{"id":32594371,"date":"2026-11-13T10:42:22","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T09:42:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/grumman-f11f-tiger-blue-angels-supersonic-navy-fighter-history\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T10:42:36","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T09:42:36","slug":"grumman-f11f-tiger-blue-angels-supersonic-navy-fighter-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/grumman-f11f-tiger-blue-angels-supersonic-navy-fighter-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Grumman F11F Tiger: The Blue Angels&#8217; First Supersonic Jet"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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As a fleet fighter it was a disappointment, gone from carrier decks within about four years. As a show plane it was a star. The Blue Angels flew it for 12 seasons.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Type:<\/strong> Single-seat, single-engine carrier-based supersonic day fighter<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Maker:<\/strong> Grumman (company designation G-98)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>First flight:<\/strong> 30 July 1954<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Engine:<\/strong> One Wright J65 turbojet, 10,500 lb thrust with afterburner<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Built:<\/strong> 199 F11F-1 (F-11A) fighters plus two F11F-1F Super Tigers<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Fleet service:<\/strong> Late 1950s; off carriers by 1961, then supersonic trainer in South Texas<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Blue Angels:<\/strong> 1957 to 1968 seasons; replaced by the F-4J Phantom II in 1969<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Record:<\/strong> Super Tiger world altitude record, April 1958 (more than 76,800 ft)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Notable first:<\/strong> First jet to shoot itself down, 21 September 1956<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A Cougar that became something else<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The Tiger started in 1952 as a private Grumman study to modernise the F9F-6\/7 Cougar, the swept-wing version of the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f9f-panther\/\">F9F Panther<\/a>. By the time the design team finished, almost nothing of the Cougar was left. The new jet had thin swept wings, spoilers instead of ailerons, an all-moving tailplane and, most important, an area-ruled &ldquo;Coke-bottle&rdquo; fuselage, pinched at the waist to cut drag near the speed of sound.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>It was also small. The Tiger was built as a lightweight day fighter around a single Wright J65 turbojet, a licence-built version of Britain&rsquo;s Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire, producing 10,500 lb of thrust in afterburner. The wings were so short that only the tips needed to fold for carrier storage, and they were folded by hand.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/grumman-f11f-1-tiger-uss-forrestal-april-1956.jpg\" alt=\"Grumman F11F-1 Tiger with its wingtips folded on the deck edge elevator of USS Forrestal in April 1956\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">F11F-1 Tiger BuNo 138618 on the deck-edge elevator of USS <em>Forrestal<\/em> during carrier trials on 4 April 1956, with its short wingtips folded down. U.S. Navy photo \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:F11F-1_Tiger_on_USS_Forrestal_(CVA-59)_in_April_1956.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The first prototype flew on 30 July 1954, before the afterburning version of the J65 was ready; the second prototype, with afterburner, went supersonic. In April 1955 the Navy designated the production jet F11F-1, and on 4 April 1956 a Tiger went to sea for carrier trials aboard the new supercarrier USS <em>Forrestal<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Testing also produced the Tiger&rsquo;s most famous moment. On 21 September 1956, Grumman test pilot Tom Attridge fired his cannon in a dive, flew into his own shells and had to crash-land. He survived, and the Tiger went into the record books as the jet that shot itself down. We have told that story in full in <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/the-fighter-that-shot-itself-down\/\">The Fighter That Shot Itself Down<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/e0XxjnOns-s\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">The Intrepid Museum&rsquo;s &ldquo;Aircraft of the Month&rdquo; on the F11F Tiger, a type that once flew from USS <em>Intrepid<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A short frontline career<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Production Tigers joined a handful of Navy fighter squadrons in the late 1950s, among them VF-21 in the Atlantic Fleet and VF-191 in the Pacific, and flew from carriers such as <em>Forrestal<\/em>, <em>Ranger<\/em> and <em>Bon Homme Richard<\/em>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/grumman-f11f-1-tigers-vf-21-formation-1959.jpg\" alt=\"Twelve Grumman F11F-1 Tigers of US Navy Fighter Squadron VF-21 flying in a long echelon formation in 1959\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Twelve F11F-1 Tigers of Fighter Squadron 21 (VF-21) in echelon in 1959, the year the squadron became a training unit. U.S. Navy photo \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Grumman_F11F-1_Tigers_of_VF-21_in_flight,_in_1959.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The problem was timing. The Tiger arrived alongside the much faster Vought <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-8-crusader\/\">F8U Crusader<\/a>, with the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-4-phantom-ii\/\">F4H Phantom II<\/a> close behind. Its range and endurance were short and its J65 engine was unreliable. Production stopped at 199 fighters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>By 1961 the Tiger had left carrier service. It found a second career in the Naval Air Training Command in South Texas, at NAS Chase Field and NAS Kingsville. Student pilots who had finished advanced jet training in the TF-9J Cougar got their first taste of supersonic flight in a Tiger before moving on to fleet fighters.