaintances lost during my service of '66 to '73. I included Skip and Harley Hall in the list of names.
@@30AndHatingIt Most sophisticated aerodynamic design of its time. Held all climb and speed records. Better than 10:1 top-speed to landing speed. Good single-engine performance. Stable platform for formation flying, glide-angle bombing. Dead-stick glide ratio probably between 7 and 10 to 1 depending on external configuration. How does one conflate "greatest aircraft" with "brick", as if regardless of the power put on a brick, a brick could achieve any single one of the Phantom's, or any other aircrafts' abilities? It's an ignorant comment. Regarding airshows, it was a fantastic show plane. The crowd could see, hear, and feel it. Every aircraft ever used over any period of time has had crashes, some equipment failure, some pilot error, and some like the Osprey, political malfeasance. Calling the F-4 a 'brick' is ignorant, the same as saying "a bumblebee can't fly" because we don't understand its aerodynamics. Be smarter than that!
@@BobSpamCatcher See, what is on full display here is someone with immense knowledge of a subject, but the inability to understand basic nuance and engagement with other human beings and an insufferable control complex, basically the personality of a brick, pun intended. Let me ask you a direct question... is this the first time you have ever heard the Phantom and brick reference? Be truthful.
@@30AndHatingIt No, not the first time. I used to take a Phantom to Blue Angel air shows on weekends and set it up as a static display. There was always at least one or two adult males who would explain how the Phantom was either a brick or a barn door. Ten-year old kids would ask why there was a pitot tube inside the intake duct; why the intake ramps looked like the ramps could move, why there was a leading edge sawtooth, tail anhedral, and so on, in other words, intelligent questions. Be honest, had you ever heard or read a "brick" reference before? If so, it was a trite comment. If not, then ignorant. I guess with my insufferable control complex, I should have opined both, instead of assuming originality. BTW, my control complex helped me take an F4 back aboard the carrier that had sudden violent control transients. The cause, a miswired generator, resulted in a change to the maintenance manual and NATOPS post-start checks procedure. I do apologize for feeding the troll.
I was stationed with HC 2 and witnessed the incident. We were moving to NAS JAX and the wreckage was stored in our now empty hanger. The F4 was my favorite jet To look at the wreckage every day was tough. Navy pilots are the best in the world.
I also was in HC-2 and my detachment "42" (on the USS FDR.. CVA-42) was just flying back to Lakehurst from Mayport, FL after a short cruise. We stopped at Oceana too, did a hot refuel and taxied thru the wash rack, saw their C-130 take off with JATO bottles. By the time we got to Lakehurst, they were of course, already there and apparently practicing a bit. We had a bird's eye view of the crash but had no idea what just led up to it. We were escorted to "debrief" on what we saw and yes I do remember the pile of wreckage we had in the hangar .. for further inspection.
Remarkable story and tragedy. The loss of life due to the ejections out-of-the-envelope is very sad, but it is great that the one crew chief managed to survive that.
I was stationed at NAS Lakehurst 71-72 I was with Navy HC -4 which would become the Black Stallion's over in USN Air station siginella Sicily.I loved every minute of my navy career as a Helo crew chief 😊
Truly a miracle, that the Crew Chief survived. RIP, the deceased airmen. For even a greater example of a miracle, look at the crash of the Hawker Hunter at the Shoreham Air Show.
The Phantom was bad ass plane. It looked good, was fast and loud and seemed like it maneuvered really good. I grow up really close to the start of the landing pattern for military a/c for Lambert Field/McDonald Douglas's runway as a kid and I always looked forward to seeing them and the Eagles.
I was in Naples, Italy the summer of 68. I witnessed the most Dare Devil Blue Angels Flight Demo that ever has and will ever exist. Over the Bay Of Naples the Blues teamed up with The Italian Airforce Fiat Team. Each taking turns to out do each other. Nothing like this has ever happened or will happen before or again. The Fly Bys were scraping paint. The Chicken Runs were a hair from Collision. Low level Rooster Tails over the water in Slow Flight. And put this all together with the Mighty Killer Phantoms Thunderous Sound was beyond belief. Without the Thunderous Sound, The Fiat Team kept up amazingly. A day or so later I found that this all started at the Nato Base when The Italian Fiat Team was holding a welcome dinner for The Blues and Friendly Gauntlets were thrown down. I count myself so very fortunate to have had the fortune to have witnessed the Greatest Blues, Fiat Expo that has ever been. And BTW: Most have no idea that The Blue Angels and The Thunderbirds are Flight Schools. The Pilots coming out are sent to Fighter Wings all over as Ranking IPs.
My dad, a former USAF Flight Surgeon and current FAA Medical Examiner, was also the Ocean County, NJ Medical Examiner at the time. He spoke with the Navy ME and gave him the lead in the case (as would be expected). I was flying Phantoms with VF-171 Det Key West at the time. He was a bit shaken, but understood.
My cousin and I were talking about this crash last night. He was the first cop on the scene, and the one who found the pilot. The base was broadcasting the wrong location of the crash, he not only corrected them but set up and ran the command post. He also still recalls, like it was yesterday, the position of the pilot's hands as well as the state of the men. Very sad incident.
I was working on a jet at NAS Oceana behind hangar 122 when I saw the Blue Angels stop for fuel before leaving for Pax. That's right before the crash of the f4s. It was a hot sunny day.
The super big hangar by itself in the middle of the screen at the beginning is where they used to keep the Hindenburg & Lakehurst is also where it blew up at.
I saw the last flight of the Blues in the A-4's in Niagra Falls. Opposing solo's hit each other at the top of an opposing loop. One died, one ejected... Tough for me to see as a child as I wanted to be a pilot. Many years later, I'm an airline pilot.... I guess I knew it was for me.
I flew the F-11 during training at Beeville, VT-26, which was probably the sweetest fighter I've ever piloted. I enjoyed flying the F-8 but by 1967 they were very worn out. The Phantoms were good sturdy airplanes but I never felt that they were a pilots airplane. Interesting, one pilot's take on the available hardware of his time. You must have come through Flight Training a little after I did, and since the Marine community is small I wonder how I missed you. I admire your spunk, because after training and 337 missions I had had enough 4 and 5 G butt busting that I could take. Did you continue with the Blues after Skip and Murph flew in? Damn what a hell of a mess, errors accumulate and PIO gets bigger, then wham! I knew Murphy well, he was a very good driver, very good. His control and timing were excellent. It was always a pleasure to fly with him as I'm sure it would be to fly with you. We were very fortunate young men, Marine Fighter Pilots can you believe that!
