@ San Francisco, CA
October 2024
Taken during the annual San Francisco Fleet Week airshow, Blue Angel #5 performs a vaporous high-speed pass just over mast height. This time I was able to get one of the best images ever of the transonic shockwaves generated during the pass, the largest ones can be seen underneath the aircraft near the tail. First formed in 1946, the Blue Angels have been using the F/A-18 Hornet since 1986 and transitioned to the new F/A-18 Super Hornet in 2020. Previously they had been flying some of the oldest jets in the fleet that had been taken out of frontline combat strike units. Designed and initially produced by McDonnell Douglas, the Super Hornet first flew in 1995. Compared to the C/D version of the Hornet, this aircraft’s wing is 25% bigger, carries 33% more fuel, has 41% better mission range, 35% more thrust, and 50% more endurance.