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Blue Angels&rsquo; Tiger years<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/display-teams\/blue-angels\/\">Blue Angels<\/a> took the Tiger in 1957, flying first the original short-nosed version and later the long-nosed production jets. In January 1957 the team also moved its winter training base from El Centro, California, to NAS Key West, Florida, where it would train for the next decade.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;For the 1957 show season, the Blue Angels transitioned to the supersonic Grumman F11F-1 Tiger, first flying the short-nosed, and then the long-nosed versions. The first Six-Plane Delta Maneuvers were added in the 1958 season.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Flight Journal<\/strong> &mdash; Blue Angels history, 2017<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/blue-angels-f11f-tigers-niagara-falls-1957.jpg\" alt=\"Four Blue Angels Grumman F11F Tigers in blue and gold flying in formation trailing smoke over Niagara Falls\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Blue Angels Tigers over Niagara Falls around 1957. The team first flew the original short-nosed version of the jet. U.S. Navy photo \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:F11Fs_Blue_Angels_over_Niagara_Falls_c1957.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The small, agile Tiger suited formation aerobatics, and the team made the most of it. The six-plane Delta formation that remains a Blue Angels signature first appeared in the Tiger era. So did international fame: according to Flight Journal, a 1964 show over Mexico City drew an estimated 1.5 million people, and at the 1965 Paris Air Show the Blue Angels were the only team to receive a standing ovation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d5mMful4fv0\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Archival film of the Navy&rsquo;s Blue Angels flying the Grumman F11F Tiger.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The Tigers flew their last Blue Angels seasons in 1968, and in 1969 the team moved to the much bigger and heavier two-seat F-4J Phantom II. One of the final Blue Angels Tigers, Bureau Number 141828, which flew with the team from 1967 to 1969, is preserved at the National Naval Aviation Museum at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/pensacola\/\">NAS Pensacola<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/nasa-ames-schlieren-f11f-tiger-model-mach-1-4.jpg\" alt=\"Colour schlieren photograph of a Grumman F11F Tiger wind tunnel model showing shock waves at Mach 1.4\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Shock waves around an F11F Tiger model at Mach 1.4 in a NASA Ames wind tunnel, photographed with the schlieren technique in 1965. NASA Ames Research Center \/ <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Schilieren_of_F11F-1_Tiger_at_Mach_1_(ARC-1965-A-34009-2).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Super Tiger that set a record<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Grumman knew the Tiger could do more with more power. In 1955 it studied fitting the new General Electric J79, and the Navy agreed to convert two production F11F-1s with enlarged intakes and the new engine. Designated F11F-1F and nicknamed Super Tiger, the converted jet first flew in 1956 and later went faster than Mach 2, far beyond the standard Tiger.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>In April 1958, Lieutenant Commander George Watkins zoom-climbed the second Super Tiger from Edwards Air Force Base to more than 76,800 feet, a world altitude record. Of the deep blue sky he saw at the top, Watkins said simply: &ldquo;I hardly had time to look.&rdquo;<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;As he eased over the top at 76,828.8 feet, the Super Tiger was only going 100 miles an hour and Watkins was experiencing zero-gravity for more than a minute&mdash;an uncomfortable 60 seconds when he became weightless and objects began floating in the cockpit.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Valley Times<\/strong> &mdash; Walt Keeshan Jr., on George Watkins&rsquo; record flight, 18 April 1958 (via This Day in Aviation)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The Navy judged the Super Tiger too heavy for its carriers and never ordered it. The Tiger family ended with 199 standard fighters and two record-setting prototypes.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pcWcf2SDAaQ\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Carrier landings and take-offs by FJ Furies and F11F Tigers, from the San Diego Air and Space Museum archives.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>That leaves the Tiger with an odd legacy: a fighter that never fired a shot in anger, famous for shooting itself down, and remembered most fondly for the 12 years it spent painted blue and gold. For a generation of airshow crowds, it was the jet that made the Blue Angels supersonic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: Naval History and Heritage Command (National Naval Aviation Museum F11F Tiger; Blue Angels aircraft history), Flight Journal, Encyclopaedia Britannica, This Day in Aviation (citing the Valley Times, April 1958), Grissom Air Museum<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<p class=\"mf-photo-credits\" data-no-translation style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin:6px 0 18px\">Header photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Blue_Angels_F11F_Tigers_at_NAS_North_Island_c1961.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. Navy \/ Wikimedia Commons, public domain<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What was the Grumman F11F Tiger?