Ever wonder how fast the Blue Angels fly or best places to watch? Your questions answered:
The Blue Angels’ 77th air show season is officially underway.
The team kicked off the season at the NAF El Centro annual Air Show on March 1 before heading to NAS Point Mugu, California, and Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
The 77th season is a historical one. In July 2022, the team announced that its first-ever woman F/A-18 demonstration pilot would take to the skies, U.S. Navy Lt. Amanda Lee.
Historic season begins: Blue Angels pilot Amanda Lee takes to the sky
Who is Lee? Where are the Blues based and how fast do they fly?
We answer your burning questions and more:
What planes do the Blue Angels fly?
In 2021, the Blue Angels started flying in a new airplane for the first time in more than 30 years — the Super Hornet F/A-18 E/F. The new jets are 25% larger, fly 40% further, remain on station 80% longer and can carry more weapons than their predecessors. The team previously flew F/A-18 Hornets, which they transitioned to from the A-4F Skyhawk II in 1986.
Learn more about the new jets: Blue Angels' new jets a 'little bit faster, little bit bigger, little bit louder'
How fast do the Blue Angels fly?
The new Super Hornets can reach top speeds just under Mach 2 (about 1,400 miles per hour), almost twice the speed of sound. The jets can climb at a maximum rate of 30,000 feet per minute.
Fans shouldn’t expect to see these feats at an air show. According to the Blue Angels website, the fastest speeds you’ll see in an air show are about 700 mph during the team’s “sneak pass” maneuver — a maneuver described in the Federal Aviation Administration’s maneuver manual as a flat pass on the 500-foot show line that flies over the spectator area from the rear, just 50 feet overhead.
In 2021, the Calexico Chronicle reported a training incident at the Naval Air Facility El Centro that caused property damage to three base structures and temporary headaches and ear ringing in base personnel prompted the naval flight demonstration squadron to adopt safety measures around the maneuver to prevent anything like it from happening again.
Blue Angels pilots salary
Blue Angels pilot salaries are no different from what their pay would typically be, based on rank and time in service.
Who is on the Blue Angels team?
The Blue Angels team currently consists of 16 officers who voluntarily serve with the Blue Angels. Each year, the team will pick three tactical jet pilots, two support officers and one Marine Corps C-130 pilot to relieve departing members. Officers tend to serve with the squadron between two and three years, while enlisted personnel serve between three and four years.
A full list of the demonstration team can be found below. You can find a list of the full team here: https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/team/
#1 Commander Alexander Armatas | Flight leader and commanding officer
#2 Lieutenant Commander Chris Kapuschansky | Right wing
#3 Lieutenant Amanda Lee | Left wing
#4 Lieutenant Scott Goossens | Slot
#5 Lieutenant Commander Julius Bratton | Lead solo
#6 Lieutenant Commander Griffin Stangel | Opposing solo
#7 Lieutenant Commander Thomas Zimmerman | Narrator
#8 Lieutenant Commander Brian Vaught | Events coordinator
Meet Blue Angels' first woman pilot, Lt. Amanda Lee
In July, the Blue Angels made a historic announcement — naming the team’s first woman F/A-18E/F demonstration pilot.
Although hundreds of women have served with the Blue Angels in a variety of capacities over 55 years, Lt. Amanda Lee, of Mounds View, Minnesota, was the first woman to serve as a demonstration pilot.
Although Lee is the first fighter jet pilot to fly with the Blues’ squadron, she is actually the second female pilot to fly for the team. Marine Maj. Katie Higgins broke that barrier in 2014 flying the Blues’ C-130 Fat Albert for two seasons.
Growing up in Minnesota, Lee worked for UPS while attending the University of Minnesota in Duluth. She enlisted in the Navy before graduating from Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois, in 2017.
Her successes as an aviation electronics technician led to her selection into the Seaman-to-Admiral Commissioning Program. She was designated a naval aviator in April 2016.
After earning her naval aviator wings, Lee was deployed to the USS Harry S. Truman in support of Dynamic Force Employment Operation INHERENT RESOLVE, as well as numerous exercises with NATO allies.
In 2019, Lee flew in the first ever all-female flyover that was part of the funeral service for retired Navy Capt. Rosemary Mariner, one of the first female Navy jet pilots and the first woman to command an operational naval aviation squadron.
Have the Blue Angels crashed?
Over the team's 77-year-history, 26 pilots and one crew member have died in crashes. The majority of the crashes occurred between 1946 and 1985. Five pilots have died since 1985:
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Gershon – On July 13, 1985, Lt. Cmdr. Mike Gershon's, #6, Skyhawk crashed into Lt. Andy Caputi, #5, during a show in Niagara Falls. Caputi was able to eject before the crash, but Gershon died in the collision.
Lt. Cmdr. Kieron O'Connor and Lt. Kevin Colling – On Oct. 28, 1999, Lt. Cmdr. Kieron O'Connor, and Lt. Kevin Colling, died after their F/A-18 jet struck the ground while practicing circle and arrival maneuvers in Valdosta, Georgia. According to a CNN article from 1999, Colling had just finished his first month with the squadron and was going to be one of the new pilots in 2000.
Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis – On April 21, 2007, Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis, #6, crashed during the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort airshow in Beaufort, South Carolina.
Capt. Jeff Kuss - The most recent crash happened on June 2, 2016. Capt. Jeff Kuss, #6, died while performing the Split-S maneuver during a practice run for the Great Tennessee Air Show in Smyrna, Tennessee.
