US Navy Blue Angels Fat Albert

In cockpit video of US Navy Blue Angels Fat Albert flight demonstration team. Flown by pilot Captain Katie Higgins in the 2015 Homecoming Airshow in Pensacola, Florida on Friday 6 November 2015. Video shot with GoPro.

[@reecedrystek2992]

I think a lot of people under-appreciate the airmanship on display with Fat Albert. Anyone can do donuts in a sports car, but it takes a real pilot to do them in a school bus.

[@aboriani]

And knowing you can't eject

[@thelittlebigoneru]

Reece Drystek, C-130J is military transport, not 'school bus' by any means. With it's 14 megawatt powerplant per 35t takeoff weight (for demo flights w/o cargo), it outperfoms most of sports cars by power/weight ratio, and it's in one league by power and power-to-weight with heavy multirole fighters, like F-15 or Russian Su-35.

[@LuciferMorningstarDanny]

@@thelittlebigoneru figure of speech 🤣🤣

[@stevenhuckaby2902]

I recognize the man instructing the girl from another video

[@reecedrystek2992]

@@stevenhuckaby2902 The man is the flight engineer. He is not instructing the woman. The woman is the captain and completely in charge of flying and the entire plane. The man is simply reciting readouts and marks for the demonstration. I do remember him from other videos and he has quite the character. My favourite is when they hit V2 and rotate and he shouts, "Let's go flying."

[@marc4ney456]

I like how laser focused the crew is even with the cackling and screams. Very professional crew

[@NFlight]

Headsets are a Godsend.

[@greasemonkey981]

Holy checklist discipline. The way all crew members chant the verbal calls and responses, the enthusiasm... amazing. I've flown with Air Force crews who actually got away with not running the take-off checklist until they were in climb-out. Really good flying too.

[@jazzdad24]

So why does the guy in the middle do a lot of the adjustments ( who I assume is the engeener) and not the copilot? In fact I didn't see the pilot do much of anything.

[@Keithpersons6]

My father was a Lt. Col. Marine ACE Pilot in the Marine Corps. 25 years, friends with Pappy Boyington. He was CO at El Toro and Camp Pendleton in California. Always loved the Blue Angels and Fat Albert has always been my favorite. Thank you gang for this video, it was great, and great to see this little lady do such a great job with such a great crew. Many Thanks for sharing !

[@toddsin8611]

I’ve always found at shows people do not respect FA as much as they should. It’s viewed as a sort of filler for the main show but the crews are just as qualified, professional, focused, and skilled as every pilot in the show. It takes an amount of precision and focus not found in many aviators to make a big bird like that do the things they do with it and in many aspects are even more difficult than flying 1-7. My favorite part of the demo 😊

[@infledermaus]

Folks don't understand that the entire Blue Angels' show is tightly choreographed and, yes, they are all professionals. I'm not just making noise here when I say that these people are the best of the best! They are all the very tops, cream of the crop in their jobs or they don't make the team. I love big planes! When I fly planes my simulator (I would kill to have access to a real simulator for an old 707 or something of that nature or even the flight deck of an old 4 engine beast like the Lockheed Constellation), I love to fly only the big propeller driven aircraft, the C-130 included. 🤪 I regret never learning to fly especially given my family's history. My brother is also a helo pilot, retired. My bro-in-law is a retired Marine Corps aviator of fixed wing A/C and helos. I got to see Fat Albert and the Angels many times, and I can tell you it was always a thrilling pleasure. My Pops was in the Air Force so growing up I never missed an air show with the Thunderbirds. I first saw them perfotm way back in 1960/1961 when they were flying F-100s Super Sabres! I LOVE AIRPLANES! This a great video! Thanks for sharing. What a treat!

[@infledermaus]

I love the end of the show when Fat Albert takes off using RATO rockets. What a kick that would be to be on board during such an event! More fun than a ride along in an F/A-18 for me. That's got to be a real kick in the pants!

[@guymorris6596]

Oh I like everything about the Blue Angels show including Fat Albert and the entire crew.

[@OCnStiggs]

As an old AF Herk driver, I especially liked the Hula Girl. The Herk world is unlike any other aviation operation.

[@kevinstone9638]

Agreed, I was a loadmaster on Herks

[@timschmidt3784]

My father was a career USAF navigator who served from 1952-73. He flew in C-130s at Forbes AFB in Topeka from 1970-73. The C-130 was his favorite plane.

[@markusdaxamouli5196]

That low LOW level high speed passes is Honestly some precision flying..this is such a versatile plane for one of its size. Amazingly impressive flying.