I’ve been trying to find more info on Gerald Harvey’s miraculous ejection but there’s absolutely nothing beyond this video out there. As described, it sounds like something that deserves it’s own interview… probably the luckiest ejection of all time… but it’s impossible to dig up any info or find the guy (if he’s alive).
I requested & recieved the detailed and redacted Naval Investigation Report on this accident by requesting it through FOIA. It gives the details of what happened, probable cause, and recommended changes. It took awhile after my request, but was worth the wait.
Did they delve into any analysis of the ejection? I’d love some kind of visual rendering of what it looked like and how someone could survive striking the ground like that and walking away from it.
Air Force Phantom Thunderbirds were the first F4-E's that trained the pilots at Eglin AFB Florida. The jets came without a smaller radar that wasn't ready yet. They were replaced a few months later. I recognised the tail numbers when I would see them at air shows.
Unbelievable that the crew chief in the lead aircraft could walk away from that! Clearly wasn’t his time to go. The incident is somewhat similar to the Thunderbirds’ Diamond crash.
I remember this accident clearly, they would come to WGNAS willow grove and sometimes NADC Warminster Pennsylvania just about every year and we would also go to Lakehurst to see them they are not very far from each other.
Miracle ejections happen more often ... The first Belgian female F-16 pilot ejected in 1995 as her Viper overturned after skidding off a wet runway She landed in her seat as well Ejection was around 30° up, chute streaming on the upward trajectory I doubt a MB mk5 would have made it, but the ACES II did Not everyone is as lucky, unfortunately ... The F-16 became a gate guardian at Beauvechain AB (EBBE)
Was fortunate to see the Blue Angels perform in the Phantoms while NAS South Weymouth Mass and at Keene NH Airshows. There was something mean about the Phantom that really made the show special, but that was lost when they went to the A4's. As an ABF at the time, I got to fuel the F4's at those shows (we were TDY for Keene). Of note, the advance Phantom at Keene ran off the end of the runway and rolled over, due to a chute malfunction. Pilot was OK. Darned if I can't find the pictures of that.
Mike Murphy? Whoa- LT Mike Murphy was a SEAL team leader who was KIA in Afghanistan- the story Lone Survivor portrayed the incident. How coincidental this Murph was an aviator extraordinaire. Both exceptional men obviously
I was there that day as a spectator. I was there to attend T58 C school. Terrible feeling seeing that planes are going to crash and there's nothing to do to prevent it. I have avoided airshows ever since.
Hello Colonel Fogg, I was with you in VMFA-122 in 1984 at Red Flagg and watched you make your F4 dirty as Airforce shot past you into your gunsights. Jaws were on the floor. PS how many Marines flew with the Blue Angels? Semper Fidelis.
I was a Navy-Brat at this time I on NAS Norfolk and Oceania these guys were always seen but now grown up it’s something that was taken for granted sure miss it now😢 I guess that’s why we were called Navy-Brats haha!
I can’t imagine the t38 being a great airshow airplane for the thunderbirds. It has all the turning radius of a cruise ship. The scooter on the other hand must have been great. Light and agile.
Even lighter after removing the guns, avionics hump, and armor plating. If that's not enough, an uprated engine was installed (J52-P-408). Scooters with the P-408 installed were called "Super Foxes".
Always hated the way the Navy spoke of enlisted, "The Officers and Crew". They couldn't even produce an individual picture of PO1 Ronald Thomas. The reason I left the Navy at the end of my enlistment.
My parents took me to an air show at Lakehurst when i was a kid, i think it was in the late sixties or early seventies, both my parents were ww2 veterans and did their basic training in fort Dix but thats not where they met, they just happened tobe from the same town in New Jersey.
The Phantom should have never been used as an aerial precision team platform....it is too heavy and is subject to AOA shudder..it was designed as a fighter/bomber and is a beast..U S.A.F crew chief..ret...
Interesting that the Blues used to fly with gold CATMs (captive air training missiles), obviously only inert rocket and guidance section bodies painted gold. This was lost apparently with the transition to the F/A-18A. Why I call this "interesting" is that, as a former Hornet pilot, we learn that the wingtip stations are aerodynamically important to the efficiency of the Hornet wing. Without a Sidewinder on the wingtip, drag goes up, and roll rate may also be affected. Guessing here as to why the Blues ejected the Sidewinder bodies on the wingtip stations. The Hornet being a digital, fly-by-wire airplane that has a complex store management system, I wonder if NAVAIR didn't want to pay McDonnell Douglass extra dollars to develop a software model just for the Blues to carry a Sidewinder body, or if the new wing station proved to be an unnecessary risk to the extremely tight formation of the Blues.
I'm wondering why the Crew Chief, Thomas, who ejected wings level didn't make it out. I always thought he was the one who made it since he was the first to eject and had the best shot at survival. The Martin Baker seat, once fired, will rocket the pilot about 400 feet up in about 1.5 seconds, if wings level. I'll have to assume he was too deep into the trees. I happened to be at NAS Hensley Field (Navy Dallas) in 1973 when the two surviving F4's came through for a refueling stop on their way back west. I watched them takeoff. I believe Jerry Tucker was leading the two-ship. Very sad to see.
As an air cadet in England I got the autographs of two of the Red Arrows pilots at Biggin Hill in 1970, and not long after they died while practicing the crossover maneuver. I would strongly suggest that the crossover maneuvers that the air show teams do should be scaled back to a far safer distance than 15 feet, or just discontinued. Is it worth young lives for some ooohs and aaaahs? It is not.
