F-18s at Miramar

[Malcolm]

A few more Blue Angels from the 21st according to DVIDs, not sure if they helps!

1/165566
2/165538
3/165539
5/165661 - fairly sure it's 661 not 881 Malcolm, check on this photo: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/8035429/ ... lue-angels
6/165667 - number peeling off
7/165800
7/165885 - number peeling off

I dont think some of this list is correct for Blue Angels, I have this from PB showing seen 09/23 please correct me if I am wrong

1/165539
2/165538
3/165534
5/165661
6/165782
7/165885

Your list is correct for Oceana on the Saturday the previous weekend, (plus 165664/4) - I did read them off at Oceana. However, Flickr photos for the Saturday at Miramar show some of POL's numbers, although 165566 looks wrong - it's an AV-8B not an F-18. Should be 165666 I think.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevlar/53217053939/
1/165666

https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevlar/53216665576/
2/16553_ (6, 8 or 9)
3/16553_ (6_8 or 9)
4/165534

https://www.flickr.com/photos/joits/532 ... 311422225/
5/165661
6/165667

I didn't stay to watch them on Friday, so didn't read them off.

[Malcolm]

Thanks Malcolm, photos are good enough to see which ones are stricken.
Do you have a picture of SH160?

I've looked for SH160, and I can't find any photos of it, and more interestingly, it's not in my day-log book either. I've drawn out a ramp-map of where everything was, and I don't think I'm missing any Hornets either. So I think you can safely ignore SH160 as a typo whilst transcribing from log book to 'puter. Sorry about that.

[POL]

A few more Blue Angels from the 21st according to DVIDs, not sure if they helps!

1/165566
2/165538
3/165539
5/165661 - fairly sure it's 661 not 881 Malcolm, check on this photo: https://www.dvidshub.net/image/8035429/ ... lue-angels
6/165667 - number peeling off
7/165800
7/165885 - number peeling off

I dont think some of this list is correct for Blue Angels, I have this from PB showing seen 09/23 please correct me if I am wrong

1/165539
2/165538
3/165534
5/165661
6/165782
7/165885

What is PB? Those serials are taken from photos taken at the event on the 21st, so if they are wrong it's because a) I cannot read or b) They're painted wrongly on the aircraft.

[Aircmdr]

Yeah sorry POL, there was a few serials on the original list that were not even F-18s some were showing as AV-8s, PB is Planebase which is a registration/serial logging database it looks like some have been changed since there were last seen in September on there so photos that people have taken are more reliable I do apologise

[Aircmdr]

Thanks Malcolm, photos are good enough to see which ones are stricken.
Do you have a picture of SH160?

I've looked for SH160, and I can't find any photos of it, and more interestingly, it's not in my day-log book either. I've drawn out a ramp-map of where everything was, and I don't think I'm missing any Hornets either. So I think you can safely ignore SH160 as a typo whilst transcribing from log book to 'puter. Sorry about that.

Have you got this Map you could share at all would be greatly appreciated

[Malcolm]

Yeah sorry POL, there was a few serials on the original list that were not even F-18s some were showing as AV-8s, PB is Planebase which is a registration/serial logging database it looks like some have been changed since there were last seen in September on there so photos that people have taken are more reliable I do apologise

The Blue Angels (and Thunderbirds for that matter) codes can and do change regularly. AIUI they are applied by the ground crews using something similar to Letraset. If a jet becomes unservicable during the morning check they tow it away, get the spare, apply a new tail code and replace it on the line. Rare to see the BA fly a public display without jets coded 1-6, although for PR flights they obviously have to use a two seat 'F' and that is usually coded '7'. During the Friday show they flew with two 'F's, both coded '7'.

Anyway, my point is you can't trust the tie ups between tail code and Bu-No for the Blue Angels. They can and do change daily. They have a pool of (guess) a dozen jets at Pensacola, and unless you actually read them off you can't be sure which 6 (or 7 or 8) are at any particular show, or what their codes are. And the following day the codes could be different.

[Malcolm]

Have you got this Map you could share at all would be greatly appreciated

It's hand drawn on paper. I'll tidy it up and post it later.

[Aircmdr]

Have you got this Map you could share at all would be greatly appreciated

It's hand drawn on paper. I'll tidy it up and post it later.

Cheers Malcom I’ll add any other MODEX codes I can grab off my pics to give you a hand then too

[Malcolm]

It's hand drawn on paper. I'll tidy it up and post it later.

Cheers Malcom I’ll add any other MODEX codes I can grab off my pics to give you a hand then too

As promised, my best stab at a Miramar Fudgefest ramp map.

https://ibb.co/qMV0HzV

If you've got any images of the missing 2 F-35B's then that would be great.

[Aircmdr]

It's hand drawn on paper. I'll tidy it up and post it later.

Cheers Malcom I’ll add any other MODEX codes I can grab off my pics to give you a hand then too

As promised, my best stab at a Miramar Fudgefest ramp map.

https://ibb.co/mc00rBw

If you've got any images of the missing 2 F-35B's then that would be great.

