Blue Angels arrive for Winter Training at El Centro, California

[TeXXasAl]

For those interested in such things, the US Navy Flight Demonstration Team (Blue Angels) transitioned from Pensacola, Florida, to their winter training site at NAF El Centro California yesterday, 3 January, 2019.

They will be training there 6 days per week, with 2, 3, or sometimes 4 flights per day between now and their first scheduled show date of March 16.  They are scheduled to fly about 150 practice "shows" in that time period. These are all fully briefed, flown, and debriefed just like they do during the rest of the year.

The vast majority of their practices are video'd by some dedicated fans of the team, who have been doing this for many years.  The videos are posted on YouTube (usually by the next morning) on a dedicated channel, which can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3yGXLeQDuVCOgg3jzefjEQ.

This channel has over 4500 subscribers and, I'd venture a guess that most of us watch these posts regularly. 

By following the team's progress with this media, you can see the "Diamond" and "Solo's" tighten-up their flying, as the training goes on.  A good example is the arrival of the 6-plane "DELTA", accompanied by the "7" & "8" as a two-ship section.  They arrived after an approximately 4-hour flight of about 1450 nm.   They are very loose in formation now (with more than a plane's wingspan for spacing).

Anyway, most of the early practice demo's will be flown away from KNJK (it is a very active airfield hosting most of the strike aircraft intermediate training (T-45), and fleet proficiency activity (F/A-18) from the West Coast.  These squadrons make extensive use of the R-2510 Restricted Area's for live-ordnance bombing and gunnery practice.  The "team" uses a dirt strip in the South East quadrant of the range as their "show-line" practice area, commonly known as the "Shade Tree" range (I have no idea why, since I don't think there's a tree anywhere on it?)  They usually get a couple of live practice flights over KNJK on Friday and Saturday (since the line squadrons are transiting back to their bases).

*Note*  Somebody worked late last night, as the number "7" jet arrived over the field with his AAR "probe" extended. Not unheard of, since most of these airplanes are older than the pilots who are flying them.

Enjoy.

AL

[Pete A (G-SPCA)]

Thanks Al, have to keep an eye on that youtube channel

[Mike C (G-XTWM)]

Thanks Al.