Flying plane-guard (SAR) in HC-2 on east coast carriers in early 70's, we saw it all .. Russian bears flying over our task force with F-4 upside down under it's wing tip, F-8 taking pictures, Harrier doing demo flight flew right into the water, A-7 blew up on the LH cat, aircraft on fire on the flight deck (GQ), run-away tilly almost took our tail rotor off, etc. Russian IGA (intelligence gathering assault ship) followed us everywhere and would be the target of our tanker dumping fuel before the last recovery. We always had to get in the air first so we spent many a night in the aircraft, in a wet suit, on alert. We'd have box "lunches" delivered to the A/C since we could not leave. Alerts would go from 30 to 15 to 5 min, then "Launch the Fastback!". During "regular" launches, we'd sometimes have helo on the bow (usually aft of #2 elevator) and when we'd take off, jets were waiting on the bow cats "chomping at the bit :)". Chock & chain runners would exit to the side catwalks but the LSE (me sometimes if not flying) had to hustle down the middle as jets won't wait and come quickly down the catapult. Hanging out in the safety zone between the bow cats is the most impressive thing ever ! The jets are SO loud, then they get even louder, shooting huge flame against barrier. The noise level is hard to describe, an F-4 on both cats with one at a time hitting full afterburner just prior to cat shot, noise was borderline painful and when the last aircraft goes, so does all of noise (so it seems) and the launch is done ... time to prepare for recovery. Phantoms were always my favorite, usually dipping a bit of the bow before going straight up! The FDR (CVA-42) only had 2 cats so they'd launch very quickly in order to clear the deck in case someone needed to come back early. On another detachment (from HC-2) a shipmate rescued 4 when 2 phantoms all punched out and one went in due to a misunderstanding .. as to which one was on fire. We were just flying back to Lakehurst from Mayport, FL where the FDR was short-cruising. We'd stop along the way to hot refuel, taxi thru wash rack (like a car wash) and we saw the Blue Angels at Oceana. Their C-130 was there and used it's JATO bottles to do a short take off (if I remember correctly). By the time we got within sight of Lakehurst, they were on their final few seconds of flight, didn't really see "how" it came to happen so this info was quite interesting to me.
In my opinion, the Phantom airshow compared to the T-28/A-4 was like night and day - the Phantom (which I few for the AF) was BIG- LOUD-IMPRESSIVE - you felt it - the airshows lost some of the thrill and magic when they went to the smaller, "dainty" and quieter jets -
Never under estimate the inspiration . Top Gun ,1986. How many Thousands of guys, and some girls, too, were inspired to be pilots, RIOs , high level mechanics (hell , they OWN the plane ! ) ? Now , if you could just put a dog gone stereo system in the F-18s , playing 'Danger Zone ' , alternating with Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World ' ...
@@user-nu9gi7mt9d My grandfather was a member of the Navy League and we were at a lunch event at Lakehurst - and I think were going to meet the team their practice session for an air show in the next few days. BTW he was also at Lakehurst as a first responder when the Hindenburg caught fire. First-Aid squad, if I recall.
Bill! I was a PR1, at “C” School; We were out pass the Air Ship Hangers completing our annual prt exam. Had watched them go around and moved over the trees; Heard a boom and dark smoke over the trees. RIP Shipmates 💙🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 An Old Retired PRCS.
So, it sounds like the lead, when he called “We’re gonna be low,” should have instead called “knock it off, knock it off.” I think that’s their call to break out of formation and climb to safe altitude, right? I don’t mean to criticize a man who was far greater than me. Just from 50 years in the future, that’s what the prevention of the tragedy appears to have been. What would that have looked like to spectators on the ground? They would have assumed it was a planned maneuver. They would have had no idea there was a mistake. To the team: Don’t be afraid to “knock it off” if it’s gone awry. We on the ground can’t tell anything is wrong if you do that, anyway. And even if we’re told it went wrong, you still get respect and admiration for the professionalism of safety first. That’s my opinion. And if you’re a bit tired from travel, don’t make a show of your arrival, just do a standard four-ship or three two-ship overhead breaks to landing. They’re still impressive. You guys fly your incredible shows when you’re fresh and rested.
Lack of mention : Lakehurst is a damned Jinx of a field - Bad ju ju Bad weather Freak storms Freak lightning bolts …. Accident alley . Indian burial ground site ?
I'm a little lost as well. At some point he said the crew chief of #1 ejected and survived, but was it #2 CC that ejected first? Was he in the right to eject or did he just get spooked and initiated it on this own? I'll rewatch but might need more sources.
I was a CH 46 pilot flying up the east coast from Quantico and flew into Lakehurst for refueling the day of the crash. I could see the smoke rising from miles out. Tragic day.
The very first one who ejected was killed despite ejecting wings level above the trees ? That was unfortunate. Looks all the luck went to the man in the lead plane who ejected inside the trees and walked away
@@chrismaggio7879 Yes, unfortunately he "got spooked" and ejected. Skip told the team it was gonna be low but stay with the roll. Mike was unaccustomed to the right wing position and was a little loose ... which in effect, slowed the roll. Skip's call to "Keep it rolling" meant Mike should tighten up closer to Skip. A tighter formation would have meant a tighter and faster roll, ending up at a higher altitude. Had the first ejection not happened they would have made it.
I'm green with envy of anyone who got to see either the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels in F-4s. I started attending airshows in 1987, after both teams left their Talons and Skyhawks. The F-4 Phantom was still in service in some single aircraft demonstrations I attended and I loved the noise and smoke. Out here on spring break in Pensacola Beach right now and got to watch them practice today (4-3-24) from our 9th floor balcony. Fun stuff. Never gets old. Top Gun and airshows are precisely why I became an aviator. God bless these fine folks.
Couldn't have said it better friend. I did see the demo at Travis AFB in '73 I think. That would make me 11 at the time. Never missed either team if they were close. McClellan was an AFLC base, and they did the major overhauls for F4's among other types. I'd sit on the roof of my patents house and watch them on final to KMCC. That HOWL that you could hear for miles. Man, those were the days. This year at CCAS we get the Thunderbirds and the Italian Fereccee Tricolori (one of only 8 shows in the US) with an F/A18E demo and Tora, Tora, Tora. Should be a great time for all!
I saw the Blue Angels and The Thunderbirds at a big air show at Keesler Air Force Base when I was 7 years old. Both teams performed that day flying the F4. My dad bought my brother and me the display model kits of the 4 plane diamond. I got the Thunderbirds, my brother got the Blue Angels. The kits came with a base and each plane was attached to the base with a lightning bolt. Did anyone else have those model kits?
