Ronald Thompson 18 February 1967: killed when his F-11A Tiger struck the ground during a practice formation loop. Harley Hall 4 June 1971: safely ejected after his F-4J Phantom jet caught fire during practice over. If we did that, we'd get all the other side issues. [32], The Blue Angels were established as a Navy flight exhibition team on 24 April 1946 by order of Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Chester Nimitz to generate greater public support of naval aviation. Current Blue Angel Pilots L Lieutenant Amy Tomlinson Lieutenant Ben Walborn Lieutenant Commander Frank Weisser Lieutenant Jim Tomaszeski Lieutenant Robert Kurrle, Jr M Major Christopher Collins Categories Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted. There have been more than 260 past Blue Angels pilots and over 37 Flight Leaders (also known as the Boss or Commanding Officer). Greg McWherter, flight leader and commanding officer of the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Ange.jpg, US Navy 110702-N-VO219-002 Lt. C.J. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, 160511-N-II118-003 160511-N-II118-003.jpg, Blue Angels - 2010 Joint Service Open House and Airshow.jpg, Blue Angels activity 131023-N-SH953-220.jpg, Blue Angels announce 2015 team members 140709-N-WJ386-082.jpg, Blue Angels announce 2015 team members 140709-N-WJ386-086.jpg, Blue Angels Captain Katie Higgins and Major Mark Hamilton.JPG, Blue Angels crew chief washes aircraft 130514-N-SN160-033.jpg, Blue Angels crew chief washes aircraft 130514-N-SN160-206.jpg, Blue Angels crew chiefs wash aircraft 130514-N-SN160-108.jpg, Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team 2014 (13194011724).jpg, Blue Angels flight leaders 46-55 NAN8-55.jpg, Blue Angels LCdr- HarleyHHall NAN3-70.jpg, Blue Angels Lockheed C-130 Hercules Fat Albert 1.jpg, Blue Angels Newton-John Travolta cropped.jpg, Blue Angels program 131108-N-SH953-178.jpg, Blue Angels program 131108-N-SH953-285.jpg, Blue Angels roster 1946-1961 NAN12-61.jpg, Grim Blues after photo shoot in inclement weather Pensacola FL.jpg, Joint Service Open House 2012 120518-N-FJ200-330.jpg, Joint Service Open House 2012 120518-N-FJ200-336.jpg, Joint Service Open House 2012 120518-N-FJ200-342.jpg, MAGTF Aviation Combat Element (26490416299).jpg, Marines assist Blue Angels, follow their dreams 120504-M-OT671-139.jpg, Medal of Honor jet departs 3rd MAW 131114-M-XW721-004.jpg, Medal of Honor recipient speaks to Blue Angels 130806-N-SH953-033.jpg, Seattle Fleet Week 150729-N-OP638-083.jpg, Seattle Fleet Week 150729-N-OP638-084.jpg, Thunderbirds and Blue Angels 120301-N-BA418-007.jpg, US Navy (USN) Lieutenant (LT) Craig Olson (foreground left), a pilot assigned to the USN Blue Angels, flight demonstration team, signs autographs for excited fans during the annual - DPLA - 5387dd71ee83c32be93ad60db9451431.jpeg, US Navy 030905-N-4459K-020 Lt. Cmdr. Diamond Dirty Loop the diamond flies a loop with all four jets in carrier landing configuration, Minimum Radius Turn highest G maneuver (No. The flight surgeon provides team medical services, evaluates demonstration maneuvers from the ground, and participates in each post-flight debrief. For the first time in 19 years, the Blue Angels, the cream of the U.S. Navy's crop of elite aviators, took to the skies above Loveland to impress a crowd of thousands on Saturday. The next day, the Blue Angels announced that they were initiating a safety stand-down, canceling their upcoming Naval Academy Airshow and returning to their home base in Pensacola, Florida, for additional training and airshow practice. [25], The first Blue Angels demonstration aircraft wore navy blue (nearly black) with gold lettering. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering. The group perfected its initial maneuvers in secret over the Florida Everglades so that, in Voris' words, "if anything happened, just the alligators would know". Blue Angel No. An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows from March through November each year. Control sticks are tensioned with 40 pounds (18kg) of force to allow the pilot minimal room for non-commanded movement of the aircraft. 