DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

ME 440

Aerospace EngineeringFundamentals

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DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

The Blue Angels

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

What about the Blue Angels?

-- Wesley Far

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

The mission of the Blue Angels “is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts and to represent the naval service to the United States”.

That is, they are advertising and public relations.

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Two of the Classic Blue Angel Maneuvers

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Four-plane Diamond Formation

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Six-jet Delta Formation

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Some Facts

• Stationed at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

• Fly nearly 68 air shows with more than 17 million spectators, annually.

• Officer corps of 16

• Formed in 1946 by Chester W. Nimitz

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Boeing F/A-18 Hornet

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Prime contractor: Boeing

Principal contractor (airframe): Northrop

Powerplant: Two General Electric F404-GE-400 low-bypass, turbofan engines; each in the 16K-pound thrust class

Radar: Hughes APG-65 with long-range detection in both head-on and tail-on aspects

Length: 56 feet

Height:  15.3 feet

Wingspan: 40.4 feet (with missiles)

Wing area: 400 square feet

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Speed: Mach 1.7+ (1,200 mph)

First flight: November 1978

Crew: One (two in two-seat trainer version)

Combat radius: 500-plus nautical miles

Combat ceiling: 50K feet (approx.)

Fuel: 11K lbs. internal, 16K lbs. w/external tanks

Max takeoff weight: 56K lbs.

Cost: Approximately $18 million