Served with Maj Fogg in VMFA-451 MCAS Beaufort 1976-1979. Awesome pilot and a great leader. Semper Fi!
I saw the Thunderbirds for the first time in 1969 at George AFB, California. I was 5 years old, and was so happy i was able to see the F-4 Phantom. It's the reason i did a 21 year career in the military, if you've never seen the F-4 fly you really missed out on watching that beautiful bird fly😊.
Cool, I was too young to know to pester my Dad for a show, and didn't arrive to GAFB until '87 but did F-4E/G maint. four yrs. there. Also did 21 yrs. total.
I've seen both the F-4D, and the RF-4C, in my lifetime, here in Nebraska.
Born an AF Brat in ‘59! In ‘98, 20 year Retired CG! Have seen both teams! Pre retirement, got to ride the CGC, the Air Show Center between Alcatraz & The SF Water Front! Omg 😆! The F-4 Will Always be my Favorite 😍!
While in Germany, ‘69ish our Boy Scout troupe got a tour of the C-5 making debut tours to various AF Bases! HUGE to a bunch of 10-14 year old kids! Lol 😆
Tip tail is what I remember most. I can't remember the member that went under the Severn river bridge.
I just visted Skip's grave a couple weeks ago at NAS Pesecola at Barrancas Cemetary to pay my respect. Skip grew up just a few miles from where I live in Michigan. Watching the Blue's in '72 at Willow Run is the primary reason I made my career in aviation. RIP
Saw the T-Birds there in 69. Flew the low show because of overcast. It was loud. I have loved loud airplanes ever since.
I to went on to become a YIP freight dog later on...flying loud airplanes :)
lol I learned to fly at YIP when I was 16 (‘76), did the YIP Freight Dogging & Air Ambulance for a few years. Yip was the Place to build hours fast !
@@Three_PercenterI was ATC Tower Manager at YIP from '12 - '15 retiring 12/15. Had the honor of working with their 1st female pilot Katie (C130) & Jeff Kuss (also RIP) for their YIP '15 show. Kalitta, USA Jet, Ameristar, & National with their '57, '47's and DC-8 were fun.
Great comment sir! Personal insights like yours are good to read & add a lot to the video.
Thank you very much!@@billcallahan9303
I met Lt. Cmdr. Skip Umstead when I was a boy in 1972 at the Quad Cities Airport where the Angels did a show. He was so nice. I didn't get to meet Capt. Murphy. I felt so bad when I found out the news. Rest in honor men.
I had the privilege of knowing Skip well - he was one of the outstanding Crusader pilots (VF-53, 'Iron Angels') aboard Bonnie Dick (USS Bon Homme Richard, CVA-31), 1968 WESTPAC (Tonkin Gulf) deployment, Vietnam. No finer Naval officer, pilot, gentleman anywhere. A professional's professional! Teammate, shipmate, & friend to all! Admired & loved by all! Loved his work! Devoted to his work & to all those who in any way contributed to it! Intensely proud of the U.S. Navy & its heritage & traditions! Utterly committed to the highest standards of aviation, & to good scholarship in all of its dimensions! Always a conscientious advocate for safety & welfare across all rates & ranks! His passing was a terrible loss for us all! Thank you, Skip, for the extra-special privilege of knowing you & serving with you! R.I.P., dear friend!
Wow - that was very well said and most kind ! Thank you sir .
@@bobwilson758 Seems like yesterday we were all in the ready room, watching the plat, listening to briefs, & discussing the day's/night's events. Never mind that it was 56 years ago. Skip was a truly special person. & his memory will never fade. Thank you for your wonderful video!
Grew up watching the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds. It was the Blues in A4s at NAS Atlanta that got me in the Navy. Appreciate all the folks involved in those wonderful teams.
Heck of a story. Incredible & vivid memory! Passionate man. As an athlete, we remember things play by play. Those that are truly passionate about their endeavors, can recount every play. Every point. This is very apparent here. 🇺🇲 We salute you Sir.
You can't get a much better idea of what happened than from someone who was actually flying the mission.
I was in an F4J Squadron, VF-102 Diamondbacks outta NAS Oceana, Va. The excitement of the "fighter jets, now VFA" never leaves you! Two years ago, the Angels flew in South Atlanta. Watched 'em at the end of the runway on Friday. Tickets on Saturday. YES, Sunday TOO!!!
Fascinating story and interview. Thanks for sharing!
Seen both of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds when they used the F4's. NOTHING compares to the brute power of the Phantoms. RIP to all who lost their lives in service to our country.
Thank you all for your service to our country. God Bless all
And to the Wider World 🌌🌏🏴🙏
I watched the blue angles by my home as a kid in willow Grove pa...saw the F4s many time and then the A4...
They would fly right over my high-school on Friday practice day and right over my parents home...was so very special!!!
Same here. Was a great place to grow up. Pull in the lot off PA 611 for an airshow every day, especially during the Vietnam war. Sad to see what it's become along with Johnsville NADC. A lot of history lost.
@@knobbykneepaddler I feel the same was just in the old base nadc Warminster last week, it's turned into a nightclub the centrifuge is still there.
@@Erikr-ex9dj Wow ! Just what that area needs, another bar.
loved going to look at the ME262 before they took it away
Always a pleasure watching Air Shows at NAS Lakehurst back in the day. One of the reasons why I enlisted, and still proudly serve today!
We still drive out to Lakehurst to use the gym and Commissary. It is such a special place to us.
Another great story from inside the formation, well done Ryan.
Major Fogg was the Senior Marine at MATSG NAS Pensacola when I arrived for AI. Great man who motivated all of us to earn our Wings of Gold.
My grandpa was Skips brother- And my dad was told a lot of Skip when he was younger. I would have loved to meet him, but he died before my dad was born. I also find it so fascinating- the Blue Angels, how much training they have to go through to be able to fly a plane like that!
Also, thanks for making a video about Skip! They always take his name off of Wikipedia, no matter how many times my dad keep putting his name on there. He was actually really happy when he saw this video!!
I served with John Fogg when we were brand new F-4 pilots in 1969-1970. He was in VMFA-251, I was in VMFA-312.