Legend, thanks Malcom Ill have a flick through my pics tonight see if I can locate the two missing for you.

[Aircmdr]

Hercs Spotted at Miramar on the Herc Apron Friday 22/09

170275/275
167108/108
170277/277
165739/739
169226/226
169230/230
166382/382 On Static Display

[Malcolm]

Legend, thanks Malcom Ill have a flick through my pics tonight see if I can locate the two missing for you.

The map is wrong for the first line of F-35's in the sheds. WL-08 should be WL-00. I'll update the image later (the memory stick with the file on it is at home).

[Malcolm]

Hercs Spotted at Miramar on the Herc Apron Friday 22/09

170275/275
167108/108
170277/277
165739/739
169226/226
169230/230
166382/382 On Static Display

I have all those, plus 168067/QB-067 and 170278/QB-278, plus Fat Albert 170000. 169230/QB-230 was on static with 166382 I think.

[Malcolm]

Revised ramp map here : https://ibb.co/qMV0HzV

[MrHornet]

Thanks Malcolm, photos are good enough to see which ones are stricken.
Do you have a picture of SH160?

I've looked for SH160, and I can't find any photos of it, and more interestingly, it's not in my day-log book either. I've drawn out a ramp-map of where everything was, and I don't think I'm missing any Hornets either. So I think you can safely ignore SH160 as a typo whilst transcribing from log book to 'puter. Sorry about that.

No worries. If it isn't too much trouble, can you upload a picture of WS409?

[Malcolm]

No worries. If it isn't too much trouble, can you upload a picture of WS409?

Best I can get is this
https://ibb.co/pLY1Ypj
https://ibb.co/MhJNrbk

It was obscured behind SH-300 until that one taxied out to take part in the MAGTF. And the best place to see it from was right beside the security checkpoint and the rozzers there were becoming a bit too keen on my activities for my liking so I had to be a bit cautious. Not sure it's clear on the 1:1 crop of the serial area, but the 3rd digit is either a 3 or 5, the 4th digit is a '1', the 5th is a closed round bottom (so 6,8 or 0), and the more I look at it, the more I'm convincing myself the last digit it a '0'.

This was all gleaned before I cheated and looked up the valid serials in my Scramble book. From that, the most likely candidate would appear to be 165180 (although perhaps not since several sources say this crashed on Dec 4, 1996), which is in the 2019-20 serials book as VW-203 of VMFA-314, but obviously VMFA-314 are now an F-35 unit, so where their old F-18's went is any bodies guess.

ETA: The photo is clearly an F-18C - two bumps behind the cockpit and 4 antenna farings on the fin. That means it must be in the batch 165170 - 165199. The 5'th digit is clearly not a 7, and the 6th digit is not a 1,2,4, or 7. 165189 crashed in 1996, and if Joe Baugher is to be believed so did 165180. 165199 is in AMARG. So we're probably looking to fudge one from 165183, 85, 86, 88, 90, 93, 95, 96 or 98.

[MrHornet]

No worries. If it isn't too much trouble, can you upload a picture of WS409?

Best I can get is this
https://ibb.co/pLY1Ypj
https://ibb.co/MhJNrbk

It was obscured behind SH-300 until that one taxied out to take part in the MAGTF. And the best place to see it from was right beside the security checkpoint and the rozzers there were becoming a bit too keen on my activities for my liking so I had to be a bit cautious. Not sure it's clear on the 1:1 crop of the serial area, but the 3rd digit is either a 3 or 5, the 4th digit is a '1', the 5th is a closed round bottom (so 6,8 or 0), and the more I look at it, the more I'm convincing myself the last digit it a '0'.

This was all gleaned before I cheated and looked up the valid serials in my Scramble book. From that, the most likely candidate would appear to be 165180 (although perhaps not since several sources say this crashed on Dec 4, 1996), which is in the 2019-20 serials book as VW-203 of VMFA-314, but obviously VMFA-314 are now an F-35 unit, so where their old F-18's went is any bodies guess.

ETA: The photo is clearly an F-18C - two bumps behind the cockpit and 4 antenna farings on the fin. That means it must be in the batch 165170 - 165199. The 5'th digit is clearly not a 7, and the 6th digit is not a 1,2,4, or 7. 165189 crashed in 1996, and if Joe Baugher is to be believed so did 165180. 165199 is in AMARG. So we're probably looking to fudge one from 165183, 85, 86, 88, 90, 93, 95, 96 or 98.

Thanks Malcolm. I agree with your theory.
By further deduction it can only be 165186, 88 or 98.
Looks like WS409 has a faint (green) stripe on the RH inner tail which could mean its ex VMFAT-101.

Edit: We can rule out 165186 too as that's a -323 jet.
The faint stripe can also mean ex VMFA-232 BTW!

[Aircmdr]

Has anyone got any new info on these?