[@mjh4892]

Gotta love the hula dancer on the dash as an attitude indicator!!!

[@marcliebhold9625]

The “old” Fat Albert, a C-130H, has been Retired! The “new” Fat Albert is a C-130J and should already be with The Blue Angels!

[@tingbase84]

Marc Liebhold former royal airforce c130j too

[@zaborrobot4064]

I rode the 'H'. The flight after mine was supposed to be the last JADO takeoff (mine was not JADO).

[@InFamousAlex209]

About time they switch over to a j

[@timmatteson3959]

Why don’t they do JATO anymore?

[@jamesfieweger8648]

Tim Matteson not enough JATO units.

[@nickc8819]

I really enjoyed watching this vid.. great team work, communications and sharp alertness. I Salute you all, and excellent command and control Captain Katie Higgins.

[@tomstclair961]

Great show Capt. That is one hell of an aircraft.. truly amazing to watch ol Fat Albert throw down the dance moves..

[@markanderson4163]

Best of the best...best pilots...best aircrew...best ground crew...amazing stuff....NO ONE does it better....GO NAVY!

[@tailhookmd2546]

Man she's flying the hell out of that Herc. Way to go Capt. Higgins!

[@iiiDP]

Me Too You must have never heard of the Blue Angels

[@ethanrocket123]

You must be new here

[@joeg5414]

@ Did you even watch the video?

[@williamarden5441]

@ dont guess you seen the negative Gs huh

[@therealmeemawmallen9493]

She flys with absolute confidence. An total trust of her Co pilot They never even flinched with all that joyus ruckus from the peanut gallery! These three Warriors Of The Sky are top notch phenomenal! Loved the character chat felt cartoonist Well done superheroes!

[@danman132x]

This was amazing! Watched it from beginning to end! Great ride-along. Would love to have her as my pilot!

[@slpkntmggt06]

I love the thumbs-up and fist bump the FE and copilot give each other at 16:48. Silent and simple, but says alot. "Hey, hell of a flight, great job, and I can't wait to do it again next time."

[@Zany4God]

2 great videos. I am so proud of all you Marines. I want to urge all young females I know to consider following Katie's footsteps. I got to sit in the aft part of the cockpit in Turkey when we did some combat maneuvers, WOW. Thank you all.

[@spaghetti9845]

Chewing gum not only helps with clearing the ears for altitude, it is also an aid to help relax. Some may view it as unprofessional, but it works.

[@gitbse]

Anybody who watches this and thinks "unprofessional" lacks some serious critical thinking skills. Military pilots are the best, and the demo teams only choose the best *from the already* top of the class.

[@wagonmaster1974]

Great video, start to end. Love the hula girl and really love the necker's knob on the tiller! Great teamwork in the cockpit. Major Higgins Cook [Captain in this video, since promoted] exercised precision control authority every maneuver. Enjoyed the shadow dance on approach and way to stick a landing. Semper Fi!

[@DAviation179]

Flew in many Hercules, such an amazing aircraft ❤️

[@Administrator_O-5]

Ever fly with the back open for no other reason than you could? Awesome, experience & scares the crap out of AFJROTC cadets. I'm partial to riding in the cockpit, but that's because I'm an aviation nerd.

[@kevinsnell1622]

It’s very satisfying to see aggressive and massive yoke deflections when most cockpit videos emphasize minute control inputs for a smooth flight. Neat how these columns turn beyond 90 degrees for turns. Also love the frosty AC coming out of the vents.

[@mickemike2148]

Awesome stick handling Katie!

[@thomasconley3429]

That was some of the most impressive flying I have ever seen. Damn.

[@PB-fo6dq]

Still fun to watch... every time!

[@davidparkinson1519]

A pleasure to be on board with the Air Crew of the Blue Angels Fat Albert. David

[@chadm9653]

Was you on this flight ? If so, who was the annoying screaming woman who was obviously not prepared for the ride ?

[@DavidJohnson-pn5lf]

I'd love to be able to hear a clear recording of that crew chief's animated recitation of engine and gearbox parameter checkpoints coming alive at startup. We never did that in the CH-53D world.

[@enigmascharm7573]

Here ya go. kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGrLkKN6btx2lc0

[@madmann5373]

@@enigmascharm7573 thanks for the update, I played it by chrome cast at my friends electritronic store,on one those huge 90inch?all the goodies,4k wow,insane🇨🇦

[@sakismiou]

But this is flight engineer speaking, not a crew chief

[@sammysouth8372]

i love how casually she’s chewing her gum.