I was MOS-6657 on Marine F-4J's from 1976-1979 (VMFA-333)
First cruise on the USS-Nimitz and many Cold War encounters.
Imho, the most impressive Blue Angel and Thunderbird aircraft.
But.......the equivalent of a Muscle car on a go cart track.
Beast
RIP
I've seen the Blue Angels perform in the F-11F Tiger, the F-4 Phantom, the A-4 Skyhawk and the Legacy F/A-18 Hornet. I know it was the thirstiest, and not the most maneuverable plane, but the Phantom was my favorite. The same goes for the Thunderbirds, of all the models they flew.
I remember the event well. I was an Airman stationed at Oceana, VF-101 when the Blues went through the fuel pits. Sometime later on we got the word that they'd had a crash up at Lakehurst.
Great talk Mr Fogg! John Wynn
The BA F-4s practiced maneuvers above my house in 1970. It was quite the glorious spectacle and noise.
RIP
I saw a Thunderbird crash at an airshow in '73. F4's have always been my favorite, both in demonstration and just on daily ops... nothing better to keep a little kid outside. The daily sonic booms ànd constant flyovers never got old!
The shows you fellas put on with the F -4 Phantom were super special ! When Navy went A - 4 and
Air Force to T -38 shows were maybe a bit different but still a lot of fun to watch .
Thanks to both teams - We love you all ! Super mechanics also , Of course - top notch .
John Fogg was my neighbor in Pensacola. He lived in the apartment below mine when I was an instructor pilot at VT-6, Whiting Field. He was also involved in a 4 plane mid-air in which there were no fatalities in '72 or "73. He later became mayor of Pensacola. In the above photo he is 3rd from the right.
My grandfather was Engineering Officer for the team from ‘66-‘68. I remember him saying that he tried to get the team to bypass the Phantom for the Skyhawk. He felt that the Phantom’s flight characteristics were not suited to the demonstration maneuvers. And, maintaining the Phantom posed a serious challenge in light of the teams rigorous show schedule.
I was 8 yo and went to quonset airbase to see them..they day before we got to go meet skip umsted and Mike Murphy because my father knew a guy at base...I have a picture w skip..they were the nicest guys....I still have the picture..I remember my mom telling us about the crash...we were so sad...these guys were our heros...so sad..it was not long after we met them...my mom was a Murphy and Mike Murphy was laughing because we said we could be related....sad...rip skip and mike...
Skip was a personal friend and a prince of a man. I attribute a contributing factor to "supervisory." Skip had flown a full tour and was then called back to lead the team. I had had a brief visit with him during that time and noted that he seemed really tired.
I think he was experiencing something like combat fatigue.
Agreed - I chased a couple shows that spring and also saw that Skip was a different guy from earlier days.
I chased the team for two seasons while I was in VF-101, and typically spent time with Skip. He was always willing to discuss procedures pilot to pilot, airspeed, attitude, altitude, etc. He confided that after three years on the team, he was tired and looking forward to the end of his tour. After Boss LCDR Don Bentley was taken off the team, I was surprised to see that Skip was called back, knowing his desire to not have such a full schedule with little to no time off. In the short time that I knew him, he was a "prince of a man." Years later I had my senator fly a flag over the US capital in memory and honor of my many friends and acquaintances lost during my service of '66 to '73. I included Skip and Harley Hall in the list of names.
My dad was the crewmember that strapped Skip in for that flight.
The Phantom is of the greatest aircraft ever made, but whoever thought to use the “flying brick” for Blue Angels precision flying was nuts.
Well, that's ignorant.
@@BobSpamCatcher Elaborate.
@@30AndHatingIt Most sophisticated aerodynamic design of its time. Held all climb and speed records. Better than 10:1 top-speed to landing speed. Good single-engine performance. Stable platform for formation flying, glide-angle bombing. Dead-stick glide ratio probably between 7 and 10 to 1 depending on external configuration. How does one conflate "greatest aircraft" with "brick", as if regardless of the power put on a brick, a brick could achieve any single one of the Phantom's, or any other aircrafts' abilities? It's an ignorant comment. Regarding airshows, it was a fantastic show plane. The crowd could see, hear, and feel it. Every aircraft ever used over any period of time has had crashes, some equipment failure, some pilot error, and some like the Osprey, political malfeasance. Calling the F-4 a 'brick' is ignorant, the same as saying "a bumblebee can't fly" because we don't understand its aerodynamics. Be smarter than that!
@@BobSpamCatcher See, what is on full display here is someone with immense knowledge of a subject, but the inability to understand basic nuance and engagement with other human beings and an insufferable control complex, basically the personality of a brick, pun intended.
Let me ask you a direct question... is this the first time you have ever heard the Phantom and brick reference? Be truthful.
@@30AndHatingIt No, not the first time. I used to take a Phantom to Blue Angel air shows on weekends and set it up as a static display. There was always at least one or two adult males who would explain how the Phantom was either a brick or a barn door. Ten-year old kids would ask why there was a pitot tube inside the intake duct; why the intake ramps looked like the ramps could move, why there was a leading edge sawtooth, tail anhedral, and so on, in other words, intelligent questions.
Be honest, had you ever heard or read a "brick" reference before? If so, it was a trite comment. If not, then ignorant. I guess with my insufferable control complex, I should have opined both, instead of assuming originality. BTW, my control complex helped me take an F4 back aboard the carrier that had sudden violent control transients. The cause, a miswired generator, resulted in a change to the maintenance manual and NATOPS post-start checks procedure. I do apologize for feeding the troll.
When I was a kid, they used to let you meet the pilots at the end of the show. So I met these guys
I was stationed with HC 2 and witnessed the incident. We were moving to NAS JAX and the wreckage was stored in our now empty hanger. The F4 was my favorite jet To look at the wreckage every day was tough. Navy pilots are the best in the world.
I also was in HC-2 and my detachment "42" (on the USS FDR.. CVA-42) was just flying back to Lakehurst from Mayport, FL after a short cruise. We stopped at Oceana too, did a hot refuel and taxied thru the wash rack, saw their C-130 take off with JATO bottles. By the time we got to Lakehurst, they were of course, already there and apparently practicing a bit. We had a bird's eye view of the crash but had no idea what just led up to it. We were escorted to "debrief" on what we saw and yes I do remember the pile of wreckage we had in the hangar .. for further inspection.
