Blue Angels Question(s)

Thanks guys, for the responses! A couple of those nagging questions,
I've always wanted to ask...

I'm not a photographer, nor do I play one on T.V., but I did take a few
pictures, a couple of which I have made available... I've seen much
better, taken by much higher quality equipment, but for a point and
click camera I'm happy with what I've got.

http://thepetersonranch.com/angels.php

Take a look at the second picture, which prompted one of my questions.
I got completely lucky on the timing of the picture, but I was amazed
at how close the planes appear to be, and further more, how well they
are lined up! The last one shows a pretty tight formation (I don't
know about 18 inches, but tighter than I would feel comfortable with!
;-)

Best Regards,
Todd