[@kevinwarren8921]

I'd like to see a split screen of the inside and outside from the ground at the same time.

[@Bladez1964]

That would be awesome!

[@james-bw5sw]

I find myself recreating the "da ta da FULL POWEEERRR" part any time im running equipment and require full power lol It has made pushing snow that much more entertaining.

[@6thn5th]

🤣💪

[@notyouraverageeverydayblac2731]

Hats off to the flight engineer[F/E].

[@mehitabel1290]

The hero for me is the FE, quietly making sure everything's working... When not floating round the f/d....

[@controlledburst]

Awesome vid. I just LOVE the Herk. May it be produced for the next hundred years.

[@SundaywithSamuel]

Controlledburst we're moving to unmanned aircraft. In 100 yrs there will be no real pilots.

[@cysinkaaewoods55]

Sam Young I will make my own plane and be a real pilot

[@choochooboss]

Love it, nice to see what our young men and women do for us. Thank you for your service, and GOD BLESSED each and every service man and woman.

[@rickbanet4830]

TheC-130 flight manual is written for average experienced crews; this crew is obviously not in that category. 45 degrees of bank is published as the safe maximum. This crew goes to 60 with no worries. I have been to 80 and know of old trashhaulers in the Four Horseman who have barrel-rolled the airplane regularly and loved it.

[@GalacticCoast]

WOW. I got the chance to ride in it as a media member a roughly 4 or 5 years back before the Wings Over Houston Air Show (highly recommend going!!). Unfortunately I attended a Tequila Tasting the night before. But that's another story. The flight was insane, but I only could see out side windows across the plane as the seats in back run across the sides of the plans facing in toward center (and out the opposite side windows) for a visual reference to the ground. So seeing this view backs up went I felt inside. They went ZeroG. We were strapped in, but some of the crew "floated" while holding onto a latter they had in the plane. Great experience!

[@Bladez1964]

John Ennis I agree it was an amazing experience with an amazing crew! My only views were during the abrupt bank turns very brief but also very cool! I was able to see Pensacola beach.

[@carloslvaldez7239]

Zero G at 9:23! Is that Captain Higgins piloting? Yay! Ooorah!

[@jamiehoover9348]

Thank you for dropping this. Awesome. Much appreciated 🙏!😎✌🏻🇺🇲💯

[@Bladez1964]

My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it :)

[@redandbluebulldog1508]

Love this video! Love the Blue Angels!!

[@thesensoryoverlord7955]

What an amazing pilot she is holy crap.

[@FourMaxK1]

Freakin' awesome video. ---Thank you guys & lady!!

[@zaborrobot4064]

I was lucky enough to get a ride on Fat Albert about ten years ago at the Reno Air Races. I have to say that it's hard to appreciate the forces (g's) that they put that C-130 through observing from the ground. I don't like to fly and it scared the crap out of me but I'd do it again if I had the chance.

[@markusdaxamouli5196]

What a totall thrill of a job. This is about the best job in the world...top of your skill, perfecft age and balls out showing off the best of this Country. Bravo Angles!

[@Titan52berg]

Katie Higgins is a national treasure!

[@stevenhuckaby2902]

A national treasure ?

[@BostonBuzz]

Seriously??? She is PIC and she's performing aerobatics with unsecured passengers. The FAA should investigate.......

[@MrShiffles]

This was bad ass!

[@kevinbroadway5503]

I love my Thunder Pig! USSG Aviator. Weapons, weather, whatever cannot knock knock us down.

[@bodazaphfa]

The nose wheel steering wheel on the C-130 always made me giggle.

[@ecleveland1]

Very professional crew with their sh*t together!

[@craighatzi6559]

Yep.One of the best and finest...

[@tommyslimpickens185]

I spent from '80-'83 aboard USS Lexington, home ported at NAS P-Cola. Watching the Blue's practice from the flight deck..., I feel like I owe the Navy money for that honor. Then, at NAS Kingsville, as a Facility Watch Supervisor, Air Traffic Control, I was honored by being the FWS for two "Wings Over South Texas' featuring the Blue Angels. And Capt. Higgins, you flew it like you stole it (the air show that is). The pride swells within seeing the professionalism, love of aviation, and enthusiasm this crew demonstrated. I'll be down there for the upcoming 2020 show hosted by NAS Kingsville, TX in April, y'all come on down now, ya hear.