I was at the Air show in 1973 at Chennaut Air base whenever Steve Lambert crashed but survived number 5 jet. Skip was on the team too.
Remarkable story and tragedy. The loss of life due to the ejections out-of-the-envelope is very sad, but it is great that the one crew chief managed to survive that.
I was stationed at NAS Lakehurst 71-72 I was with Navy HC -4 which would become the Black Stallion's over in USN Air station siginella Sicily.I loved every minute of my navy career as a Helo crew chief 😊
I remember HC-4 was our neighbor .. I was in HC-2 (71-74) flew in the H-2 at first then mostly H-3s did you have a Leo Lyons or Larry Young ?
Truly a miracle, that the Crew Chief survived. RIP, the deceased airmen.
For even a greater example of a miracle, look at the crash of the Hawker Hunter at the Shoreham Air Show.
The Phantom was bad ass plane. It looked good, was fast and loud and seemed like it maneuvered really good. I grow up really close to the start of the landing pattern for military a/c for Lambert Field/McDonald Douglas's runway as a kid and I always looked forward to seeing them and the Eagles.
I was in Naples, Italy the summer of 68. I witnessed the most Dare Devil Blue Angels Flight Demo that ever has and will ever exist. Over the Bay Of Naples
the Blues teamed up with The Italian Airforce Fiat Team. Each taking turns to out do each other. Nothing like this has ever happened or will happen before
or again. The Fly Bys were scraping paint. The Chicken Runs were a hair from Collision. Low level Rooster Tails over the water in Slow Flight. And put
this all together with the Mighty Killer Phantoms Thunderous Sound was beyond belief. Without the Thunderous Sound, The Fiat Team kept up amazingly.
A day or so later I found that this all started at the Nato Base when The Italian Fiat Team was holding a welcome dinner for The Blues and Friendly Gauntlets
were thrown down. I count myself so very fortunate to have had the fortune to have witnessed the Greatest Blues, Fiat Expo that has ever been. And BTW:
Most have no idea that The Blue Angels and The Thunderbirds are Flight Schools. The Pilots coming out are sent to Fighter Wings all over as Ranking IPs.
"Top Gun" is a School, the Blue Angels/Thunderbirds are a GOAL as you HAVE TO BE THE BEST to get selected; Great story though.
My dad, a former USAF Flight Surgeon and current FAA Medical Examiner, was also the Ocean County, NJ Medical Examiner at the time. He spoke with the Navy ME and gave him the lead in the case (as would be expected). I was flying Phantoms with VF-171 Det Key West at the time. He was a bit shaken, but understood.
My cousin and I were talking about this crash last night. He was the first cop on the scene, and the one who found the pilot. The base was broadcasting the wrong location of the crash, he not only corrected them but set up and ran the command post. He also still recalls, like it was yesterday, the position of the pilot's hands as well as the state of the men. Very sad incident.
I was working on a jet at NAS Oceana behind hangar 122 when I saw the Blue Angels stop for fuel before leaving for Pax. That's right before the crash of the f4s. It was a hot sunny day.
The super big hangar by itself in the middle of the screen at the beginning is where they used to keep the Hindenburg & Lakehurst is also where it blew up at.
I was at Lakehurst anxious for the show. Heard them arrive and flyover the base before the crash. Patrolled the crash site,tragic.
Scary that Lakehurst, NJ is the same place the Hindenburg exploded.
I saw the Blue Angels performance at BDR in the early 70s. They came over us with full after burner. The ground was shaking.
I saw the last flight of the Blues in the A-4's in Niagra Falls. Opposing solo's hit each other at the top of an opposing loop. One died, one ejected... Tough for me to see as a child as I wanted to be a pilot. Many years later, I'm an airline pilot.... I guess I knew it was for me.
This was a sad, and tragic story.
I flew the F-11 during training at Beeville, VT-26, which was probably the sweetest fighter I've ever piloted. I enjoyed flying the F-8 but by 1967 they were very worn out. The Phantoms were good sturdy airplanes but I never felt that they were a pilots airplane.
Interesting, one pilot's take on the available hardware of his time.
You must have come through Flight Training a little after I did, and since the Marine community is small I wonder how I missed you. I admire your spunk, because after training and 337 missions I had had enough 4 and 5 G butt busting that I could take. Did you continue with the Blues after Skip and Murph flew in? Damn what a hell of a mess, errors accumulate and PIO gets bigger, then wham!
I knew Murphy well, he was a very good driver, very good. His control and timing were excellent. It was always a pleasure to fly with him as I'm sure it would be to fly with you.
We were very fortunate young men, Marine Fighter Pilots can you believe that!
And then they were Photo Birds! Miramar 75.
I saw them flying the F-4 at Bentwaters UK.
Super informative thanks for the narration.
I’ve been trying to find more info on Gerald Harvey’s miraculous ejection but there’s absolutely nothing beyond this video out there. As described, it sounds like something that deserves it’s own interview… probably the luckiest ejection of all time… but it’s impossible to dig up any info or find the guy (if he’s alive).
I requested & recieved the detailed and redacted Naval Investigation Report on this accident by requesting it through FOIA. It gives the details of what happened, probable cause, and recommended changes. It took awhile after my request, but was worth the wait.
Did they delve into any analysis of the ejection? I’d love some kind of visual rendering of what it looked like and how someone could survive striking the ground like that and walking away from it.
@@30AndHatingIt Maybe the tree canopy helped to slow him down.
Air Force Phantom Thunderbirds were the first F4-E's that trained the pilots at Eglin AFB Florida. The jets came without a smaller radar that wasn't ready yet. They were replaced a few months later. I recognised the tail numbers when I would see them at air shows.
got to see the Blue Angels fly the F4 Phantom as a kid
and got an F4 model kit as a souvenir
Great story telling
Thank you !
Unbelievable that the crew chief in the lead aircraft could walk away from that! Clearly wasn’t his time to go. The incident is somewhat similar to the Thunderbirds’ Diamond crash.
I remember this accident clearly, they would come to WGNAS willow grove and sometimes NADC Warminster Pennsylvania just about every year and we would also go to Lakehurst to see them they are not very far from each other.
