Though in 1907 the United States Army was the first service to establish an
aeronautical division, in 1912 it was the United States Navy that apparently
first used warplanes to promote its mission at “air shows.” Soon the First World
War would accelerate the development and popularity of aviation and result in an
explosion of air shows across the county. The American Navy’s motivation for its
first official flight demonstration team began during this post war “barn
storming” era when Navy fighter squadron member D.W. Thomlinson attended a
Spokane Washington air show in 1927. There he saw the jaw dropping aerobatics of
James “Jimmy” Doolittle and the graceful coordinated routine of the Army’s
“Three Musketeers” flight demonstration team. These Army flyers had completely
outclassed that of the Navy -- which had simply sent three pilots chosen at
random from three different squadrons. After training in secret in their
squadron’s Boeing F2B-1 fighters, Thomlinson’s Navy team gave its first
performance the next year during a San Francisco air show and was promptly
dubbed the “Suicide Trio” by the press Desiring to be masters of their own –
more reassuring -- name, team members decided to call themselves the “Three Sea
Hawks.” Other teams from other Navy squadrons soon followed under such names as
the “High Hatters,” the “Three Gallant Souls” and the nautically appropriate
“Three Flying Fish.” The Second World War, however, put a temporary end to Navy
demonstration teams – good pilots were needed elsewhere.
After World War Two ended, the Navy renewed its recruiting strategy to a war
weary nation and sought to extend their search for potential recruits even into
landlocked middle America far removed from coastal bases. This time, however,
the idea for an aerial demonstration team began not at the individual squadron
level but at the top – either the Secretary of the Navy (according to some
historians) or Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Chester Nimitz (according to
the Navy’s official history). Lieutenant Commander Roy M. “Butch” Voris – a
decorated fighter ace with seven victories to his credit – was chosen to form
and train the Navy’s new flight demonstration team. In addition to recruiting
new sailors and showing the public the Navy’s colors, Voris admitted the new
squadron’s mission -- like that of the very first Navy team decades earlier –
was to “beat the Army; then it was the Army Air Forces” To do that, he later
recalled, they would “have to put a little risk into this thing” and “give them
[the Army] something to jump at.” Voris hand picked the men to fly and maintain
the team’s planes – all bachelors because: “We were not going to worry about
children at this stage of the game.”
The first flight of the Navy’s official “Flight Exhibition Team” was on May 10,
1946 and its first show was held on June 15, 1946 at Jacksonville Florida. The
highlight of their routine was the shooting down of a “Zero” – actually a SNJ
trainer that would set off a smoke bomb, eject a dummy pilot filled with sand
and then dive to disappear behind some obstacle. Only later did they name
themselves “The Blue Angels” -- reflecting the color of their Navy planes and
borrowing from a classy New York nightclub called the “Blue Angel” which Voris’
wing man had read about in a New Yorker article.
In my naive way, I started this project thinking all I needed was to win an
E-Bay auction for the 1970’s era and out of production Minicraft/Hasegawa “Blue
Angels History in Miniature” set. It had five planes used by the Blues from the
1950’s through the 1970’s in 1/72 scale. (A newer Hasegawa set adds the present
fighter but then deletes one of the earlier planes the older set had included).
After getting the old set, all that was needed to be complete would be the
easily obtained model and decals for the team’s current mount that they began
flying in the 1980’s … right? NOPE! The Blues started flying in the 1940’s (not
1950’s) and have actually flown eight (not five) different aircraft as part of
their formation flying: the “history” set (old and new) lacked their first two
planes -- the Hellcat and Bearcat. What follows is a brief description of my
overall approach to building the Angels’ planes, a summary history of their use
and the construction and challenges -- some met better than others – each kit
posed.
