Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!emory!att!cbnews!military
From: phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Persian Gulf Combat Aircraft--The A-4 Skyhawk
Keywords: facts, figures, data
Message-ID: <1990Oct23.190616.7184@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 23 Oct 90 19:06:16 GMT
References: <1990Oct8.030359.11680@cbnews.att.com> <1990Oct11.050817.29127@cbnews.att.com> <1990Oct15.033841.12974@cbnews.att.com>
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From: phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson)
In article <1990Oct11.050817.29127@cbnews.att.com> jabusch@osiris.cso.uiuc.edu (John Jabusch) writes:
>TThe Blue Angels were flying A-4s up until the Hornets became
>common in the fleet, which took a few years (the first F/A-18 squadron
>began forming in the planning stage in 1976).  

In the early 80's I was fortunate enough to work within a few hundred yards
of the runway and Moffett Field, getting multiple chances to watch the
BA's practice and perform.  They switched to the F/A-18's around 1986.

It's My Humble Opinion that the F-4's were the better aerobatic demo
planes.  They were far nimbler than the F/A-18's and seemed to get closer
together.  And they could _land_ in formation, something the larger
planes have to do one at a time, at least at Moffett's runway.

Obviously, the group has to fly current aircraft, but it's too bad they
couldn't find something smaller.
-- 
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