I remember it well... my son was born that day................ USN 1970-76... NAS Quonset Point and NAS Oceana.... AME 2
Grew up on the Norfolk Naval Base, in Willoughby and was born NAS Quonset Point
So you were actually born at the Newport Naval Hospital across the river? .... @@darlenedebont9950
I first seeing the Thunderbirds in the Azores Islands around 1967 when I was seven years old. They were flying F-100 Super Sabres!
Miracle ejections happen more often ...
The first Belgian female F-16 pilot ejected in 1995 as her Viper overturned after skidding off a wet runway
She landed in her seat as well
Ejection was around 30° up, chute streaming on the upward trajectory
I doubt a MB mk5 would have made it, but the ACES II did
Not everyone is as lucky, unfortunately ...
The F-16 became a gate guardian at Beauvechain AB (EBBE)
That makes the eighth on my list!
Was fortunate to see the Blue Angels perform in the Phantoms while NAS South Weymouth Mass and at Keene NH Airshows. There was something mean about the Phantom that really made the show special, but that was lost when they went to the A4's. As an ABF at the time, I got to fuel the F4's at those shows (we were TDY for Keene). Of note, the advance Phantom at Keene ran off the end of the runway and rolled over, due to a chute malfunction. Pilot was OK. Darned if I can't find the pictures of that.
I' M Italian and in Italy there is the 313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico "Frecce Tricolori". They fly with Alenia Aermacchi MB 339A P.A.N. ❤
Mike Murphy? Whoa- LT Mike Murphy was a SEAL team leader who was KIA in Afghanistan- the story Lone Survivor portrayed the incident. How coincidental this Murph was an aviator extraordinaire. Both exceptional men obviously
I was there that day as a spectator. I was there to attend T58 C school. Terrible feeling seeing that planes are going to crash and there's nothing to do to prevent it. I have avoided airshows ever since.
It's sad when mishaps occur. I only saw the Blue Angels once. When they flew the F-4 at RAF Bentwaters.
When did the Thunderbirds stop flying F-4's? I saw them in the summer of 1973 when I was stationed at Kessler AFB, Mississippi.
Hello Colonel Fogg, I was with you in VMFA-122 in 1984 at Red Flagg and watched you make your F4 dirty as Airforce shot past you into your gunsights. Jaws were on the floor. PS how many Marines flew with the Blue Angels? Semper Fidelis.
I was a Navy-Brat at this time I on NAS Norfolk and Oceania these guys were always seen but now grown up it’s something that was taken for granted sure miss it now😢 I guess that’s why we were called Navy-Brats haha!
I can’t imagine the t38 being a great airshow airplane for the thunderbirds. It has all the turning radius of a cruise ship. The scooter on the other hand must have been great. Light and agile.
Even lighter after removing the guns, avionics hump, and armor plating. If that's not enough, an uprated engine was installed (J52-P-408). Scooters with the P-408 installed were called "Super Foxes".
Once they dumped their Phantoms, it was never the same after that. Ole' Smokey was the best.
If you have ever seen the Blue Angles just come in to land they put on a show doing that, you would think you were watching a show
I remember as a kid seeing the F4 demo. Nothing like the sound of a J79.
#blueangels #navy #F4 #phantomsphorever #andkillmigs
same place the Hindenberg blew up in 1937.
Mu grandfather was stationed there We have pieces of alumiinum frame from it
Always hated the way the Navy spoke of enlisted, "The Officers and Crew". They couldn't even produce an individual picture of PO1 Ronald Thomas. The reason I left the Navy at the end of my enlistment.
My parents took me to an air show at Lakehurst when i was a kid, i think it was in the late sixties or early seventies, both my parents were ww2 veterans and did their basic training in fort Dix but thats not where they met, they just happened tobe from the same town in New Jersey.
As I recollect from years' ago, they stopped flying f-4's due to it's unforgiving, hot nature. They went to which model? Thanks.
A4's
@@DanDrummThanks, Dan...much less dramatic aircraft. LOL. 'Reminded of Robin Olds and his exploits.
Where is Ronald Thomas Photo?
The Phantom should have never been used as an aerial precision team platform....it is too heavy and is subject to AOA shudder..it was designed as a fighter/bomber and is a beast..U S.A.F crew chief..ret...
Agree. I'll go further to say the whole idea of military multi-ship acrobatic airshow is inappropriate and OBE (USAF F4 driver).
R.I.P ❤
Interesting that the Blues used to fly with gold CATMs (captive air training missiles), obviously only inert rocket and guidance section bodies painted gold. This was lost apparently with the transition to the F/A-18A.
Why I call this "interesting" is that, as a former Hornet pilot, we learn that the wingtip stations are aerodynamically important to the efficiency of the Hornet wing. Without a Sidewinder on the wingtip, drag goes up, and roll rate may also be affected.
Guessing here as to why the Blues ejected the Sidewinder bodies on the wingtip stations. The Hornet being a digital, fly-by-wire airplane that has a complex store management system, I wonder if NAVAIR didn't want to pay McDonnell Douglass extra dollars to develop a software model just for the Blues to carry a Sidewinder body, or if the new wing station proved to be an unnecessary risk to the extremely tight formation of the Blues.
I'm wondering why the Crew Chief, Thomas, who ejected wings level didn't make it out. I always thought he was the one who made it since he was the first to eject and had the best shot at survival. The Martin Baker seat, once fired, will rocket the pilot about 400 feet up in about 1.5 seconds, if wings level. I'll have to assume he was too deep into the trees. I happened to be at NAS Hensley Field (Navy Dallas) in 1973 when the two surviving F4's came through for a refueling stop on their way back west. I watched them takeoff. I believe Jerry Tucker was leading the two-ship. Very sad to see.
As an air cadet in England I got the autographs of two of the Red Arrows pilots at Biggin Hill in 1970, and not long after they died while practicing the crossover maneuver. I would strongly suggest that the crossover maneuvers that the air show teams do should be scaled back to a far safer distance than 15 feet, or just discontinued. Is it worth young lives for some ooohs and aaaahs? It is not.