[@Ottonic6]

How many watched the "Attitude Indicator" during the video? Over 30K hrs of service and 17 yrs, this Fat Albert retired in 2019.. I think they got a newer C-130J this year (2020)..

[@johanvandijkh5042]

Love it! Makes me long for my air force days.

[@Administrator_O-5]

That's awesome the plane has "oh shit" handles, just like an SUV.

[@carlfritzler8460]

you should reshot this video in 360 that would be sooo cool

[@albertchongbiz]

That is really crazy maneuvering! Wow...love it.👍👍

[@antoniotownsell8988]

Awesome coordination between the flight crew😀

[@cj6434]

Awesome flying out there gents , hell lot of memories coming up flying in South West Africa during the war , and Katie Higgins YOU GO GIRL !!! SHE GOT IT !!!

[@brucemcnair2]

Bloody Hell!!! That is amazing flying

[@epicdriver4g]

Captain Higgins is Badass!!!

[@hiropro2746]

No she's an easily influenced young pilot who did some VERY RISKY AND STUPID MANEUVERS during this demo. Actually there are a couple points where she almost crashed the aircraft. And hey, don't take it from me, watch this video in Melbourne of that year. /watch?v=oQb-iylWCpk Katie or Dusty almost crashes the C-130 on landing. If their attitudes don't change I'm willing to suggest something tragic like the B-52 Fairchild crash or the Alaska C-17 crash might be in their future.

[@carmelartful]

You go girl! Awesome pilot!

[@TraceurDoc1]

Dang...you go girl!!!!

[@mikercflyer7383]

How come the guys behind are not strapped in they float on the push over. Awesome video

[@hornplayer1228]

What is the feed supply tube the Co Pilot is trying to tear off it's mountings in his excitement?

[@chrissy6554]

I remember going to the beach when I was little and watching the air shows my aunt use to cut the blues hair many years ago I miss my hometown

[@budyeddi5814]

Pensacola?

[@itzyeboijoey8197]

Why do you taxi with the fuel X-feed valves open?

[@donaldparlettjr3295]

Chewing gum helps with airsickness and also helps in equalizing the inner ear. As a pilot myself I love the hula girl. Almost every pilot I've known had a talisman of some sort. When in the Army Air Cav I had a Mickey Mouse key chain on my flight

[@si_vis_amari_ama]

Nice idea, but I don't know anyone who did.

[@scottthepiper]

Pretty cool when they we zero g at 9:20!

[@pablosuarez4592]

OUTSTANDING!!! GOD BLESS! SEMPER FI !!!!!

[@nobodyhome7334]

Pretty wild , But nothing compared to that time over " Macho Grande "

[@roberthess3859]

Excellent flying Katie!

[@hiropro2746]

Are you sure about that? Here she is almost crashing that C-130 in Melbourne on the same year. /watch?v=oQb-iylWCpk I think her commander Major Dusty Cook is creating an environment where his crew are not taking seriously the dangers of flight. Just look at how he did the checklist whilst Katie stares out the windshield. These "hotdogs" might end up dead one day if they don't smarten the fuck up.

[@frazyfn9916]

"Almost crashing"

[@Alejandro-vb2fx]

@@hiropro2746 no such thing as almost crashing in aviation homie. Poor flying yes.

[@maxnix346]

@@hiropro2746 I thought he was being a little loose with the gear.

[@dr.d.martinphd5796]

My Hometown !

[@Zundfolge2000]

I love flying. I was a crew chief on C-141's. I've been in the flight station during combat approaches. Touch-n-go's. Been the back during troop drops over Ft. Bragg. No worries. I would have been begging for them to let me off this plane mid flight. Wow.

[@rickbanet4830]

Notice the crew coordination. There is no conversation on takeoff roll when the flight controls transfer to the pilot. In a normal aircraft, you would hear "my controls" from the pilot and "your controls" from the copilot. These two know each other. At the proper point, the copilot lets go and the pilot takes control - silently.

[@svyt]

Flight crews don't count on silent assumptions for transfer of control. Check this video of a Fat Albert takeoff, which includes the intercom audio: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGrLkKN6btx2lc0 Transfer of control is crisp, concrete, and not silent: Flight Engineer: "80 knots" Pilot: "My yoke" CoPilot: "Your Yoke" (Edit: Actually, it looks like the CoPilot made the airspeed callout...) Back to this video, check the action right around 8:53. It's hard to distinguish between talking and gum chewing, but as she moves her left hand from the nosewheel tiller to the yoke, you see her chin make a sharp movement out of rhythm with her gum chewing, which is certainly the "My yoke" call. We can't see the first officer's mouth at this point, but you can see him follow her with his left hand on the yoke for just a second before he relaxes his grip. Flight crews don't transfer control silently.

