New Hornets for the Fleet

CAPT. Asra Kron preparing to board Angel 4, F/A-18C BA v.1.0 BuNo 163435 at Miramar. 01/13/2018.

On January 30, 2017, Captains Vickster Kühn and Asra Kron met with Ms. Shana Carpool to inspect the first shell of the Hornet Project. A year after her first frame was built, the first batch of Shana demo ready Aircraft Boeing F/A-18C Hornets, version BA v1.0, was delivered to the Navy Flight Demonstration Team. Right on time for Homecoming (see here).

To fly the actual aircraft the real life Blue Angels fly today has been a long time aspiration of the Navy Flight Demonstration Team in Second Life. It has come true. After initial discussions with Ms. Shana Carpool, the Blue Angels engines and avionics supplier, the decision was made to create a brand new aircraft to match the one flown by the United States Navy Demonstration Squadron, and that is the reason why the models soon available to both the Fleet and the public at large are not the Super Hornets but the C and D models of the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet.

The United States Naval Test Pilot School (USNTPS) would provide the flight tests necessary for the R&D stages of the Blue Angels versions that are exclusive to them, as in real life, and the stock versions that will be operated by the United States Navy Third Fleet, in both cases impacting the versions later available in the market.

Development started as early as January of 2017, a few days after that year's Homecoming Air Show, in which the Blue Angels introduced the single seat Grumman F9F-6 Cougar that was to replace the dual seat F9F-8T, which in turn received an upgraded engine and avionics. Regardless of the first operational version being delivered to the squadron, as expected, there is still a lot to be done in both the development of the Blue Angels models and the USN Third Fleet and stock models, also known as default, as well as two F/A-18B earlier models for the USNTPS and the NFWS at Miramar.

Cougar in a brisk salute at Miramar with the C model BA v1.0. 11/01/2018.

The default models are expected to be sold separately or in a C+D fat pack, with liveries provided by Eight Shades of Blue, the official livery supplier for the USN Third Fleet, which will continue development of several livery options for the Hornets ranging from the USMC to the RCAF, the RAAF and the European operators Spain, Finland and Switzerland.

The USN Third Fleet in SL and the NFDT Blue Angels wish to thank Shana Carpool Aircraft for their support of the demo squadron through the years and in particular for the work, that is still ongoing, in this amazing project. Follow the link below to the dedicated NEPTUNE magazine page of photos covering the close to 365 days of R&D that culminated in the release of the F/A-18C Blue Angels version 1.0.

New Hornets for the Fleet - One Year of R&D in Images. (follow the link)

CAPT. Asra "Cougar" Kron
NASMCO / NFDTXO / TFCOM
Angel 7