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| BuNo 163435 F/A-18C test 88-2 in Miramar's hangar B with BuNo 163451 by her side. |
The Navy Flight Demonstration Team Blue Angels are flying their last season with the 1955 Grumman F9F-6 and F9F-8T Cougars. Development of Demo Ready Version 01 (DRV01) of the new Boeing F/A-18C Hornet is underway, soon to be followed by the new F/A-18D two seat. The Blues Boss, together with Angel 7, are now on the critical engines fine tuning stage, with minimal structural changes being applied still.
The whole team is eager to get the Hornets but, with the exception of the two newbies, LCDR. Doc "BamBam" Baxter and LTJG. Matter "Hawk" Blueskind, they will all miss the Cougars dearly, as the current demo planes are retired to secondary role in the 2018 Season after two years of exceptional service.
Today, Angels 1 and 4 aircraft performed a test flight from NAS Miramar to Fiji Islands Airport (ex-TFIA), where the last demo of the 2017 season will take place. This will be the last time the Cougars fly as the Squadron's front line demo jet. The Cougars will remain optional with the team for heritage appearances. Captain Vickster "Speed" Kühn and Captain Asra "Cougar" Kron had already flown together in earlier test versions at Daystar, during practice for the local air show (see here), but this was the first open skies flight check with the new Hornets. And it was sweet. Check below and as usual click to enlarge the photos.
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| Tight formation. The Hornets will put a whole new game on. |
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| "Cougar" brings it in flying right wing for "Speed" over the Aldabra Sea. |
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| Flying paint. Inside the 18 inches envelope, canopy to wing tip. |
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| The two test 88 Hornets at FIA after the flight. Almost there! |
A huge thank you to Shana Carpool, Angel Zero and the SL USN Blue Angels exclusive aircraft provider, for months of development with these brand new frames and engines (see here).
CAPT. Asra "Cougar" Kron
Angel 7
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