1) is the Commanding Officer and is always a Navy commander, who may be promoted to captain mid-tour if approved for captain by the selection board. The investigation into the June 3 crash that killed the opposing solo pilot, Marine Capt. ``It was an extremely demanding decision on Commander Cochran's part,'' said retired Vice Admiral Anthony A. There have been female and minority staff officers as Blue Angel members,[17] including minority Blue Angel pilot Lt. Andre Webb on the 2018 team. Larry (Hoss) Pearson reportedly was caught having a relationship with a subordinate officer", "Three-Time Blue Angels Boss Greg Wooldridge Launches Campaign for Governor", "Blue Angels Commander Cleared in Navy Scandal", "Freedom of Information Act Request: Russell Bartlett FOIA navy record", "Mannix Relieves Foley as Blue Angel's Commanding Officer", "Blue Angels boss prepares to turn over flying team", "Division of Leadership Education and Development Capt Ryan Bernacchi, USN", "Combat pilot in two wars led Blue Angels", "Smyrna Blue Angels fatal crash one of few in history; last in '07", "Blue Angels crash artifacts found 50 years later", "Narragansett Bay June 4, 1971 (May 30, 2015)", "Blue Angels Pilot Ejects Before Plane Crashes", "Pensacola son remembers father a Navy pilot and Blue Angel 50-year after tragic death", "Harley Hall:Vietnam POW (wearing gold flight suit-1971)", "Mythbusters Episode Features Blue Angels, June 10", "My incredible flight aboard the Blue Angels" By Charles Atkeison, House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces, Naval Forces Europe Naval Forces Africa, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Naval Information Warfare Systems Command, Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command, Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, United States Armed Forces School of Music, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, United States battleship retirement debate, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blue_Angels&oldid=1139358024, Aircraft squadrons of the United States Navy, Ceremonial units of the United States military, Articles with dead external links from November 2016, Articles with permanently dead external links, Articles with dead external links from May 2016, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2020, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2022, Articles with trivia sections from March 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Fat Albert (C-130) high-performance takeoff (Low Transition), Fat Albert Parade Pass (The plane banks around the front of the crowd. But last weekend, she flew even higher when she became the first female pilot with the prestigious Blue Angels. [citation needed], In 2006, the Blue Angels marked their 60th year of performing. [88][89], In July 2022, Lt. Amanda Lee was announced as the first woman to serve as a demonstration pilot in the Blue Angels. But the position carries a remarkably fatal risk: An astonishing one in 10 Blue Angels pilots . [8] The No. All team members, both officer and enlisted, pilots and staff officers, come from the ranks of regular Navy and United States Marine Corps units. Val was just great. At just 3 years old, twin brothers Matt and Johan Suyderhoud were attending their first airshow. Raleigh " Dusty" Rhodes took command of the Blue Angels team which was flying four Bearcats and a yellow painted SNJ with USN markings dubbed "Beetle Bomb"; the SNJ represented a Japanese Zero for the air show dogfights with the Bearcats. The Blue Angels' first public demonstration also netted the team its first trophy, which sits on display at the team's current home at NAS Pensacola. [33] In 1953, the team traded its Sky Train for a Curtiss R5C Commando. Welcome to the team. Changeover Roll a left Echelon barrel roll where the echelon formation changes over to diamond formation after 90 off bank. As in year's past, the Museum is host the planes and pilots during their stay, but this year is different--the Blue Angels are in our very own parking lot, offering an up-close-and-personal view. A permanent flight surgeon position and administration officer was added to the team. Fortus Solos flying in carrier landing configuration with No. Speeds: Between 120 . Team members vote in secret on the next year's officers. Pat Moneymaker 23 January 1990: their Blue Angel Hornets suffered a mid-air collision during a practice at El Centro. Lt. Deo Harrypersaud, crew chief of the Blue Angels ^7 plane, prior to a VIP ride with.jpg, US Navy 070707-N-2888Q-003 Lt. Cmdr. All of the Blue Angels pilots volunteered for combat duty and the demonstration squadron was disbanded. On 10 December 1973, the Navy Flight Exhibition Team was reorganized and commissioned