Because from their
inception the Blue Angels numbered each team plane with an appropriate
sequential digit painted on its tail, I thought this would be a convenient
device to also show the chronological order of the different aircraft they used
(i.e. “1” would be their first plane the Hellcat, “2” would be their second the
Bearcat, etc.) The problem was that the Blues have flown eight planes over the
years (not counting the F7U-1 Cutlass which was a maintenance nightmare, never
flown as part of the formation demonstration team, used for only a few months as
a side act in the 1952 season, and – most importantly -- for which no model in
1/72 scale could be found), and I could find no evidence the Blues had any
formation flight team plane with any higher number on its tail than “7” -- and
the current “7” is a “two seater“ for public relations use. Indeed some early
Angel transport planes, such as the Douglas R5D-3 and Lockheed Constellation,
were identified with tail number “8.” Accordingly, I built the Hellcat and
Bearcat as plane numbers “1” and “2” (being the first and second types of piston
driven aircraft they flew) and started the numbers over for the Blues’ jets from
1949 to the present. Yes, my family would say such obsessiveness is “madness” –
but hey, at least there is a “method” to it.
Grumman F6F-5
Hellcat: 1946 |
Click on the images to
enlarge! |
In 1946 the Angels
were allowed to choose from the following available Navy fighters: FM-2 (a
General Motor’s built F4F Wildcat), F4U Corsair, F6F Hellcat and F7F Tigercat.
Voris chose the plane he flew in the war -- the F6F-5 Hellcat -- but because of
the on-going “draw down” of forces during that early post-war period, he was
forced to use refurbished Grummans that had already been through their
operational cycle. Voris however had them modified to reduce their excess weight
by removing such non-essentials as guns, armor and ammo boxes Because blue and
gold are the Navy’s colors, Voris chose to paint the planes either insignia blue
(according to Voris’ recollection) -- or a “semi gloss sea blue” (according to
other authoritative sources) -- and used actual gold leaf for the “US (no
periods) Navy” written on the fuselage sides and the lower half of their wings,
as well as for the individual team number on the tail and the appropriate Bureau
number. Each plane was then highly polished and waxed to an impressive shine.
From the kit collection I inherited from my father, I discovered an old MPC F6F
Hellcat model that had an option to be built as the appropriate “-5” variant
(supposedly a different engine cowling and canopy from that of the F6F-3), so it
was perfect. Well, not really. Actually, it’s a terrible model Ill-fitting seams
and wing joints, absent cockpit and surface detail as well as something the
instructions called “wing plugs” – stumpy substitutes for landing gear – were
all a product of this early era of kit development. My project was turning out
to be “historical” in more than just its subject matter. However, I am sure a
master modeler could make this into an acceptable representation. Unfortunately,
I am not a “master” modeler. My final Hellcat product is both a great
disappointment and the worst plane of the project. A good second market set of
“Blue Angels” F6F decals would have gone a long way to improve it – and a set
did exist once (i.e. Super Scale 72-217), but apparently had been long out of
production and so precious no modeler was willing to rob his stash to sell it on
e-bay. Even then, from web reviews the commercially available decals did not
appear to have been gold leaf colored as accuracy required. Accordingly, I had
to settle for tracing in Testor’s gold enamel (#1144) the compatible decals that
came with the model. Finally, as with all the Blue Angels models, the Hellcat
was finished with Model Masters Gloss Clear Lacquer overcoat (#1961).
To me at least, accuracy together with proper execution makes a good model. In
my execution of the Blue’s first mount, I find solace only in attempted
accuracy. If I ever run across a good 1/72 F6F-5 with Blue Angels decals – this
one is toast.
