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THE BLUE ANGELS

By: Nathan H. Mitchell

Introduction

For sixty-three years the Blue Angels have performed air shows to the amazement of crowds in the United States and around the world.[i] Many pilots served in wars in the United States Navy. After World War II, they all eventually heard about the U.S. Navy starting a new air show called the Blue Angels. They loved the name and most of them wanted to join the air-to-air show performances with the Blue Angels. The Blue Angels pilots are well-trained and have a strict practice routine.[ii] Today, about 15 million people every year, see the Blue Angels perform. They witnessed the amazing skill of the pilots and the incredible capabilities of the aircraft they fly.

The History of the Blue Angels

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz was Chief of Naval Operations at the end of World War II.[iii] He wanted to keep the public interested in naval aviation, so he ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team. Lt. Commander Roy M. “Butch” Voris was assigned to from the team at the Naval Air Station (NAS) in Jacksonville, Florida. He had to have the team ready to fly by June 15, 1946.[iv] After finding the pilots and maintenance team needed, Voris and the other pilots began practicing a stunt performance routine. The team used 3 F4F Hellcats and a PB4Y-2 Privateer for their first performance.[v] The air show was a success!

The name of their new team was called, “The Flight Exhibition Team.” The pilots knew this name was not very good. So, they decided to hold a contest to find an inspiring name for the team. The best entry in the contest was, “The Blue Lancers,” however, while New York City, one of the pilots was reading the New Yorker magazine and saw the name of a famous nightclub. It was decided that “Blue Angels” would be their new name.[vi]

In 1954, the Blue Angels transferred from Jacksonville to the NAS in Pensacola, Florida, where they remain today. The Blue Angels continue to fly because they want to keep the public interested in aviation and help recruit new men and women into the Navy. On their official website it says,

“The mission of the Blue Angels is to enhance Navy recruiting, and credibly represent Navy and Marine Corps aviation to the United States and its Armed Forces to America and other countries as international ambassadors of good will.”[vii]

The Blue Angels schedule about 25 air shows each year in the U.S. and more than 15 million people witness their flights.[viii] The shows are usually at Air Force Bases around the country, as well as in Canada. The team has also performed in the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Bulgaria, Italy, the United Kingdom, Romania, Spain and Germany.[ix]

The Blue Angels Aircraft

The first plane flown by the naval air performance team was the Blue Angel Grumman F6F-4 Hellcat.[x] After their first performance with the Hellcat, the Blue Angels decided to use Grumman’s F8F-1 Bearcat[xi] because it had better features than the Hellcat. For instance, the maximum speed of the Bearcat was 434 miles per hour (mph),[xii] while the Hellcat could fly as fast as 380 mph.[xiii] In June 1949, the Blue Angels transitioned from propeller to jet-powered aircraft. The new aircraft, the F9F-2 Panther, could go 575 mph and was very good at maneuvering hard turns.[xiv]

Since 1949, the Blue Angels have flown many different kinds of aircraft. Today, they fly the Blue Angel Boeing/McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet,[xv] which travels up to Mach 1.5 (1,150 mph).[xvi] The FA/-18 Hornet is very maneuverable. It allows the Blue Angels team to fly precision formations in the air, such as the Delta, Line Abreast, Echelon, Diamond, Double Farvel, and Fleur-de-lis.[xvii] Some of the maneuvers are called, The Diamond Dirty Loop, Fan, Horizontal roll,[xviii] Dutch Roll[xix], Cuban 8,[xx] and a lot more. The F/A-18 Hornet also has the capability of landing on an aircraft carrier[xxi] and refueling in flight.[xxii]

The future of naval aircraft, for the Blue Angels, is most likely the F/A-18 E/F models of the Super Hornet. It is larger and can fly further that the F/A-18 Hornet. According to the Blue Angels official website, “This aircraft is the Navy’s newest acquisition and its advance technology will be used to carry the fleet into the 21^st century. The decision to transition to the Super Hornet has yet to be determined.”[xxiii]

Becoming Blue

During World War II, Navy and Marine Corp pilots served for the United States. They had experiences with fighter tactical airplanes and they had enough personal flying experience that many joined the Blue Angels and trained for demonstration flying. Many pilots either retired or joined the Blue Angels for fun-filled experiences in the air.

There are many requirements you must meet in order to become a Blue Angels pilot. The main one is that you must be a Naval aviator.[xxiv] For men and women who want to enter “the high-Mach wonderland,” they can attend the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland or go to Aviation Officer Candidate School for training.[xxv]

Every naval aviator who applies to become a Blue Angels pilot must have flown a minimum of 1,250 hours.[xxvi] Training can take as long as 18 months and each pilot flies a variety of aircraft, including simulators. If a pilot is selected for the squadron, then he or she practices the demonstration routines twice a day, six days a week, until they are ready for a show.

Becoming “Blue” is much harder than you think. It takes skill, training, dedication, perseverance, practice and patience. Rear Admiral Bill Newman, Blue Angel number one from 1978-79 sums it up like this, “As a Blue, you will personally recalibrate the meaning of the words ‘try’ and ‘trust.’ There are few jobs in the world like it.”[xxvii]

Conclusion

Many pilots have loved the experience of aviation in some ways, but for us, it is just simply the Blue Angels. The Blue Angels have worked hard and inspired many hearts to do many great things for the United States. Amazed crowds look up above into the sky and see the “high-Mach wonderland” of the Blue Angels. The Blue Angels will continue to grow and have many more years of aviation experiences. The Blue Angels have inspired me in the same way.

[i] www.blueangels.navy.mil; Frequently Asked Questions page, Question 5.

[ii] Braulick; The Blue Angels. pp. 24 and 27.

[iii] www.blueangels.navy.mil; Frequently Asked Questions page, Question 3.

[iv] Veronico; The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History. Pg. 17.

[v] Veronico; The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History. Pg. 19.

[vi] Veronico; The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History. Pp. 21-23.

[vii] www.blueangels.navy.mil; Frequently Asked Questions page, Question 1.

[viii] www.blueangels.navy.mil; Frequently Asked Questions page, Question 7.

[ix] www.blueangels.navy.mil; History page.

[x] Veronico; The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History. Pg. 21.

[xi] Veronico; The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History. Pg. 25.

[xii] Veronico; The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History. Pg. 27.