April 1999
by Bill Lavender
EL CENTRO, CA - What is every ag pilot's dream; any pilot, for that matter?
A flight in a fighter jet, to be sure. Icing on the cake would be to first
give the accompanying jet jock a ride in your ag plane. You would show him
your stuff, flying low and slow, under wires, in and out of small sod
airstrips. You'd know he had the talent to fly since he was a fighter
pilot. His flight with you would give you the chance to show there is a
special degree of talent for an ag pilot as well.
Just such an exchange has taken place. Ag pilot Dugan Robinson, a 30-year
veteran ag pilot for Stoker Company of Imperial, California, swapped rides
with Lt. Keith Hoskins in no less than a Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet and a
dual cockpit Ayres Turbo Thrush. The "Ride" has been a cumulation of events
stemming from an annual Blue Angels Hangar Party that has been a
traditional event for 29 consecutive years.
Dugan Robinson, approaching retirement after 25 years with Stoker Company,
became the candidate for a Blue Angels Hornet ride. Gerald Edwards, of
Stoker Company conceived the idea and suggested it to the Blue Angels
Hangar Party coordinator, Don Lambe. Don, an ex-ag pilot owning his own
business many years ago and having flown for Stoker Company for 17 years as
well, began the initiative to implement the "Ride".
It all began in 1970 when Don Lambe and Sunny McCoy, both pilots for Stoker
Company at the time, contemplated the idea of asking the Blue Angels over
to Brawley, California for a beer and a carne asada (beef strips) cookout.
They approached Blue Angels Boss, Bill Wheat about their idea. Wheat,
flying #1, was shifting off the two-year duty time with the Blue Angels the
next day. He directed them to the new oncoming Boss, Harley Hall. Hall
thought the idea was a good one; who, by the way, was the last Navy pilot
to be shot down in Vietnam.
Stoker Company, scheduled the event and a combination of approximately 30
Blue Angels, ag pilots and family members attended the first party. Since
that time the event has grown to as many as 250-300 invited guest of the
sponsors and officers of the Blue Angels team.
With a 29-year history of appreciation of the Blue Angels, Don Lambe, at
Gerald Edwards' request, wrote Blue Angels Boss George Dom a letter
proposing the "Ride". With the Blue Angels approval, Lambe and others
worked diligently to coordinate the logistics of the "Ride".
A Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornet sports an $85,000 blue and yellow paint job. It
develops 12,000 pounds of thrust with a total of 16,000 pounds of thrust
with the afterburner kicked-in. It is modified slightly from its
combat-ready sister Hornet, less its Vulcan cannon replaced by a smoker
unit. Also, the fuel systems are modified for sustained inverted flight,
along with special markings on the fuselage that wingmen use for close
formation flying. The Hornet replaced the A-4 used by the Blue Angels until
1986. There are eleven Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets, numbered one through
seven, with two number sevens and three without numbers. There are eight
active Blue Angels pilots, including the events coordinator.
A Blue Angels pilot comes from the ranks of the Navy and Marine Hornet
pilots. He must have a minimum of 1,500 hours of flight time in the Hornet
before applying for a slot with the Blue Angels team. No female pilots have
ever made the ranks of the Blue Angels. However, now, female pilots are
flying Hornets and one may very well become a Blue Angels pilot in the near
future.
The Blue Angels pilot serves on the team for two years. He is one of eight.
The number one Blue Angels pilot is the Boss or team leader for the
six-member demonstration team. The number seven pilot serves on the team
for three years; flying, giving demo rides and air show emceeing; while the
number eight pilot coordinates events.
The Blue Angels' home base is Pensacola, Florida. Their winter home, from
January to mid-March is at the Naval Air Facility - El Centro. They are