Blue Angels Fat Albert Crazy Gut-Wrenching Take Off (Watch)

Lockheed C-130 Hercules
Lockheed C-130 Hercules "Fat Albert" conducting a Rocket Assisted Take Off.

Fat Albert is the name given to a twenty-four-year-old C-130 Hercules aircraft.

The Hercules is a troop transporter, and Fat Albert performs an important role delivering equipment and personnel to the Blue Angels air shows.

The Blue Angels are the pilots of the United States Navy demonstration squadron.

Fat Albert flies one hundred thousand miles or more each month from air show to air show.

It is flown by three Marine pilots and has a crew of five.

But Fat Albert not only supplied the Blue Angels.

It performed a bit of a show itself. From 1975 it made short jet assisted take offs (JATO) at specially chosen venues.

However, in 2009 these demonstrations were stopped.

This video shows the last JATO demonstration Fat Albert ever did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr7M_Lg7sM8

Joris Nieuwint

Joris Nieuwint is a battlefield guide for the Operation Market Garden area. His primary focus is on the Allied operations from September 17th, 1944 onwards. Having lived in the Market Garden area for 25 years, he has been studying the events for nearly as long. He has a deep understanding of the history and a passion for sharing the stories of the men who are no longer with us.

@joris1944 facebook.com/joris.nieuwint