Grumman F8F
Bearcat: 1946-1949 |
Click on the images to
enlarge! |
In August of 1946
the Blues apparently had sufficiently proven their worth that the brass approved
their transition to the Navy’s then front line, lighter and more powerful F8F
Bearcat fighter. Unlike the refurbished F6Fs they had been flying for six
months, the Angels pilots this time flew directly to Grumman’s Bethpage factory,
did their last Hellcat show for the workers, and flew off with their freshly
painted Bearcats. Their new planes’ overall paint scheme was changed to a
special shade of blue (FS15050), while a unique yellow-gold paint (13538)
replaced the gold leaf previously used for their insignia – which now had
periods after the “U” and the “S” that preceded the “Navy” emblazoned on their
fuselages and on the undersides of their wings. Though it came too late to have
fought in World War Two (the first F8F squadron was assigned to the carrier
Langley but failed to make it into combat before the War ended in August of
1945), by 1947 the Navy would be operating 23 squadrons of Bearcats. Its only
actual combat use however would be in South East Asia by other countries --
France, Thailand and South Vietnam It was the last of Grumman’s great piston
driven fighters and the Blues would fly it for the next three years. However, it
also was the first plane -- but unfortunately not the last -- in which an Angels
pilot would die. On September 29, 1946, at an air show at their home field in
Jacksonville Florida, a wing tip snapped off while an F8F was performing a
“Cuban 8 with a double roll” causing it to crash and kill its pilot Lieutenant
Robby Robinson.
My model of the Blue’s second make of aircraft again came from my inherited
model collection, but was somewhat more developed on the evolutionary ladder of
model making technology – Monogram’s F8F Bearcat produced in 1967 (about the
year I started making models with my dad). The simplicity of the model is
demonstrated by the fact the instructions consisted of a single illustration
with minimal directions printed on one side of single sheet. However, the fit
was far better than the Hellcat, with little filling at important points such as
the wing roots and a bit more, though still primitive, cockpit detail (i.e.
there was actually a joy stick and instrument panel, sort of). My research could
uncover no currently available decals depicting the Blues’ Bearcat (though after
I had built it I learned a set could be purchased after all -- Super Scale
Decals 720642). Having learned my lesson with the Hellcat insignia, rather than
try paint I instead bought yellow decals from Aero Master (#72-167) containing
“45 degree ID numbers and letters” which allowed me to assemble Blue Angels
insignia that turned out passably well. The obvious paint choice for this -- and
all Blues planes that followed -- was Model Master “Blue Angels Blue” (4687) and
“Blue Angels Yellow” (4684). Because the Angels’ aircraft were constantly
cleaned and polished, painting did not include weathering and offered few
challenges -- spray paint on blue as a base coat, slap on the decals, touch them
up with yellow and spray with a gloss overcoat.
Grumman F9F-2
(“-5” variant was later used) Panther: 1949-1954 |
The F9F-2 was the first jet used by the Navy in the Korean War and, for many, it
is forever linked to one of the best movies about that war -- “Bridges at
Toko-Ri” The Blues’ use of the Panther however began back in May of 1949, prior
to that “police action,” and just a month after the F9F had first been delivered
to operational squadrons. Indeed, the aircraft was so new the Angels had to
build their own support equipment. Further, the Angels quickly learned their new
higher speed planes prevented the show from being performed as close to the
audience as they had flown the slower piston driven Hellcat and Bearcat. When
the Korean War started the following year, the Chief of Naval Operations decided
the Blues should participate and in July of 1950 they gave their last show
before shipping overseas. On March 8, 1951, the Blues leader -- Lieutenant
Commander Johnny Magda -- was killed when his F9F was hit by anti-aircraft fire
while he was attacking the bridges at the Hwachon Dam. He was the first Blues
commander killed during combat and apparently an inspiration for Michener’s
novel “Bridges at Toko-Ri.” During the squadron’s second tour, the Navy actually
shipped two or three of the Blues’ original Panthers with them. Later, the Blues
as a demonstration team were reformed under their original commander Voris in
June of 1952 and started flying the more powerful F9F-5 Panther. However, the
same year of its reformation, several Angels Panthers collided while performing
the four plane diamond formation causing the death of Blues pilot Bud Wood.
