Every avgeek has a favorite: the Navy Blue Angels or USAF Thunderbirds. It’s aviation equivalent of the baseball rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox with a few differences. Both demonstration teams execute their missions with exceptional dedication year after year to millions of people. And while each team represents different military branches, they ultimately play for the same team, and sometimes join together for cross-team training and familiarization.
On very rare occasions, both teams will actually perform at the same air show. They even fly a joint-formation together, called the Super Delta. It’s been performed numerous times, most recently this spring.
The Ultimate Prank
Over the decades both teams have shared many jokes and pranks on each other, and have kept the friendly competitive spirit alive between them, always trying to show-off or outdo the other.
Here’s a funny story we recently came across from 1976, shared by Ryan Nothhaft at Blue Angel Phantoms on YouTube.
“How was the landing?”
In 1976 both teams got together. The Blues were flying A-4s and the Thunderbirds were flying T-38s. But the Blues were not satisfied with just showing off what their Navy jet could do. So they sent the Thunderbirds to the aircraft carrier USS Lexington for a day of real Navy flight ops.
One of those Thunderbird pilots, Stephen Mish, recalled the visit in the interview above.
”The training film they showed us was 30 minutes of just carrier accidents,” said Mish, as he smiled remembering the day. “Then we went out, trapped on the ship, spent the day on the Lexington and catapulted off in the afternoon.”
The best part though? Once they arrived, the Thunderbirds realized that they were alone. The Blues didn’t even join the trip! They stayed on land and sent the Thunderbirds to the ship without them.
“We got back onshore and they were giggling, asking us “how was the day” and “how’d you like the landing?” It was great. We had a great relationship with those guys.
You can watch the full interview above, and check out the other amazing videos on Blue Angels and Thunderbirds history on Blue Angel Phantoms.
