'I found an interest at a very young age': Q&A with Blue Angels Cmdr. Alex Armatas

Sara-Megan Walsh, The Ledger
·2 min read

Cmdr. Alex Armatas has been with the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels since November.

The Ledger caught up with Armatas when the Blue Angels landed Thursday morning at Lakeland Linder International Airport for the 2023 Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo.

Name: Cmdr. Alex ArmatasAge: 44Hometown: Skaneateles, New York

Q: What sparked your interest in aviation that lead to you becoming a pilot with U.S. military and Blue Angels?

A: My story is very similar to many people on this team. I found an interest at a very young age. I saw some airplanes and thought they were the coolest thing in the world. I started to get that bug for flying when I was young, I'm not exactly sure how it progressed from there.

The biggest thing for me is somewhere along the way I decided I wanted to do the most challenging thing in aviation, and many people agree, that's landing an aircraft on an aircraft carrier at night. That was what set me on that path.

Blue Angels Cmdr. Alex Armatas found an interest in aviation at a young age. "Somewhere along the way, I decided I wanted to do the most challenging thing in aviation ... that's landing an aircraft on an aircraft carrier at night."
Blue Angels Cmdr. Alex Armatas found an interest in aviation at a young age. "Somewhere along the way, I decided I wanted to do the most challenging thing in aviation ... that's landing an aircraft on an aircraft carrier at night."

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Q: Have you accomplished that goal?

A: I have quite a few aircraft carrier landings at this point, about half of those at night. Just like every pilot on this team, we come from the fleet and we all are going back to the fleet. Every pilot here has [aircraft] carrier experience and has deployed, is part of a fleet squadron and is now here to represent the U.S. Navy.

Q: How many years have have you served?

A: I am just under 21 years since I started.

Q: What is your experience interacting with the public when you come out to these airshows?

A: The experience varies quite a bit, but it's always very exciting and it's always very fun. Our goal is hopefully to inspire as many people as we can to join the team, to see what the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps are capable of, and to see what teamwork and professionalism you can get out of team.

We are 143 team members in total [including ground support] and the teamwork that goes into this flight demonstration we hope people see and get inspired about what's possible.

Q: Have you ever been to the Sun 'n Fun Aerospace Expo before?

A: I have not, it's my first time at Sun 'n Fun. I will offer a little nugget that my wife is from Plant City. So I've been to this part of the country quite a few times, but I have not been to Sun 'n Fun.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Q&A: Blue Angels Cmdr. Alex Armatas found an interest at a young age