Blue Angels' C-130J named 'Fat Albert' is a super fan favorite. Here's what to know

Fans around the world love the Blue Angels. Super fans love the Blue Angels’ support aircraft Fat Albert.

More casual fans may not recognize the plane from its name alone, but anyone who has been to a Blue Angels air show will remember it because it always takes to the skies just before the Blues do.

Fat Albert is a nickname given to the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules that carries the team’s maintenance and support equipment from place to place as the flight demonstration team makes its way through each air show season.

Blue Angels Air Show Pensacola Beach: Want to catch the Blue Angels at the 2023 Pensacola Beach Air Show? Here's what to know

First person account: I flew in the Blue Angels' Fat Albert and it was everything — and more — than I expected

Want to learn more about the Blues’ big brother? Here’s everything to know.

What is the Blue Angels’ Fat Albert?

Fat Albert is a Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules that follows the Blue Angels across the country as they perform air shows during a season. The modified C-130 carries the team’s maintenance and support equipment and has its own moment in the sun during air shows as it performs its aerobatic maneuvers for about 15 minutes ahead of the Blue Angels.

Why is it called Fat Albert?

This is a question where the obvious answer is actually the correct one − Fat Albert’s nickname is a direct reference to the 1970s children’s cartoon "The Adventures of Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids." The nickname was given to the C-130 by Marine Corps Blue Angel pilots at the time it was introduced in 1970.

When did Fat Albert join the Blue Angels team?

The Blue Angels have used support aircraft since the team’s inception but didn’t begin using C-130s until 1970. Since then, the Blue Angels have used variations of the C-130. The newest iteration of the plane happened just a few years ago after the team retired the previous C-130T after it had flown with the team for 17 years and accumulated more than 30,000 flight hours.

Blues Boss: 'This is our home ... where our families are, where our kids go to school.'

Meet the new Fat Albert

The Blue Angels retired its former C-130T in 2019 and brought in a newer replacement for the 2021 air show season — the C-130J Super Hercules. Here’s a look at what’s new:

Paint job

The new Fat Albert comes with yellow tips on the wing, two stripes down the side and a new teardrop on top.

Six-bladed propellers

The newer C-130J helps Fat Albert keep up with the Blue Angels. The six-bladed propellers provide up to 20% more thrust compared to the old models, making it feel like a whole other aircraft.

Rolls Royce engine

Those new propellers are powered by Rolls Royce AE-1200 engines, which are the same engines used in the fleet Marine Corps’ J models.

Internal heads-up display

The old Fat Albert’s T model forced pilots to look down through the front window, but the new Bert has a heads-up display that projects information on a piece of glass right in front of the pilot’s face.

All-glass cockpit

Finally, all the old steam dials from the T model are gone and have been replaced by instruments using glass screens, providing Fat Albert pilots with a more modern cockpit.

New Fat Albert: Blue Angels are getting a new Fat Albert. How is it different than the old model?

Facts about Fat Albert

• Engines: Four Rolls-Royce turbo-prop engines with more than 18,000 pounds of thrust each

• Wingspan: 132 feet, 7 inches

• Length: 99 feet, 5 inches

• Height: 38 feet, 4 inches

• Speed: 370 miles per hour at 35,000 feet

• Range: 2,400 miles

• Maximum Takeoff Weight: 155,000 pounds

• Maximum Cargo Capability: 45,000 pounds

Fat Albert crew

The Fat Albert crew generally consists of seven members — three pilots, two loadmasters and two flight engineers, but the 2023 team has three flight engineers, making it a crew of eight.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Blue Angels Fat Albert is a super fan favorite. Here's what to know