Nevertheless, within two weeks, the Angels were back performing
In the same way the real F9F-2 was a dramatic evolution from the F8F, so too
Hasegawa’s Panther contained in the “Blue Angels History In Miniature” set was a
step up the evolutionary ladder from Monogram’s 1967 era Bearcat No recessed
panel lines yet, but the cockpit had improved (e.g. along with a joy stick, the
ejection seat now looks something like the real thing and the instrument panel
and switches are at least attempted to be illustrated by decals), the wheel
wells at least had some detail, the fit was good, and it even allowed for the
airbrakes to be put in the open position. A little lead weight in the nose
worked wonderfully to keep the Cougar on its tricycle landing gear and avoid it
becoming a tail dragger Though I’ve read some reviews critical of the decals for
the kit (with which I concur as to some of the later Blues planes in the set),
those for the Angels’ version of the Panther seemed perfectly acceptable to my
uninformed eye. Further, in that the Blue Angels “set” obviously was simply an
amalgam of various prior individually sold Hasegawa kits, the accompanying
decals included not just the “Blue Angels Panther 1949 Pensacola,” but also a
plane assigned to the Marine‘s “VMF-115 1953, Spring, Korea” and one that flew
with the Navy‘s “VF-123.” I’m beginning to learn how helpful it is to have a
decals stash.
Grumman F9F-8
Cougar: 1955-1956 |
The Cougar was essentially a variant of the Panther with swept wings (to
minimize the shock wave caused by speeds approaching the “sound barrier”) and a
“flying tail” (to maximize control at those higher speeds), a more powerful
engine (which allowed those higher speeds and required a lengthened fuselage)
but without its characteristic wing tip tanks. The F9F-8 also had a dump valve
in its wingtips, which allowed the Angels to add a new feature to their
acrobatics: they dyed the planes’ fuel and released it at strategic points
during their routine. This achieved the desired result of an impressive colored
contrail tracing the path of the formation during its acrobatics. This also
achieved the undesired result of spreading highly combustible and toxic
vaporized jet fuel on the crowd. Their maintenance crew chief would later devise
the simple solution of pumping smoke oil through a copper pipe running down the
outside the plane’s fuselage ending at the exhaust nozzle and thereby accomplish
the same effect without jeopardizing the masses with a petroleum mist hazard.
Assembling Hasegawa’s Cougar was not much different from constructing the
Panther However, the Blue Angels’ F9F-8 had noticeably more bare metal area on
the wing’s leading edges and over the length of the engine intakes than did the
F9F-2. The base blue coat was spray brushed on and then Testers’ silver (#1146)
was brushed on for the supposedly “unpainted“ and polished aluminum surface.
With the larger metallic area being shown, I realized afterwards how much more
obvious brush strokes can be. By the time I got to the Thunderbird project my
supposed masking “skills” improved (i.e. I actually tried it, with various
frustrating results) because I had no choice -- the Air Force’s early team
planes were almost completely bare metal However, at this early point in the
project I lived with the silver brush strokes for the Angels planes. As with the
Panther, the Cougar’s decals also included insignia for two aircraft flown by
operational squadrons: VF-81 and VT-26. As with the Panther, the Angels’ decals
were not very flashy nor did they pose much difficulty. Nevertheless, the many
various yellow insignia, serial numbers and informational stencils looked good
against the glossy “Blue Angels” blue finish.
