Mark Hanna's Hunter display

In jazz and blues, a blue note (also “worried” note) is a note sung or played at a slightly lower pitch than that of the major scale for expressive purposes. Typically the alteration is a semitone or less, but this varies among performers and genres. Country blues, in particular, features wide variations from the diatonic pitches with emotive blue-notes. Blue notes are often seen as akin to relative pitches found in traditional African work songs.

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BTW why is it called a blue note?

I have always assumed it originates from a musical blue note,which is a slightly different pitch to the main tune/melody,but I could be wrong 😀

James…as I am sure XF382 can also attest to – the meteor single seater can produce that lovely blue note in straight and level flight,when Winston was target towing at Brawdy,one of the pilots at least (Puddy Catt ?) would almost always do a blue note run across the airfield just prior to landing.
I always understood it was the open cannon ports 🙂 but wouldnt like to argue about it with anybody 😉
I must still be in ‘Vulcan Effect’ from seeing her in Sussex 😀

Don’t P51’s have a blue note?
BTW why is it called a blue note?

On the subject of chutes. Are some meant to be deployed in flight prior to landing. I seem to remember mig29’s at Fairford landing in formation with chutes deployed before touchdown. Quite noisy too.

I always understood it was unique to a certain Mark of Hunters

The ‘blue note’ as such is unique to Hunters with the squarish cannon blast fairings (struggling for correct name!) fitted, the Meteor just happens to make a similar noise when in a shallow dive and power on which emulates form its Derwents.
The RR centrifugals always seem to produce a lovely deep note at full chat.

Re the original question, it certainly wasn’t uncommon to pop the ‘chute before crossing the threshold or touching down, footage of Avro 707s (first to have them?), BP.111, Vulcan etc all doing it, I think Baz is correct, and is so that the ‘chute is fully deployed at around touch down.

Current blue note

I have the fortune to hear the blue note in a current military aircraft on a daily basis. It’s the Super Hornet performing it’s break to land and is just like the Hunter blue note, only a tad louder. That said it may be dependent on its stores load, it’s still good to hear though (for a jet!)

you learn something every day. I always understood it was unique to a certain Mark of Hunters

It usually is, and is subject to much debate too…. With a Hunter fitted with the 4x cannon ports you’ll get a “Blue Note” when the harmonics are right with airspeed etc…
The Meteor has cannon ports too – hence the same effect at the right speed.

you learn something every day. I always understood it was unique to a certain Mark of Hunters

Lovely blue note from Meteor 😉

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MT3u4Q7NLFY&feature=related

blue note…loads on youtube 🙂

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mz4ZTTuEt0

Has anyone got a sound file or video of a Hunter doing a “Blue Note”

MISDEMEANOR actually produced one at Bentwaters but I didn’t get it

I have seen the You Tube with Raymond Baxter

Similar for the early open class glassfibre gliders rob…they had cr@p airbrakes so it was sensible to pop the chute on the downwind leg,if it didnt deploy – the pilot then still had time to modify his circuit and get into the field 🙂

rgds baz

Very true baz, and considering the length of Duxford’s runway is hardly generous for jets, especially with the M11 scything across, it does make good sense to find out early ‘what you’ve got’. I think visiting Gnats do the same as well.

Does’nt always have a happy ending though. I seem to recall being told of a Phantom at St Athan circa early 90’s deploying his chute too early, and subsequently coming back to earth with an almighty thump (even more than is usual for a ‘tom’)!

How can doing something so wrong look so right?

I presume it is not really considered acceptable to pop the chute before landing…..:confused:

Looks even better when a B2 Vulcan does it!!

Many thanks gentlemen. I am grateful.

Moggy

Whilst it may have been partly showmanship (certainly at airfields with longer rwys),one advantage about popping the brakechute early might be that if you are approaching onto a marginal length rwy then the pilot would know he had a successful deployment quite early.If he had a brake chute failure – he could then initiate an early go around and possibly divert etc.

As promised. Mark Hanna’s landing in full.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHYovg5Jgs4

Tony.

How can doing something so wrong look so right?

I presume it is not really considered acceptable to pop the chute before landing…..:confused:

i seem to remember Mark popping it well before that vid shows, depends on how much he wanted to make Ray angry :p

I don’t know if anyone else at Waddington today thought the same, but I was sure the ‘chute popped on the ETPS Hunter before she actually touched down……

Mark Hanna’s Hunter landing in full.

As promised. Mark Hanna’s landing in full.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHYovg5Jgs4

Tony.