[@craighatzi6559]

Not a sickness.it's to equalize pressure to your ear drum

[@sparrowhawk3894]

I need a NAC ring like that Engineer is wearing. Anybody, where can I get one?

[@infledermaus]

Guy in the center, the carnival barker, just wanted to ride along. "Oh, man! I always wanted to sit in one of these things and flip switches and push buttons! Wow! My dream come true! So many buttons and switches to play with! OMG! I'm in heaven! I wonder what this one does?" Boom.

[@abdalabinladen]

Are Fat Albert displays flown PIC only or does the F/O get stick time as well?

[@GDLAhora2022A]

I love the small and tiny steering wheel .

[@jamesfieweger8648]

It’s bigger in person

[@PhantomDrums917]

My god that thing turns on a dime!! I got a little nervous watching what looked like a 45 degree flight angle for a bit. Go Katie!!!

[@JK-zq9vw]

I served 10yrs as a Crew Chief on the B-1b and never got the chance to fly in it. I got the opportunity to watch a Jato assisted take-off at an Air show I was working once and always thought if I had the choice Between that and a high speed low altitude flight in my own B-1, it would be that Fat Albert Take-off. I got the chance to fly in 3 different cargo aircraft, the C-130 rides always sucked the most... but they didn’t have rockets... Does the C-130J Fat Albert have the Jato assist capability still?

[@Bladez1964]

J K Unfortunately they no longer use Jato. I was told it was due to budget cuts :(. Thank you for your service!

[@Satine_Moisant]

OMG I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!!!!! She's a BEAST!! Well done Capt. Higgins!

[@rustincole_w1339]

Love the female Pilot. She a badass!!

[@iamsokyut]

I see that they like a mini steering wheel. is that only on the left pilot?

[@buhl86]

+pxp_xbx That's the tiller bar used for nose wheel steering on the ground. At higher speeds, they use the petals to keep the plane going straight.

[@ambersmith1200]

I love the blue angels

[@braniffops]

Love the dancing Hula Girl on the dash.

[@popeyeuy1]

would love to see this video from outside fat Albert. seeing a c130 in stunt mode must really be a show

[@Bladez1964]

It is an amazing show!

[@sabeillard]

Awesome!!!

[@thomaswagner5539]

I love the hula girl on the dash!

[@barkeater7867]

she drives that thing like a boss!

[@flamtap420]

That was awesome!

[@lomate1963]

That Guy sounds happy in his work,Fat Albert come on down 😁

[@SPXNO]

Is that use of chewing gum part of the checklist ?

[@rayjones3212]

Too bad the audio wasn't "piped" thru the Go-Pro as well. It would have been fun to hear the crew, other than the engine sounds.

[@darrellparkhill]

Ask, and ye shall receive: Pre-flight/taxi: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWashJeEfb6hkNk In-flight: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGrLkKN6btx2lc0

[@wmhsdoor]

Outside/chase footage would be epic!

[@kamicj3522]

I’m scared of planes but I love them to the fullest and if there is one plane I wanna get on its this one

[@rizdalegend]

great flying!

[@dekemmeterjacques-etienne8505]

fabuleux !!

[@MichaelCarrPilot]

I was way too focused on the gum chewing... 6:26 "Is this thing recording?"

[@peterwilliamson9767]

All I can think of is a bunch of flying cows chewing the cud. It MAY have a function with equalizing of the ears, but it becomes an addictive UGLY habit !!! Do they stop chewing during meal times ??? Oh ?? They were flying ? Must watch again ;-)

[@6thn5th]

To pop their ears during rapid elevation

[@drnogueiras8783]

Peter Williamson wasn’t ugly to me, but then again I was capable of focusing on more important aspects of the video

[@curiousnomadic]

Are they horsing around or do they have to communicate by singing and screeching to hear one another because it's so loud?

[@loganj.2329]

At 14:50 ..what is the metal line he is holding on to with his hand? Is that a hydraulic line?

[@nopenotme6369]

Logan Jones I think it is a long mounting bracket for the adjustable sun shade. Cockpits on most large aircraft have them just above the center windscreen stretching out across the side windows. A tinted piece of plexy glass with a special clamp screwed into it allows the aircrew to place the shade wherever they want.

[@freddy7700]

Great girl. She is so good.

[@williambertrand2475]

What a TEAMWORK !!!