Grumman F11F-1
Tiger: 1957-1968 |
Just before the Blues’ new leader Ed Holly took command in 1957, he had
witnessed an Air Force Thunderbird show demonstrating the capabilities of their
supersonically capable F-100 SuperSabre “and the noise it put out.” He concluded
the Angels’ Cougar had become too long in the tooth: the Navy team needed an
aircraft capable of flying the speed of sound too. As Holly later explained,
Grumman’s supersonic F11F “was a stronger airplane than the F9F-8, but the
burner was the main reason for going to it. The afterburner’s noise was a crowd
pleaser.” (Having attended air shows growing up in the late 1960’s and early
70’s, I have to agree. Just as the spine of a World War Two buff tingles when a
classic war bird’s piston engine is heard coughing to life and then starting to
purr, watching a jet fighter suddenly go vertical, hearing the boom of its
afterburners and seeing yellow flames come out of an exhaust nozzle is a
primordial blue collar pleasure not to be denied) The power of the Tiger allowed
the Blues show to become more vertical than horizontal and thereby remain within
the area of the airfield. The next year, in an air show attended by the Air
Force General Curtis LeMay, the Navy team introduced its “back-to-back pass”
where two planes fly straight and level down the flight line but the lower
fighter is right side up and the plane above it is up side down. (Supposedly the
proud LeMay threw his ever present cigar down and yelled “I don’t believe
this!”) Though over time three team members -- Commander Nick Glasgow,
Lieutenant Commander Dick Oliver and Lieutenant Frank Gallagher -- would be
killed flying the F11F in separate accidents, the team continued to fly this
last Grumman Angels mount for over a decade. Indeed, the Blues flew the Tiger
far longer than it had ever been in operational use with the Navy.
Because the Angel’s Tiger was the first to use a more elaborate yellow trimmed
paint job, the decals were more of a challenge to apply. This was particularly
true as to the elongated arrowhead on the undercarriage. Hasegawa’s F11F kit --
like all subsequent models in the “Blue Angels History” set -- did not provide
decals for operational units. Far better, however, the decals instead included
all the options for the Blues’ tail numbers including the stenciled names of
various pilots and their respective plane’s corresponding serial numbers. My
plan for the set dictated that the Tiger be depicted as number “3” (the third
chronological jet flown by the Angels). Coincidentally, this was also the plane
in which Lieutenant Commander Oliver was killed during a 1966 fatal Toronto air
show accident. This allowed the F11F model also to be a memorial to one of the
Angels lost in the line of duty.
McDonnell-Douglas
F4J Phantom II: 1969-1973 |
Click on the images to
enlarge! |
When the Blues were
looking for a new plane to replace the aging F11F, America was deeply involved
in the Vietnam War. Accordingly, the Navy at first was not amenable to supplying
the team scarce front line fighters from its depleted inventory. Again,
inter-service rivalry guided the Blue’s history and provided the brass the
necessary incentive. As the team’s Leader Bill Wheat later explained: “The way
we got the F-4 was that we had heard the Air Force was going to get them” so he
argued up the chain of command that it was not fair the Thunderbirds alone
should have the Phantom: it had originally been designed for the Navy and it was
the Navy which had first deployed it. In response, the Navy quickly found six
“lead nosed” F-4’s (which were being used exclusively for carrier qualifications
and had ballast in the nose rather than weapons and other combat equipment).
With the increase in power of the big aircraft, the Blues were able to go
through their familiar maneuvers in less time and thereby add more routines to
the same 22 minute air show. However, the extra power also had its drawbacks:
during a British Columbia air show one of the pilots unintentionally exceeded
the speed of sound and shattered windows for eight blocks around the Canadian
waterfront. Further, several accidents with the Phantoms occurred in later
years, resulting not only in various severe injuries but also the death of
Lieutenant Larry Watters in a 1972 solo accident and a fatal mid-air collision
the following year that killed Lieutenant Commander Skip Umstead, Captain Mike
Murphy and Petty Officer Ronald Thomas. These tragic accidents and the energy
crisis caused the remainder of the Angel’s 1973 season to be cancelled and the
fuel guzzling F-4 to be abandoned as the team’s plane.