the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron. Cmdr. The Navy said one of the individuals was a man and the other a woman, one a Marine and the other from the Navy, and that Rear Admiral Mark Guadagnini, chief of Naval air training, was reviewing the situation. The current shades of blue and yellow were adopted when the first demonstration aircraft were transitioned from the Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat to the Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat in August 1946; the aircraft wore an all-yellow scheme with blue markings during the 1949 show season. The Phantom was the only plane to be flown by both the "Blues" and the United States Air Force Thunderbirds (the "Birds"). LAKELAND - For the past 75 years, the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron has been bringing skilled maneuvers to thousands of onlookers. Capt. During their NB Neil Young and crazy horse: sleeps with angels Neil Young: prairie wind Nelson: after the rain No doubt: rock steady. 1. [65] On 6 November 2008, both officers were found guilty at an admiral's mast on unspecified charges but the resulting punishment was not disclosed. All structured data from the file namespace is available under the. Modifications to each F/A-18E/F include removal of the weapons and replacement with a tank that contains smoke-oil used in demonstrations and outfitting the control stick with a spring system for more precise aircraft control input. The team then flies to its show venue for the upcoming weekend on Thursday, conducting "circle and arrival" orientation maneuvers upon arrival. Commander John Magda 8 March 1951: Blue Angels (1949, 1950; Commander/Flight Leader 1950): Magda was killed after his F9F-2B Panther was hit by anti aircraft fire while leading a low-level strike mission against North Korean and Chinese communist positions at, Commander Herbert P. Hunter 19 July 1967: Blue Angels (19571959; Lead Solo pilot): Hunter was hit by antiaircraft fire in North Vietnam and crashed in his, Captain Clarence O. Tolbert 6 November 1972: Blue Angels (1968): Tolbert was flying a, Captain Harley H. Hall 27 January 1973: Blue Angels (19701971; Commander/Team Leader 1971): Hall and his co-pilot were shot down by antiaircraft fire in South Vietnam flying their F-4J Phantom II on the last day of the Vietnam War, and they both were officially listed as. Naval Air Forces, is strapped into an F-A-18 Hornet, assigned to the U.S. Na.jpg, US Navy 110215-N-IR859-015 Vice Adm. Allen G. Myers, commander of U.S. [34] The name had originated through a suggestion by Right Wing Pilot Lt. Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll, after he had read about the Blue Angel nightclub in The New Yorker magazine. [77][78], On 1 March 2013, the U.S. Navy announced that it was cancelling remaining 2013 performances after 1 April 2013 due to sequestration budget constraints. Jeff Kuss, 32, is still ongoing, but a Blue Angels spokesman confirmed that the team will be flying. The team currently flies the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet. The squadron selected three F/A-18 demonstration pilots, a C-130 demonstrat Commander Greg McWherter (Head of the Blue Angels) Lieutenant James Tomaszeski Lieutenant Robert Kurrle Jr Major Chris Collins USMC Lieutenant Commander Frank Weisser Lieutenant Ben Walborn Lieutenant Christian Simonse Lieutenant Amy Tomlinson Alfred 'A' Taddeo, an original member of the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team.jpg, US Navy 101023-N-1776T-107 Capt. The prestige of wearing the Blue Angels uniform carries with it an extraordinary honor one that reflects not only on you as an individual, but on your teammates and the entire squadron. Theodore Steelman, assigned to the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, signs autographs for fans during the Texas Thunder 2005 Air Show.jpg, US Navy 050416-N-0295M-029 A Sailor assigned to the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, conducts a post flight inspection of the vertical stabilizer on the team's Opposing Solo F-A-18A Hornet aircraft du.jpg, US Navy 050416-N-0295M-507 Opposing Solo, Lt. Cmdr. Blue Angels Association Based out of Pensacola, Florida Once a Blue Angel, Always a Blue Angel! 