Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
San Diego Union-Tribune
October 2, 2008
Units 'Rolling Stones of air-show industry'
By Steve Liewer, Staff Writer
MIRAMAR--The Blue Angels precision flying team is virtually synonymous with the annual Miramar Air Show, and that's the way the military likes it.
It costs tens of millions of dollars each year to maintain these blue-and-gold fighter jets and train a group of elite Navy pilots. But commanders said the team's high profile, including its headliner status at the Miramar show starting tomorrow, and jaw-dropping moves make it an unbeatable recruitment tool for military aviation.
More than 250 air shows compete annually to secure an appearance by the Blue Angels or the Air Force's Thunderbirds. The roughly 70 that succeed can expect to boost attendance at their events by as much as 30 percent, said John Cudahy, president of the International Council of Air Shows.
“Both jet teams are the Rolling Stones of the air-show industry,” Cudahy said. “They're the closest things we have to household names.”
One way to gauge the impact of these aerial teams is to look at the number of people who sign up for military service during mass enlistment ceremonies held at each air show, said Capt. Elizabeth Kreft, spokeswoman for the Thunderbirds. About 150 men and women joined the Air Force last month during the show at Travis Air Force Base near San Francisco.
Commanders said the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds are the second-best way – after TV advertising – to boost the Navy and Air Force brands, particularly with respect to their aviation wings.
“Some kid in Ohio may not even know what the Navy is until he sees the Blue Angels,” said Lt. j.g. Brett Dawson, a spokesman for the Chief of Naval Air Training, the command that includes the Blue Angels. “They are ... a showcase of naval aviation.”
The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds have a combined annual budget of about $54 million, according to figures provided by the Navy and Air Force. Analysts said that's a lot of money, but barely a blip in a Pentagon budget that runs to half a trillion dollars.
“Compared to stupid ideas like the F-22, the B-2, the DDG-1000, CVN-21, V-22 and the Future Combat System, we spend a mere pittance on the flying teams,” said military expert Winslow Wheeler, referring to a series of weapons systems plagued by delays and cost overruns. He is an analyst at the Center for Defense Information in Washington, D.C.
“It's harmless enough, I suppose,” said John Pike, director of the Web site Globalsecurity.org.
Pike said the aerial teams are among the few tangible payoffs that taxpayers can get for their financing of the military.
“You actually get to see them,” he said. “They're really visually impressive.”
Critics of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds tend to blame them for fueling the popularity of what they see as expensive and environmentally harmful air shows.
Some of their comments are posted on blogs like the Seattle-based Slog. After the Blue Angels performed in late July at an air show in Seattle, the blog's author blasted the team for its “burning of hideous amounts of fuel.”
Early every fall, coordinators for the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds consult each other before assembling their schedules for the coming year.
Shows in military hubs have high priority, and a few stops are all but etched in stone for each team: San Diego for the Blue Angels (at least until last year, when the Thunderbirds were the replacement stars); Oceana, Va.; Pensacola, Fla.; Seattle; San Francisco; Las Vegas; and Cheyenne, Wyo.
Several other sites are practically guaranteed a visit by one team or the other, usually in alternate years, because of the large crowds at their shows. Those locations include Chicago; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Cleveland; Dallas; and Houston.
To avoid splitting audiences, the teams won't appear within 300 miles of each other in the same week, or within 80 miles at any time of the year. They gather at the same show only for special occasions, such as the 400th anniversary celebration for the Canadian province of Quebec in June.
October 2, 2008
Units 'Rolling Stones of air-show industry'
By Steve Liewer, Staff Writer
MIRAMAR--The Blue Angels precision flying team is virtually synonymous with the annual Miramar Air Show, and that's the way the military likes it.
It costs tens of millions of dollars each year to maintain these blue-and-gold fighter jets and train a group of elite Navy pilots. But commanders said the team's high profile, including its headliner status at the Miramar show starting tomorrow, and jaw-dropping moves make it an unbeatable recruitment tool for military aviation.
More than 250 air shows compete annually to secure an appearance by the Blue Angels or the Air Force's Thunderbirds. The roughly 70 that succeed can expect to boost attendance at their events by as much as 30 percent, said John Cudahy, president of the International Council of Air Shows.
“Both jet teams are the Rolling Stones of the air-show industry,” Cudahy said. “They're the closest things we have to household names.”
One way to gauge the impact of these aerial teams is to look at the number of people who sign up for military service during mass enlistment ceremonies held at each air show, said Capt. Elizabeth Kreft, spokeswoman for the Thunderbirds. About 150 men and women joined the Air Force last month during the show at Travis Air Force Base near San Francisco.
Commanders said the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds are the second-best way – after TV advertising – to boost the Navy and Air Force brands, particularly with respect to their aviation wings.
“Some kid in Ohio may not even know what the Navy is until he sees the Blue Angels,” said Lt. j.g. Brett Dawson, a spokesman for the Chief of Naval Air Training, the command that includes the Blue Angels. “They are ... a showcase of naval aviation.”
The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds have a combined annual budget of about $54 million, according to figures provided by the Navy and Air Force. Analysts said that's a lot of money, but barely a blip in a Pentagon budget that runs to half a trillion dollars.
“Compared to stupid ideas like the F-22, the B-2, the DDG-1000, CVN-21, V-22 and the Future Combat System, we spend a mere pittance on the flying teams,” said military expert Winslow Wheeler, referring to a series of weapons systems plagued by delays and cost overruns. He is an analyst at the Center for Defense Information in Washington, D.C.
“It's harmless enough, I suppose,” said John Pike, director of the Web site Globalsecurity.org.
Pike said the aerial teams are among the few tangible payoffs that taxpayers can get for their financing of the military.
“You actually get to see them,” he said. “They're really visually impressive.”
Critics of the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds tend to blame them for fueling the popularity of what they see as expensive and environmentally harmful air shows.
Some of their comments are posted on blogs like the Seattle-based Slog. After the Blue Angels performed in late July at an air show in Seattle, the blog's author blasted the team for its “burning of hideous amounts of fuel.”
Early every fall, coordinators for the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds consult each other before assembling their schedules for the coming year.
Shows in military hubs have high priority, and a few stops are all but etched in stone for each team: San Diego for the Blue Angels (at least until last year, when the Thunderbirds were the replacement stars); Oceana, Va.; Pensacola, Fla.; Seattle; San Francisco; Las Vegas; and Cheyenne, Wyo.
Several other sites are practically guaranteed a visit by one team or the other, usually in alternate years, because of the large crowds at their shows. Those locations include Chicago; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Cleveland; Dallas; and Houston.
To avoid splitting audiences, the teams won't appear within 300 miles of each other in the same week, or within 80 miles at any time of the year. They gather at the same show only for special occasions, such as the 400th anniversary celebration for the Canadian province of Quebec in June.