Blue Angels in San Francisco

Every year, around mid-October, the Blue Angels return to San Francisco to put on a couple of air shows for Fleetweek.

And like every year, as soon as people hear the planes, the huge, endless debate about whether or not the planes should be invited back resumes.

One the one hand, you have those who argue that they're loud, expensive, dangerous, and nothing more than a blatant military display.

On the other hand you have those who argue that the deafening sound the planes make is the sound of Freedom and if you don't like it, you're free to leave the country.

And then you have people like me, who choose to completely ignore the military propaganda that goes along with the show, simply because they enjoy watching the aerobatics way too much, and sometimes, you just have to focus on the positive, because if you don't, what is the point of getting up in the morning?



They seem to always come from the West (Sutro Tower on the left). As soon as I hear the planes, I run to the window with my camera. I was so excited that I completely forgot to set my camera to high resolution, so the pics aren't very good, but you get the idea :)



Some lucky people are already out on their balconies overseeing the entire Bay. Others quickly try to access the roof of the buildings they work at or live in, in hope of seeing this ...





or that









.. and off they go!



These photographs were taken during practice, on Thursday and Friday. They day after, the fog rolled in and they had to cancel the show. At the time of this posting, I don't know if the air show went forward today. Oh, well, hopefully there is always next year!

Click here to see better photographs of the Blue Angels in SF, and here is a little video

Is Fleet Week in San Francisco again!

Blue Angels, San Francisco, October 2008

The Parade of Ships did not go as planned this year but the Blue Angels were present, and once again graced the skies with their skilled manoeuvers.



Every year you hear people complain that the planes are too loud, waste a lot gas and are only an instrument of propaganda for the Navy. Well, that may be true, but personally I love to see these guys up in the sky. And I am not the only one.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people come from all over the Bay Area to gather up on the waterfront. Others stand on the rooftops, hang at the windows or perch themselves somewhere high up wherever they can, just to see them perform and cheer them on. This year was no exception.



This year, I found a nice little shady spot up on the hill right above the Fort Mason buildings.



The visibility was excellent today and we got to see some of the planes fly right under the Golden Gate Bridge a couple of times ... now that was pretty daring but oh, sooooo cool!

(From the roof of a building on Nob Hill, San Francisco)

Thanks for the fantastic show, guys, see you again next year!

Blue Angels are coming back! / Les Anges Bleus reviendront!

Just a tiny, small little comment about this newspaper article today. The Blue Angels are coming back to San Francisco. Despite some concerns about environmental waste, public safety (what if a plane hit the Transamerica Pyramid, uh?), noise (yeah, they're loud! :-), cost, and mostly - in my humble opinion - local dislike for military propaganda, the proposition to ban the Blue Angels from performing in the Bay was voted down and we'll get to see these talented men and their beautiful aircrafts again for Fleet Week in a couple of months. Personally, I couldn't be happier about that decision.


Just un tout petit commentaire sur cet article que j'ai lu dans le journal aujourd'hui. Les Anges Bleus reviendront donc à San Francisco. Malgré quelque inquiétude à propos de l'environnement, de la securité du public (et si un avion rentrait dans la Transamerica Pyramid, hein?), du bruit (oh, oui, ils font du bruit!:), du coût, et surtout - à mon humble avis - parce qu'on n'aime pas beaucoup les trucs militaires dans le coin, l'idée d'interdire la performance des Anges Bleus dans la Baie est partie à l'eau, et nous les reverrons donc pour la Semaine de la Flotte dans 2 mois. Personnellement, j'en suis très heureuse.

This photograph from www.mccullagh.org

All right, I'll fess up... all I wanted an opportunity to post that beeautiful picture above (© SF Chronicle). Still, if you haven't seen the Blue Angels perform, I suggest you make some time for that... it is absolutely worth it!

Bon, j'avoue... j'avais surtout envie d'une excuse pour poster la photo ci-dessus (© SF Chronicle). En tout cas, si vous n'avez pas encore vu les Anges Bleus à l'acte je vous recommande vivement de venir voir... ça vaut le coup!


Blue Angels' Official site here
Site officiel des Anges Bleus par ici