Blue Angels
Apr 28th, 2007 at 7:03 am by PSoTD
Is it time we have a national discussion about the merits of the Navy’s Blue Angels? They’ve been around a long time - Nimitz ordered them started in 1946 to spur interest and funding in naval aviation - and I understand that they have entertainment value, but what is the real value to the Navy - and to America - in actual evidence?
Recruitment is a pretty easy answer to give, but is there evidence in numbers?
Evidence in numbers?
Okay, when I was in the Air Force, I was detailed as part of the clean-up crew for an air show at Andrews Air Force Base.
375,000 people showed up to watch. (The show, not me.)
That’s not evidence in numbers of recruitment. That’s attendance.
Millions of people watch the circus every year. Not that many go into liontaming and clown school.
Okay, when I was in the Air Force, I was detailed as part of the clean-up crew for an air show at Andrews Air Force Base.
375,000 people showed up to watch.
This is a highly improbable number, logistically.
How did those people get there and go home without
causing a crippling traffic jam? Imagine six NFL games being held simultaneously
in adjoining stadiums. That would never work.
I can tell you with certainty, that for every appearance of the Blue Angels, that Navy gets no less than 30% of the total attendance as LEADS. Of that percentage, 10% will be “Qualified LEADS,” (meeting weight/health/age requirements) and ~5% of those LEADS will sign up.
Just John’s #’s are pretty high, by the way. Attendance at a typical show, in or near a major City is ~100,000 people– Mom, Dad, Kids, Grandparents, etc, over a weekend, or holiday weekend.
So, really, we’re talking about 100-150 real potential Navy Recruits per BA visit… and many of them will ASMO out during Boot Camp, or during training, for health, emotional, family or other reasons.
Here’s the deal. The BA’s fly, and act as a draw, but there is a BA plane sitting in the display area, and a BA simulator ride right next to it. To take the ride, or sit in the plane, you need to fill out a LEAD card. Thus we get the LEAD Cards from every single person. They go to our LEADS Department at CNRC HQ in Millington, TN, and get sifted out for eligibility. Those eligible get sent on to the Fulfillment Center, and then the Qualified LEADS get bombarded with Recruitment mailings and toys. As I said, ~5% of those people ultimately join the Navy.
It seems a splash in the bucket, but, the numbers add up. Navy is failing terribly at meeting recruiting goals, by the way. We’ve not hit goal in over six months now. We’ve only got a 40K goal. The typical State College is doing better than Navy, and they barely need to try.
–mf
The Blue Angels are the Navy’s Ronald McDonald.
-mf
thanks for the information. At that is a good point about meeting recruiting goals, although I’m not sure that a splashy presentation of any sort can mollify the doubts about the dangers of contracted service under the Bush Republicans.
I have been doing some research on the Blue Angels since the crash.
The Blue Angels use 3.1 million gallons of JP-5 jet fuel per year for 66 shows (2007) The Air Force Thunderbirds have 70 shows scheduled for 2007.
Why do the rest of us bother with driving hybrids and recycling when the military is out polluting and wasting taxpayer’s aka our money?
An F/A 18 costs between $24 and $57 million dollars. To train a pilot is over a million. The Navy is going to have to pay off those injured on the ground and for the property damage. Big waste of $$$.
I cannot find any updated news stories about the crash in SC. What happened to the 8 injured people? How come no one has interviewed them?
With such a miniscule recruitment outcome vs. cost and environmental damage, it’s not worth it keeping the Blue Angels.
Why don’t all of you find something else more meaningful to pick apart and brow beat over! Yes, the Blue Angels are officially a recruitment tool for the US Navy, but more so serve as an entertainment value to those who are avid aviators, fans of aviation, and mainly to those children and teens who still dream of being an astronaut, pilot, etc.
There is a cost associated with anything of entertainment value, NFL Football costs millions of dollars each year to operate, but I don’t see anyone clamoring to ban football games! Is it dangerous to go to an airshow? You have a 10 times higher chance and probabilit of slipping in your shower and breaking your neck or getting hit by car than getting hurt at an airshow!
If you don’t like it, don’t go and don’t watch, our tax dollars are getting squandered on things MUCH more worthless than this, at least WE THE PEOPLE are getting entertained and are able see what our tax dollars are building, training, and having the warm fuzzies that that bad ass jet is protecting my country, as well as several hundred other countries!
In short, I would worry more about your mortgage rates being screwed at this point than an F-18 and how much it costs! Get a life and try to enjoy it a little, its way too short and way too cruel spending it picking things apart, leave that to the democrats!