When I was a kid visiting my grandparents in Biloxi, I used to see the Blue Angels practicing. You probably didn't grow up with Blue Angels. Probably didn't grow up with sonic booms as a part of daily life, either (that was Keesler Air Force base, in Biloxi - the Blue Angels fly out of Pensacola). I think the justification is to show off Navy flying, so kids that want to grow up to be pilots will think of the Navy, rather than the Air Force. Tell you what, if you can watch them without tears of joy in your eye, you've got a heart of stone. They are awesome.
>> The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, Blue Angels, is stationed at Sherman
Field, NAS Pensacola, Florida. The squadron is scheduled to fly 70 air shows at 35
locations in the United States during the 2000 season.
The squadron spends the winter (January through March) training pilots and new
crewmembers at Naval Air Facility (NAF), El Centro, California.
The mission of the Blue Angels is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting, and
to represent the naval service to the civilian community, its elected leadership and
foreign nations. The Blue Angels serve as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors
for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
A Blue Angel flight demonstration exhibits the choreographed refinements of
Navy-trained flying skills. It presents the graceful, aerobatic maneuvers of the four-plane
diamond, as well as the fast-paced high performance maneuvers of the two solo pilots.
The renowned delta formation is complete with six jets performing maneuvers, as a
whole, in formation.
The 1999-show season brought out more than 15 million spectators. Since 1946 the
Blue Angels have performed for over 337 million.
- BLUE ANGELS -<<
blueangels.navy.mil |