From 2016: Blue Angels pilot dies in Tenn. crash
Where are the Blue Angels stationed?
The Blue Angels’ home base is Forrest Sherman Field, NAS Pensacola, during the air show season. The squadron spends January through March at NAF El Centro, California, for winter training.
Planning a trip to Pensacola? You can catch Blue Angels practice shows throughout the season. NAS Pensacola is currently closed to all guests without an active Department of Defense ID card. DoD ID card holders can escort up to 15 guests on base.
All non-DoD ID Card holder adults must have at least one of the following and remain escorted while aboard the installation:
Non-CAC (common access card) local or regional DoD credential issued by the local installation or region
REAL ID-compliant driver's license, enhanced driver's license, or non-driver's identification card issued by a State, territory, possession or the District of Columbia
U.S. or Foreign Passport or Passport Card
Travel Workers Identification Card (TWIC)
Veterans Health Identification Card (VHIC)
Federal PIV
License plates: Blue Angels license plates to be produced in early 2021 after 3,000 voucher goal is met
Blue Angels vs Thunderbirds — What’s the difference?
The Blue Angels is a U.S. Navy flight demonstration squadron that showcases the teamwork and professionalism of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The team was formed in 1946 and is the second oldest formal aerobatic team in the world. It performs around 60 annual shows across 30 locations in the United States and two shows in Canada.
The Thunderbirds is a U.S. Air Force flight demonstration squadron that performs about 75 annual demonstrations. They are based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada. The Thunderbirds fly the Air Force’s premier multi-role fighter jet, the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The white jets are easy to spot in the air thanks to the dark blue thunderbird painted on the underside of each jet. The Thunderbirds were created in 1953, making them the third oldest formal aerobatic team in the world.
Virtual flight: Blue Angels debut 'Super Delta' formation with Thunderbirds, announce Memorial Day virtual flight
According to the Blue Angels’ official website, current Department of Defense policicy states that the use of military aviation demonstration teams is for recruiting purposes, so the teams don’t fly within 150 miles of each other without special permission.
Where are the Blue Angels right now
Between March and November, the team travels across the country, dazzling crowds with their blistering aerial performances. In between shows, the Blue return to their home base aboard NAS Pensacola for practice shows.
The show season wraps up in November, but that doesn’t mean the team gets a break. In January, the team will depart from NAS Pensacola head to NAF El Centro, in California, to hold winter training. The process repeats all over again in March.
Check the Blue Angels 2023 practice and show schedules below to find out where they are now:
Blue Angels 2023 practice schedule
April - 4, 5*, 11,12*, 18, 19*, 25, 26*
May - 2, 3*, 9, 10*, 16, 17*, 31*
June - 6,7*, 13, 14*, 20, 21, 27, 28*
July - 11, 12, 25, 26*
August - 1, 16*, 22, 23*, 29
September - 6*, 12, 19
October - 18*, 24, 25*
*Indicates Blue Angels autograph sessions inside the National Naval Aviation Museum.
Blue Angels 2023 air show schedule
March 11: Naval Air Facility El Centro, California
March 18 to 19: Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California
March 25 to 26: Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana
April 1 to 2: Lakeland, Florida
April 15 to 16: Naval Air Station Key West, Florida
April 22 to 23: Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina
April 29 to 30: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
May 6 to 7: Corpus Christi, Texas
May 13 to 14: Scott Air Force Bse, Illinois
May 20 to 21: Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina
May 24 and 26: U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
May 27 to 28: Long Pond, Pennsylvania
June 10 to 11: Smyrna, Tennessee
June 17 to 18: Columbus, Ohio
June 24 to 25: North Kingstown, Rhode Island
July 1 to 2: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
July 8: Pensacola Beach, Florida
July 15 to 16: Duluth, Minnesota
July 22 to 23: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Aug. 5 to 6: Seattle, Washington
Aug. 12 to 13: Billings, Montana
Aug. 19 to 20: New Century, Kansas
Aug. 26 to 27: Lincoln, Nebraska
Sept. 2 to 4: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Sept. 16 to 17: Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia
Sept. 23 to 24: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California
Sept. 30 to Oct. 1: McMinnville, Oregon
Oct. 7 to 8: San Francisco, California
Oct. 14 to 15: Grand Junction, Colorado
Oct. 21 to 22: Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Oct. 28 to 29: Greenfield, Indiana
Nov. 3 to 4: Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
Best places to watch the Blue Angels practice
Thousands of U.S. Navy Blue Angels fans converge on Naval Air Station Pensacola for the team's practices throughout the season.
The popular flight line viewing area behind the base's National Naval Aviation Museum can draw as many as 25,000 spectators on the busiest days.
Watching the show from the flight line is a unique, close-up experience that includes fantastic narration of the show from former naval aviators who volunteer at the museum and who have lots of interesting information about the breathtaking maneuvers performed by the elite fighter jet pilots.
Take photos like a pro: Tips to shoot the best photos of the Blue Angels
However, public access to NAS Pensacola was restricted to only current DoD ID card holders, their families and accompanying guests after the terrorist attack on Dec. 6, 2019.
Here are a few spots locals have found that offer a great view of Blue Angel practices:
Fort Pickens on Gulf Islands National Seashore
Pensacola Bay
Navy Point
Walmart parking lot at Blue Angel Parkway
Blue Angel practice crusie
*National Flight Academy
*Pensacola Lighthouse and Museum
* Only available to DoD ID card holders and their guests.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Blue Angels 2023: Schedule, where to watch, how fast they fly, crashes
