Blue Angels say goodbye to Fat Albert

Blue Angels say goodbye to Fat Albert.

The end of an era has come for many aviation enthusiasts. The Blue Angels said goodbye to the iconic C-130T, Fat Albert.

Fat Albert has served the Blue Angels honorably the past 17 years, flown more than 30,000 hours in support of the team's mission, and represented the United States Marine Corps to millions of fans.

This current airframe, BUNO 164763, has been with the team since 2002, and was the last C-130 to conduct a jet-assisted take-off (JATO).

During the upcoming events, the team will be transported via a provisional logistics service, until a permanent replacement aircraft is identified. Fat Albert will enjoy her retirement as an aid to ground training in Fort Worth, Texas.

Bert was back in the airshow circuits only two years ago after extensive maintenance work. She had disappeared from air demos for a few months since mid-2016. During that time, the Blue Angels had borrowed another C-130, known as Ernie.

By Michael Roth