The US Navy Blue Angels display team's transport C-130 Hercules, affectionately known as Fat Albert, is the only Marine Corps aircraft permanently assigned to support a Navy squadron. It is flown by an all-Marine Corps crew of three pilots and five enlisted personnel. Fat Albert flies more than 140,000 miles during the course of a show season.
The C-130 carries 25,000 pounds of cargo, 45,000 pounds of fuel, and transports the squadron's support and maintenance crew to each show site.
The special show aircraft also features Jet Assisted Take-Off (J.A.T.O.) by which eight solid rocket boosters are attached to the sides of the C-130 (four on each side) to allow for quicker take-off and elevation.
Fat Albert cruises at 320 knots (approximately 350 miles per hour) at 27,000 feet. Four Allison turboprop-engines producing more than 16,000-shaft horsepower provide the C-130 with the power to land and depart on runways as short as 2,500 feet.
Please follow this link for the Blue Angel's F/A 18C Hornet.