4 serves as the demonstration safety officer, due largely to the perspective they are afforded from the slot position within the formation, as well as their status as a second-year demonstration pilot. Here is a List of All Blue Angels Accidents 29 September 1946 Blue Angels crash Lt. Ross "Robby" Robinson was killed during a performance when a wingtip broke off his Bearcat, sending him into an unrecoverable spin. Craig Olson.jpg, US Navy 080907-N-0411D-023 Blue Angel Plane Captains run from the runway as part of the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team The Blue Angels performance at The Great State of Maine Air Show.jpg, US Navy 090502-N-9712C-001 Lt. Manuel Sanchez, a maintenance officer assigned to the Blue Angels, administers the oath of enlistment to delayed entry program recruits from the New Orleans area.jpg, US Navy 090530-N-1928O-163 Vice Adm. Dirk J. Debbink, Chief of the Navy Reserve, receives a gift of appreciation from Marine Corps Maj. Drew Hess, and crewmembers of the Blue Angels C-130 Hercules.jpg, US Navy 090829-N-1928O-113 A Sailor assigned to the U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels, prepares for take-off during the Defenders of Freedom Air Show at Offutt Air Force Base as part of Omaha Navy Week.jpg, US Navy 090916-N-6220J-003 Cmdr. Mike Gershon (Opposing Solo #6) 13 July 1985: his Skyhawk collided with Lt. Andy Caputi (Lead Solo #5) during a show at Niagara Falls, Gershon was killed and Caputi ejected and parachuted to safety. Lt. Amanda Lee was selected to be a F . Lt. Amanda Lee. Zoe "SiS" Kotnik A member belonging to the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron has been suspended pending the findings in an ongoing investigation that kicked off in late January, according to U.S. Navy officials. He's the "boss" as flight leader and pilot of the Number 1 aircraft. During an air show at Omaha, Nebraska on 1921 July 1946, the Navy Flight Exhibition Team was introduced as the Blue Angels. The pilots are all trained for combat from previous experience, but while serving their two-year orders, only have to duck if they hear "Fore!" on the golf course. The Blue Angels is a team of experienced fighter pilots from the US Navy and Marine Corps. 7, a two-seat F/A-18F Hornet, to show sites. In July 2014, Marine Corps C-130 pilot Capt. Usually, two back seats rides are available at each air show; one goes to a member of the press, and the other to the "Key Influencer". Flight surgeons serve a two-year term. Bud Wood 7 July 1952: killed when his F9F-5 Panther collided with another Panther jet during a demonstration in. [58], On 8 November 1986, the Blue Angels completed their 40th anniversary year during ceremonies unveiling what would be their aircraft through their 75th anniversary year, the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet. [3] Since 1946, the Blue Angels have flown for more than 505 million spectators. Theodore J. Steelman, assigned to the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, awaits the cue to exit his F-A-18A Hornet.jpg, US Navy 050507-N-0295M-052 The pilots assigned to the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration team, line up at parade rest prior to the start of their demonstration.jpg, US Navy 050916-N-0295M-186 A crew chief assigned to the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, performs a post engine run-up inspection on the top surfaces of one of the Blue Angel's F-A-18A Hornets.jpg, US Navy 060514-N-8374E-002 Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 2nd Class Desiree Phillips, assigned to Maintenance Control on the Blue Angels enlisted team, autographs memorabilia for enthusiastic young fans.jpg, US Navy 060514-N-8374E-003 Members of the Blue Angels enlisted team autograph memorabilia for enthusiastic young fans.jpg, US Navy 060522-N-5390M-001 Members of the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, attend a dedication ceremony at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.jpg, US Navy 060522-N-5390M-002 Members of the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, attend a dedication ceremony at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.jpg, US Navy 060522-N-5390M-003 Members of the U.S. Navy's flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels, attend a dedication ceremony at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.jpg, US Navy 060813-F-7049H-045 Crew chiefs with the United States Naval Flight Demonstration Squadron stand at attention as the Blue Angels prepare to disembark on their aerial performance.jpg, US Navy 060909-N-2218T-132 Blue Angel pilot Lt. 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