I saw this aircraft at LAFB Airshow on 6/21/2008. Unfortunately the gray stripe on the top of the tail with " Virginia" on it is is as nearly unreadable in person as it is in the above photograph. It doesn't even show up well in the pictures I took from 30 feet away.I suppose the Regular AF is still a little touchy about it's having to share it's newest toy with mere 'weekend warriors". Maybe one day it will have the old red, white and blue tail stripe and a unit patch on the fuselage. Let me know when it happens. I'll be the one holding my breath waitng. just ask for "Blue Boy"

You'll notice that only one engine is in afterburner as the gear would have structurally failed with both F119s in afterburner. The "boot chokes" were designed by NASA for one of their F/A-18, but the Air Force Flight Test Center obtained them. They are bolted to a table with very sensitive load cells to measure actual thrust.