Flying plane-guard (SAR) in HC-2 on east coast carriers in early 70's, we saw it all .. Russian bears flying over our task force with F-4 upside down under it's wing tip, F-8 taking pictures, Harrier doing demo flight flew right into the water, A-7 blew up on the LH cat, aircraft on fire on the flight deck (GQ), run-away tilly almost took our tail rotor off, etc. Russian IGA (intelligence gathering assault ship) followed us everywhere and would be the target of our tanker dumping fuel before the last recovery. We always had to get in the air first so we spent many a night in the aircraft, in a wet suit, on alert. We'd have box "lunches" delivered to the A/C since we could not leave. Alerts would go from 30 to 15 to 5 min, then "Launch the Fastback!". During "regular" launches, we'd sometimes have helo on the bow (usually aft of #2 elevator) and when we'd take off, jets were waiting on the bow cats "chomping at the bit :)". Chock & chain runners would exit to the side catwalks but the LSE (me sometimes if not flying) had to hustle down the middle as jets won't wait and come quickly down the catapult. Hanging out in the safety zone between the bow cats is the most impressive thing ever ! The jets are SO loud, then they get even louder, shooting huge flame against barrier. The noise level is hard to describe, an F-4 on both cats with one at a time hitting full afterburner just prior to cat shot, noise was borderline painful and when the last aircraft goes, so does all of noise (so it seems) and the launch is done ... time to prepare for recovery. Phantoms were always my favorite, usually dipping a bit of the bow before going straight up! The FDR (CVA-42) only had 2 cats so they'd launch very quickly in order to clear the deck in case someone needed to come back early. On another detachment (from HC-2) a shipmate rescued 4 when 2 phantoms all punched out and one went in due to a misunderstanding .. as to which one was on fire. We were just flying back to Lakehurst from Mayport, FL where the FDR was short-cruising. We'd stop along the way to hot refuel, taxi thru wash rack (like a car wash) and we saw the Blue Angels at Oceana. Their C-130 was there and used it's JATO bottles to do a short take off (if I remember correctly). By the time we got within sight of Lakehurst, they were on their final few seconds of flight, didn't really see "how" it came to happen so this info was quite interesting to me.
In my opinion, the Phantom airshow compared to the T-28/A-4 was like night and day - the Phantom (which I few for the AF) was BIG- LOUD-IMPRESSIVE - you felt it - the airshows lost some of the thrill and magic when they went to the smaller, "dainty" and quieter jets -
They flew with Sparrow AAM's ???? Strange...
Never under estimate the inspiration . Top Gun ,1986. How many Thousands of guys, and some girls, too, were inspired to be pilots, RIOs , high level mechanics (hell , they OWN the plane ! ) ? Now , if you could just put a dog gone stereo system in the F-18s , playing 'Danger Zone ' , alternating with Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World ' ...
I guess that the team had some fatigue originated from Europe-Turkey-Iran tour.
The F-4 is awesome.
I was planning to see the team come home to P’cola in November 1@73 - then this happened.
Let me know if any one has any knowledge on the number 2. Plane marlin d wiita
To borrow a line from Jaws. The USN recruiters are ‘gonna need a bigger chart’.
I was there that day and saw it happen.
I also remember that day, I was at the lake when we heard an explosion then sirens. Later found out what happened.
@@user-nu9gi7mt9d My grandfather was a member of the Navy League and we were at a lunch event at Lakehurst - and I think were going to meet the team their practice session for an air show in the next few days. BTW he was also at Lakehurst as a first responder when the Hindenburg caught fire. First-Aid squad, if I recall.
Bill! I was a PR1, at “C” School; We were out pass the Air Ship Hangers completing our annual prt exam. Had watched them go around and moved over the trees; Heard a boom and dark smoke over the trees. RIP Shipmates 💙🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 An Old Retired PRCS.
@@eddiejhayes3347 yes, I recall the pullup over the trees as well. Etched into my memory.
@@BillPalmer My two O level assignment were F4's VF151 and EA6B's VAQ136. Loved F4's.
Good interview. Thanks ! For once, the politicians got something right.
So, it sounds like the lead, when he called “We’re gonna be low,” should have instead called “knock it off, knock it off.” I think that’s their call to break out of formation and climb to safe altitude, right? I don’t mean to criticize a man who was far greater than me. Just from 50 years in the future, that’s what the prevention of the tragedy appears to have been. What would that have looked like to spectators on the ground? They would have assumed it was a planned maneuver. They would have had no idea there was a mistake.
To the team: Don’t be afraid to “knock it off” if it’s gone awry. We on the ground can’t tell anything is wrong if you do that, anyway. And even if we’re told it went wrong, you still get respect and admiration for the professionalism of safety first. That’s my opinion.
And if you’re a bit tired from travel, don’t make a show of your arrival, just do a standard four-ship or three two-ship overhead breaks to landing. They’re still impressive. You guys fly your incredible shows when you’re fresh and rested.
Lack of mention : Lakehurst is a damned Jinx of a field - Bad ju ju Bad weather Freak storms
Freak lightning bolts …. Accident alley . Indian burial ground site ?
So let me get this straight… did the #2 Airplane not crash and land safely with only the pilot aboard..and the crew chief that ejected from #2 died ?
I'm a little lost as well. At some point he said the crew chief of #1 ejected and survived, but was it #2 CC that ejected first? Was he in the right to eject or did he just get spooked and initiated it on this own? I'll rewatch but might need more sources.
Ah! Wait... it's in the written description below the vid. Got it now.
I was a CH 46 pilot flying up the east coast from Quantico and flew into Lakehurst for refueling the day of the crash. I could see the smoke rising from miles out. Tragic day.
The very first one who ejected was killed despite ejecting wings level above the trees ? That was unfortunate. Looks all the luck went to the man in the lead plane who ejected inside the trees and walked away
@@chrismaggio7879 Yes, unfortunately he "got spooked" and ejected. Skip told the team it was gonna be low but stay with the roll. Mike was unaccustomed to the right wing position and was a little loose ... which in effect, slowed the roll. Skip's call to "Keep it rolling" meant Mike should tighten up closer to Skip. A tighter formation would have meant a tighter and faster roll, ending up at a higher altitude. Had the first ejection not happened they would have made it.
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"Semper-Fi"
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