First Lady Pilot of the T-birds

[Julien (UK)]

The Blue Angels are better.

I have never seen the Blue Angles (they are not in the UK too much). However I have seen the T Birds and must say I was dissapointed. Every European team I have seen I would rate better than them.

Sorry any T bird Fans.

Julien

Edited March 22, 2006 by Julien (UK)

[volzj]

I'm just happy to still have NAS Willow Grove open to be able to even see the Thunderbirds this summer!

[Chappie]

I'm an Air Force guy, both grandfathers were Air Corps guys, but I must agree that the European teams and the Snowbirds are much more exciting to watch than the T-Birds...and the Blues. Leave it to the US to rule and regulate aerial demo teams into the ho-hum. The best I've seen in person is the Freece Tri-Colour.

Like I've said before, I'd like to see the Thunderbirds go back to the demo they flew when they had F-100s!

But the Thunderbirds have always had the best paint schemes.

Chappie

[Scooby]

On another note, got to meet several women aviators from Russia this past weekend in Seattle, WA. One was Russian AF pilot ... Mig 29 pilot. She did some years as a line combat pilot and then got into the Swifts demo team. Several years there and is now an instructor pilot for the Swifts.

Also in the group was the world womens aerobatics champion (really nice woman), an ex-cosmonaut and current Tu-134 pilot, and a former Mig 15 and 17 instructor pilot that also set 4 or 5 speed records with the Mig 21 back in the mid 1960's.

This group is also going to be at the WIA (Women in Aviation) conference in Nasheville, TN this week, if you're in that area.

Becoming a female fighter pilot in Russia must have been really tough. I know in 91 we had the Ukranian Mig-29s arrive at our base for their North American tour. They had a raffle to take up a reporter and a female reporter won. The Ukrainians refused to allow a female into their aircraft and forced the event organizers to draw another name.

It was shocking to see, but it was also shocking for them to be in our society. I took a few of them to grocery stores (Superstore) and they were amazed. In fact, most of them had seen food they had never seen in their life. Most had never had a strawberry or bannana. The vans we provided them with had cruise, tilt, air, power doors/windows, and were fully loaded. They had never seen anything like it.

[Backfire]

The Ukrainians refused to allow a female into their aircraft and forced the event organizers to draw another name.

This may have been due to superstition than any sort of prejudice or discrimination - Ukrainians are very superstituous.

I took a few of them to grocery stores (Superstore) and they were amazed. In fact, most of them had seen food they had never seen in their life. Most had never had a strawberry or bannana.

True, my wife (who grew up in Ukraine) tells the same about never seeing different types of fruit or spices until after the Soviet system collapsed. Ukrainians rushed to try things "western" but soon went back to buying real food in the market, rather than mass produced western products which had no taste. If you travel to Ukraine you will be able to buy a tomato that tastes and smells like a tomato, not like the junk in Superstore.

:D

Keith

[GreyGhost]

I'm an Air Force guy, both grandfathers were Air Corps guys, but I must agree that the European teams and the Snowbirds are much more exciting to watch than the T-Birds...and the Blues. Leave it to the US to rule and regulate aerial demo teams into the ho-hum. The best I've seen in person is the 9Freece Tri-Colour.

Like I've said before, I'd like to see the Thunderbirds go back to the demo they flew when they had F-100s!

The Freece Tri-Colour is pretty much responsible for the U.S. making those regulations stiffer ...

Gregg