My Thoughts On: The F/A-18 Hornet

The Blue Angels...

I could introduce this post by stating the fact that the F/A-18 has been in service since 1983 and is operated in 8 countries, but that's boring. Instead why don't I tell you about how awesome the F/A-18 is...

Think about this for a second, the F/A-18 can go 1.8 times the speed of sound. If the fact that the human race has developed a vehicle that can go faster than the speed of sound (I know the F/A-18 wasn't the first) and deliver destruction 1,250 miles away doesn't blow your mind, I don't know what will. Anyway, The F/A-18 has gone through 7 generations (not including the CF-188) and still is a key player in multiple air forces worldwide. Capable of carrying 13,700 pounds of ordnance as well as a M-61 Vulcan machine gun, it's needless to say that the F/A-18 packs quite a punch. 

The F/A-18 is quite a reliable, fast, and maneuverable machine. These traits made it the Plane of choice for the world famous Blue Angels display team. Let me tell you something, one F/A-18 is extremely loud, 9 F/A-18s flying in formation is deafening. The Blue Angels are in fact so loud that they got themselves banned from the Canadian International Air Show for causing too much of a disturbance for the rest of Toronto. I personally don't understand how someone couldn't enjoy the roar of an F/A-18, but that's just me. 

The CF-18

Another interesting thing about the F/A-18 is that it was modified to fly with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as the CF-188, commonly referred to as the CF-18. The CF-18 is the only fighter jet in the RCAFs arsenal, making it the only fighter jet that I ever really get to see outside of air shows. The CF-18 is essentially an F/A-18 with a dummy canopy (the fake cockpit painted on the underside of the jet) and an identification light in a different position. The CF-18 replaced literally every fighter jet the RCAF had, which was the CF- Voodoo, the CF-104 Starfighter and the CF-116 Freedom Fighter (which was kept for some time after the CF-18 was introduced. 

The F/A-18 is used by both the American Navy and Air Force as well as the RCAF and 7 other Air Forces proving it's worth. The F/A-18 has become quite ubiquitous making it a staple at air shows, as well as being pretty much the first thing that will come to someone's mind when you mention "fighter jets."