Because the Phantom was the Blue Angel plane of my childhood (I still remember
cupping my hands to my ears in shock as it unexpectedly thundered from behind
the crowd during an air show), I was particularly eager to build it. Though the
fit was good and posed just a few sanding difficulties, the lack of cockpit
detail was a disappointment: regressing to a more primitive era of modeling, the
cockpit was essentially a tub with molded on beefy ejection sheets. Further, the
canopy was molded in the closed position requiring the old hot X-acto knife
trick to separate it for it to be displayed in the open position like its sister
aircraft. Finally, the slender and elongated yellow decals were frustrating to
get properly applied to the complicated bulbous F-4 shape. This is where I
became acquainted with Testor’s “decal solvent” (880901) and Microscale’s “Micro
Set” I am not really sure whether these products actually made any physical
difference. Perhaps it was instead the therapeutic effect of repeatedly brushing
them over the model that in time allowed me to actually position and fit the
decals to the plane rather than tear them and wad them into a collective ball.
Nevertheless, the F-4 is my sentimental favorite and looks threatening even in
1/72 scale.
McDonnell-Douglas
A-4F Skyhawk: 1974-1985 |
Click on the images to
enlarge! |
Though the Skyhawk
first flew in 1954, it was still being produced (and would be for another five
years) when the Angels first began flying it. It had carried nuclear weapons
during the Cuban Missile Crisis, provided close ground support and anti-aircraft
suppression in the Vietnam War, was used by the Israelis in the Yom Kippur War,
and would later be used against the British in the Falklands War and -- long
after the Blues transitioned to another aircraft -- it was still being used by
the U.S. in the first Gulf War. Indeed, though the Navy recently retired it in
2003, a retired Blue Angel Commander has assembled a squadron of A-4’s which his
company hires out to provide attacking “adversary” fighters for use in training
pilots who fly the Navy’s most modern planes. In 1974, however, the Skyhawk was
not the first or even second choice of the Blues -- they had first requested and
been denied both the F-14 and A-7. The A-4 was simply the only remaining fleet
plane that would work for the Angels. Nevertheless, the aging aircraft was
affectionately known as the “Scooter” because of its legendary maneuverability
and ably served the Blues for over a decade. After 12 years of that duty,
however, a mid-air collision during a show in 1985 killed Lieutenant Commander
Robert Gershon and sped up the transition to a more modern Angel mount in 1986.
The Skyhawk undeniably well served the Blues and our nation’s defense for
decades, yet to me it is the most ascetically unattractive plane they ever flew.
Nevertheless, in the process of building the model I began to have a grudging
respect -- dare I say affection -- for this little homely plane that can still
out maneuver our most modern combat jets. This sentimentality grew despite the
continuing lack of much cockpit detail -- though unlike the Phantom -- its
ejection seat actually sort of looked like the real thing, in a thick 1/72 kind
of way. As with the Phantom, the clear part of the canopy was molded shut.
However, this time the hot X-acto trick would not work: the structural remainder
of the canopy had been molded into the main fuselage half. Hence, the A-4 is the
only Angel plane in the set with a closed canopy. Further, its odd lines made
the application of the now even more elongated yellow striping on the upper
fuselage even more difficult than it was for the Phantom. Though of questionable
alignment, the decals finally somehow got in place -- just do not look too
closely.
McDonnell-Douglas
F/A-18A Hornet: 1986-present (Now the “Boeing” F/A-18 Hornet)
|
Click on the images to
enlarge! |
First flown in 1978,
the Hornet was designed as a “dual role” aircraft -- both interceptor and
bomber. Though capable of speeds just under Mach 2, the Hornet was engineered to
handle well at slow speeds for turning tight so as to get behind an adversary in
a dogfight. Accordingly, the F/A-18 was perfect for demonstration team work and
allowed the Angels to include new maneuvers in their routine. In 1992, the Blues
took a page from the Thunderbirds and for the first time in decades visited
Europe and for the first time ever deployed to the one time “iron curtain”
countries -- including a flight over of the Kremlin itself! (The Navy was
persuaded to allow a European tour in part by the manufacturer who wanted to
show their product to both present and future foreign buyers.) Going into its
20th year with the Angels in 2005, the Hornet has the longest service record
with the team of any other formation plane and one of the best safety records.