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Grumman F11F Tiger was a single-seat, single-engine supersonic carrier fighter for the US Navy. Developed from a 1952 study to improve the F9F Cougar, it first flew on 30 July 1954 and used an area-ruled fuselage and thin swept wings. It was redesignated F-11A in 1962.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When did the Blue Angels fly the F11F Tiger?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Blue Angels flew the Grumman F11F Tiger from the 1957 show season through 1968, first in short-nosed and then long-nosed versions. The team&rsquo;s first six-plane Delta maneuvers came in 1958. In 1969 the Tiger was replaced by the two-seat F-4J Phantom II.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why was the F11F Tiger retired so quickly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Tiger&rsquo;s frontline career lasted only about four years because the faster Vought F8U Crusader and the F4H Phantom II arrived at the same time. The Tiger also had short range and endurance and an unreliable J65 engine. It left carriers by 1961 and became a supersonic trainer.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many F11F Tigers were built?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Grumman built 199 F11F-1 (F-11A) Tiger fighters for the US Navy. Two more production airframes were converted into F11F-1F Super Tigers with General Electric J79 engines, but the Navy never ordered the Super Tiger into production.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What record did the Super Tiger set?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">In April 1958, Lieutenant Commander George Watkins zoom-climbed an F11F-1F Super Tiger from Edwards Air Force Base to more than 76,800 feet, setting a world altitude record. The J79-powered Super Tiger was also capable of more than Mach 2.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did the F11F Tiger really shoot itself down?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. On 21 September 1956, Grumman test pilot Tom Attridge fired the Tiger&rsquo;s cannon in a shallow dive, then flew into the path of his own shells. The damaged jet crash-landed and Attridge survived, making the Tiger the first jet known to have shot itself down.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the Grumman F11F Tiger?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Grumman F11F Tiger was a single-seat, single-engine supersonic carrier fighter for the US Navy. Developed from a 1952 study to improve the F9F Cougar, it first flew on 30 July 1954 and used an area-ruled fuselage and thin swept wings. It was redesignated F-11A in 1962.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When did the Blue Angels fly the F11F Tiger?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Blue Angels flew the Grumman F11F Tiger from the 1957 show season through 1968, first in short-nosed and then long-nosed versions. The team\u2019s first six-plane Delta maneuvers came in 1958. In 1969 the Tiger was replaced by the two-seat F-4J Phantom II.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why was the F11F Tiger retired so quickly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Tiger\u2019s frontline career lasted only about four years because the faster Vought F8U Crusader and the F4H Phantom II arrived at the same time. The Tiger also had short range and endurance and an unreliable J65 engine. It left carriers by 1961 and became a supersonic trainer.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many F11F Tigers were built?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Grumman built 199 F11F-1 (F-11A) Tiger fighters for the US Navy. Two more production airframes were converted into F11F-1F Super Tigers with General Electric J79 engines, but the Navy never ordered the Super Tiger into production.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What record did the Super Tiger set?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"In April 1958, Lieutenant Commander George Watkins zoom-climbed an F11F-1F Super Tiger from Edwards Air Force Base to more than 76,800 feet, setting a world altitude record. The J79-powered Super Tiger was also capable of more than Mach 2.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did the F11F Tiger really shoot itself down?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. On 21 September 1956, Grumman test pilot Tom Attridge fired the Tiger\u2019s cannon in a shallow dive, then flew into the path of his own shells. The damaged jet crash-landed and Attridge survived, making the Tiger the first jet known to have shot itself down.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/the-fighter-that-shot-itself-down\/\">The Fighter That Shot Itself Down<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/grumman-f9f-cougar-swept-wing-navy-panther\/\">Grumman F9F Cougar: The Swept-Wing Panther Built in a Hurry<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/formation-flying-explained-fingertip-echelon-blue-angels-red-arrows\/\">Formation Flying Explained: How Pilots Hold Position Inches Apart<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/douglas-f4d-skyray-speed-climb-records\/\">The Manta Ray That Broke the Speed Record<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<!--mfcred1-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Grumman F11F Tiger lasted only about four years as a Navy carrier fighter, but the Blue Angels flew it for 12 seasons, and a Super Tiger set a world altitude record.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":32594216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32594371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>F11F Tiger: The Blue Angels&#039; First Supersonic Jet | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Grumman F11F Tiger history: the Navy fighter that lasted 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