The 2011 Fleet Week logo
Fleet Week is an event that has taken place in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1981 and has always been held on Columbus Day Weekend. This marks the 30th anniversary of the event. The U.S Navy Blue Angles have preformed at the event all but one year since 1981 and the Canadian Snowbirds began performing at the air show in the mid 2000’s with them only not appearing at last year’s show.
The event kicks off with Navy and Marine Corps personal arriving in San Francisco during the course of the week. All the air show’s performing acts conduct practices and scouting of the air show area to get familiar with what they will be flying around. The Blues will taken local celebs, vets and guests on VIP flights during the course of the week as well.
The 1st day of events takes place on Saturday with the Parade of Ships:
USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Photo taken by Andy Cho
This year’s parade included: USS Carl Vinson, USS Bonhoome Richard, USS Antietam, USS Milius, USS Chief, USS Guadalupe, USCG Bertholf, USCG Alert, HMCS Ottawa, HMCS Saskatoon, HMCS Nanaimo, HMCS Brandon, and SS jerimiah O’Brian.
At high noon, the air show kicked off. The performers went as followed and photographed by Andy “RF Drummer” Cho from the piers at Fort Mason:
USCG HH-65 Rescue Demonstration (not photographed)
Photo by Andy Cho
The Patroits Jet Team
Photo by Andy Cho
USN EA-6B Prowlers
Photo by Andy Cho
USAF B2 Bomber (Only flew Saturday)
Photo by Andy Cho
USMC MV-22 Osprey (OORAH!)
Photo by Andy Cho
RCAF Snowbirds
Photo by Andy Cho
USN F/A-18 Super Hornet
Photo by Andy Cho
United Airlines 747 Fly By
Photo by Andy Cho
USAF F-15 Strike Eagle
Photo by Andy Cho
Sean D. Tucker
Photo by Andy Cho
USMC C-130 Hercules, aka “Fat Albert Airlines”, used as a transport aircraft by the Blue Angles and flown by an all Marine Corps (OOORAH!) crew.
And last, but not least,
Photo by Andy Cho
USN Blue Angles flying the F/A-18-D Hornet. Formed in 1946, the Blue Angles are the oldest flight deminstration team in the world.
Sunday, which I did not go over to The City for the show, was pretty much the same, minus the B-2 and that the Blues could not preform due to fog over the Golden Gate Bridge, which seems to always happen on every Sunday during Fleet Week over the years. This is an event that if some how you have missed it all these years living in the Bay that you have to go and watch.
So make sure you catch it next October if you missed out this time around. One act I’d love to see them add that I have wanted at Fleet Week for years are these guys:
USAF Thunderbirds, flying the F-16 Fighting Falcon
– Keith “Cpl RF Asshole” Salminen, Producer, A’s Fan Radio
