Monday, March 8th, 2010
Not too often you see regular military fighter jets above San Francisco these days, you know, just flying around on some mission as opposed to performing an airshow. Last time for me seeing something like that was when a pair of U.S. Air Force F-15’s roared low and fast over the Western Addition about a half-decade ago.
Here’s the view from Haight Ashbury yesterday, through the Blue Gum Eucalyptus trees. Don’t bother looking at the misfocused photo ’cause you probably won’t be able to see them, but KPIX / CBS5 has some footage from Oakland International Airport yesterday. There they are lined up next to the King Airs and whatnot at OAK.

Speaking of airshows, remember this alarmist headline from a few years back: “Blue Angel Kills Thousands in SF crash”
Of course, no spectator has died at an airshow in San Francisco ever, I don’t think. And actually, no airshow accident has killed or injured a spectator in America in the past half-century or so that writer Tim Redmond has been alive. (Let’s not talk about Russia or Ukraine – spectators die all the time in those places.)
And of course, a crash like that one in San Diego wouldn’t kill anybody in San Francisco because the Blue Angels would react differently to a sudden loss of power. And if there were a crash for other reasons, it would be simply unpossible for that to kill “thousands.”
Anyway, if you ever want to say that you don’t like the Blue Angels, it’ll be up to you to just say that you don’t like the Blue Angels or, instead, to make a blog post going, “Blue Angel Kills Thousands in SF crash.”
Your choice.
Anyway again, this “Military Aircraft operation” might have brought a nuclear aircraft carrier to the waters of the Farallones, who knows.
Look to the skies! They are ever changing.
Suit and tie comes up to me
His face red
Like a rose on a thorn bush
Like all the colours of a royal flush
And he’s peeling off those dollars bills
Slapping them down, one hundred, two hundred,
And I can see those fighter planes
And I can see the fighter planes
Across the mud huts as the children sleep
Through the alleys of a quiet city street
Up the staircase to the first floor
We turn the key and slowly unlock the door
A man breathes deep into saxophone
Through the walls we hear the city groan
Outside is America
Outside is America
Tags: 1000's, 18, ab, accident, air show, aircraft, airplane, airport, arishow, attack, Bay, bay guardian, Blue Angel, Blue Angel.Blue Angels, blue angels, carrier, cd, crash, cvn, f-18, f/a, f18, fa-18, fighter, guardian, haight Ashbury, hornet, international, KPIX, military, newspaper, nuclear, oak, Oakland, pilot, San Francisco, SFO, super hornet, thousands, tim redmond, TV, u.s. navy, United States, usmc. marines
Posted in aircraft, military | 3 Comments »
Monday, October 12th, 2009
The San Francisco Chronicle has great shots of the Blue Angels, as per usual. What was unusual this year was lots of fog on Saturday and Sunday. But Friday was nicer.
Let’s take a look.
Propeller tip contrails from the U.S. Marines’ Fat Albert C-130, El Heraldo de Angeles, the Harbinger of Angels:

Sometimes the pilots look the same direction…

…and sometimes not, as explained by Lt. Mark Swinger on SFist.

The pelicans didn’t seem to mind…

…all the commotion:

Loud, loud, loud:

It was not foggy, but a bit humid on Friday practice, as these ghostly forms attest:

This one must have busted a gasket or something, the left cylinder bank looks to have a leak anyway.

See you next year!
Tags: 2009, air show, airplanes, airshow, bay area, blue angels, c-130, cancelled, cloudy, fat albert, fleet week, flight, fog, marines, navy, photos, pictures, pilots, San Francisco, show, team, U.S.
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Tuesday, October 14th, 2008
The best place to see the Blue Angels perform during Fleet Week is on top of one of the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge, but using your feet to pedal into the bay is another way to get into prime position to see the show.
So, get yourself a Hobie Mirage Oasis kayak with MirageDrive (where you sort of pedal your feet to make yourself go), grab your dog and hit the water.
Click to expand:

See you out there on the water next year.
Tags: Bay, blue angels, dog, Hobie, kayak, Mirage, MirageDrive, Oasis, sail, San Francisco
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Monday, October 13th, 2008
Here are photos from San Francisco’s Fleet Week air show on Sunday, October 12, 2008. Here’s what it looked like the day before and years past.
Despite being called The Patriots, this flight team uses Russkie-designed jets. Hmmm. Anyway, the backseater doesn’t look too happy. Click to expand:

From Ogden with love. This Viper West U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon based out of Hill Air Force Base in Utah shows us all what full afterbuner looks like.

Look at them shock waves as the F-18 Hornet approaches the speed of sound. Apparently, “the public generally responds negatively to sonic booms“, but I think we could handle it. The sound would be like this.


Just when you get one into focus, the other one squirms away…



The 12-year-old Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens – still working after all these years:

Somewhere down there is the Maltese Falcon.

All right, see you next year!
Tags: 2008, blue angels, fishermans wharf, fleet week, Golden Gate Bridge, presidio, San Francisco
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Saturday, October 11th, 2008
The best place to see the Blue Angels during Fleet Week must be atop the North Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge. Here’s what it looked like on Saturday, October 11, 2008.
Click to expand:

Glowing edge…

…or not, your choice:




And an oldie from 2005, high above California’s I-80 Interstate:

Tags: 2008, blue angels, fishermans wharf, fleet week, Golden Gate Bridge, presidio, San Francisco
Posted in events | 2 Comments »
Friday, October 10th, 2008
October has arrived, so it’s time for another Fleet Week in San Francisco. What’s Fleet Week?
Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard tradition in which active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. Once the ships dock, the crews can enter the city and visit its tourist attractions. At certain hours, the public can take a guided tour of the ships. Often, Fleet Week is accompanied by military demonstrations and airshows such as provided by the Blue Angels.
O.K. then. See some photos of Fleet Weeks past and also this weekend’s schedule below.
Alcatraz. Click to expand:


An F-86 with an F-15:


The Snow Birds will also come back in 2008:

Fisherman’s Wharf:


SATURDAY, OCTIOBER 11, 2008:
11:30am-12:30pm
Parade of Fleet Week Ships
12:30pm-3pm
Blue Angels
Air Show
3pm-4pm
11am-4pm
“Festival at the Fort”
Fort Mason
1pm-3pm
Rockin’ at Ghirardelli Square
4pm-7pm
PIER 39 Music Festival
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2008
11am-4pm
Ship Tours
12:30pm-3pm
Air Show
3pm-4pm
Blue Angels
12:30pm-3pm
Italian Heritage Day Parade aka Indigenous Peoples’ Day, aka Columbus Day
11am-4pm
“Festival at the Fort”
Fort Mason
1pm-3pm
Rockin’ at Ghirardelli Square
4pm-7pm
PIER 39 Music Festival
See you there!
This year’s sponsors:
SAAB
The Air Show Network
Consulate General of Canada
Geico
Team Oracle
Lucas Oil
Virgin America
KSFO 560 AM
The San Francisco Examiner
CW Bay Area
Military.com
Pier 39
Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco
Fort Mason Center
Doubletree Hotel
San Francisco Airport
Black Diamond Brewing
Barefoot Wine & Bubbly
Signature Flight Support
Argonaut Hotel
Ontario
TransCanada
Port of San Francisco
San Francisco Marina
National Park Service
San Francisco
International Airport
Seven Hills Group
Tags: 2008, air force, blue angels, Coast Guard, columbus day, fleet week, fleetweek, marines, navy, San Francisco, snowbirds, U.S.
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