Air Barons

The Air Barons were an aerobatics team of the United States Navy, which was active from 1958 to 1971. The team was initially equipped with Grumman F9F-6 Cougars. The Air Barons were the aerobatics team of the Naval Air Reserve and thus the second aerobatic team of the US Navy along with the Blue Angels.

Air Barons
ActiveJun 1958 – December 1971
Country United States
Branch United States Navy
TypeDouglas A-4 Skyhawk
RoleAerobatic flight demonstration team
Garrison/HQNAS Glenview
Commanders
Current
commander		Cmdr. Jim Mahoney
Aircraft flown
Fighter6 – Douglas A-4 Skyhawk

History

In contrast to the Blue Angels, which also flew the A-4 at the same time, the Air Barons always flew with an additional tank under each wing, while the Blue Angels used external transfer tanks only for transfer flights and carried out the actual flight demonstrations completely without external loads. One of the 6 A-4 also had an air to air refueling unit at the centerlinepylon. In contrast to the full-service military pilots of the Blue Angels, which only operate aerobatics during their classification at the Blue Angels, the pilots of the Air Barons were active as pilots of the Naval Air Reserve only as part-time military pilots. The Air Barons aerobatic team flew 66 official flight demonstrations during its existence.

References
  • Tommy H Thomason, SCOOTER!, The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk Story. Crécy Publishing LTD1973, ISBN 978-085979-160-1(Page 203)
  • Wings at the Ready, U.S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, MD, pp. 130–131, c1991, ISBN 1-55750-750-3
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