In that all the other Blues jet models I built were from Hasegawa, it seemed
fitting to end with their Hornet kit as well. Having done so, what a difference
a few decades make! The F/A-18 kit was a dramatic contrast from the primitive
MPC Hellcat model For example the cockpit now includes an ejection seat that is
much more like the full size version, the joy stick is back and the relatively
convincing decals make the instrument panels much more presentable. The
evolution to the much coveted recessed panel lines is now included and the
cockpit not only can be made in the open position but includes the detail of a
nice hydraulic strut to keep it open The one construction fault I found, perhaps
due to my ham-handed model making skills, is the poor fit gotten when joining
the two fuselage halves. Instead of the traditional left and right pieces, the
fuselage consists of a top and bottom piece. This avoids the need to sand the
unsightly seam that usually runs down the middle of the aircraft, but creates a
new seam on the complicated sides that is highly difficult to reach in order to
smooth out. The decals again helpfully provide the serial numbers, tail number
and pilot names for each of the six individual planes in the squadron. My
example was of course made as number “6” -- the sixth jet flown by the Angels.
Again, however, the long thin yellow striping was the greatest challenge for
this final Blues mount because it practically runs the entire length of the
rolling fuselage and across complex surfaces -- including an open canopy. Again,
don’t look too hard at the stripe alignment.
The history of the
Blue Angels is a long, sometimes tragic, but always thrilling story. Though I
cannot say the same of my Blues project, I can say it was darn fun to research
and build. Indeed, its still not done -- like the Blues themselves -- the
collection will never be really “over“ because whenever the Angels transition to
their newest fighter, I’ll be cruising the internet for the model, the decals
and a larger display case.
Books:
John M. Elliot, The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color
Guide, Vol. 2 1940-1949, p. 183 (1998).
John M. Elliot, The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color
Guide, Vol. 4 1960-1993, p. 196 (1993).
Nicholas A. Veronico & Marga B. Fritze, Blue Angels: 50 Years of Precision
Flight, (1996)
Harry Gann, “The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk,” Aircraft in Profile Vol. 5, No. 102
(1969).
Hall Andrews, “The Grumman F8F Bearcat,” Aircraft in Profile Vol. 5, No. 107
(1969)
Magazines:
Graham Chandler, “The Hotrod Squad,” Air & Space Smithsonian (July, 2004)
Warren Thompson, “ “ Flight Journal (October, 2004)
Computer Discs:
21st Century Airplane Magic, Flight Demonstration Squadrons: Navy Blue Angels,
Air Force Thunderbirds
Web sites:
Blue Angels Alumni Association
www.blueangelsorg/Aircraft/Master/Master.html#Panther
USAF Aerial Demonstration Teams
www.wpafbaf.mil/cgi-bin/quiz.pl/history/adt/adt.htm
Official Blue Angels Site
www.blueangelsnavy.mil/flashindex.html
United States Navy Blue Angels
www.navy.com/jsp/explore/comunity/blueangels/index.jsp?cid=28&pid=2
The Ejection Site
www.ejectionsite.com
Instrument Panels
http://gra.midconet/mlgould/A-F.html#Cougar
Cybermodeler Online: Aircraft Photo Walkarounds & References
www.cybermodeler.com/resource1.shtml
Phil's Aeronautical Stuff: Aircraft Detail Photos
www.philsaeronauticalstuff.com/aircraftdetailphotos.html
Aircraft Resource Center: Aircraft Walk Arounds
www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/
Robert Lundin’s
Aircraft Walk Around Center
www.aircraftwalkaroundhobbyvista.com
Highgallery: United States Navy Blue Angels
http://www.highgallery.com/Navy-Blue-Angles.html
Photos and text of the models © 2005 by
Dan Pat Hamilton
Original photos are from public
sources provided by the modeler.
June 29, 2005
www.carrierbuilders.net |