Heading to the Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show on Saturday? Here's the full schedule

Brandon Girod, Pensacola News Journal
Updated ·3 min read

Blues Week will wrap up Saturday as the official Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show brings a spectacular end to the week of events when the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team takes off at 2 p.m.

The Thursday Blues-only show was cut short after lightning was reported in the area, but Friday’s dress rehearsal was picture perfect weather. Saturday’s show could see a threat of showers as isolated storms are expected to potentially impact the Pensacola area around 1 p.m., according to weather reports.

Live coverage from Saturday's show: Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show Saturday

Friday recap: Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show Friday dress rehearsal

Here’s a look at what Saturday’s show will look like.

2023 Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show Saturday schedule

Here are the civilian acts that will take to the sky around 11 a.m. on Saturday.

  • Pilot Julian MacQueen flying his vintage 1943 Grumman Widgeon seaplane overhead

  • Pilot Gene Valentino flying his ICON A5 Amphibious light sport plane.

  • U.S. Coast Guard pilot Lt. Cmdr. Mark Currier, from the Aviation Training Center in Mobile, flying his HC-144 Ocean Sentry large turboprop aircraft.

  • Training Squadron Ten (VT-10) from NAS Pensacola in a formation fly-by in their T-6 Texans aircraft.

  • VeriJet, a private airline, will fly by in a three-ship formation of Cirrus SF-50 Vision Jets.

  • Navy pilot Tanner Matheny will be flying over in his 1946 North American Navion airplane named Olivia.

  • U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue (SAR) demonstration from the back of an HH-60J Blackhawk helicopter piloted by Lt. Travis Rhea.

Military and veteran performances will take to the skies following the civilian acts. Here's what's planned:

Red Bull Air Force team

The Red Bull Air Force team will take off first, performing a synchronized flag-carrying skydiving formation, landing at the show center next to the Pensacola Beach Pier. New to the air show this year, the Red Bull Air Force team is assembled from the most accomplished aviation experts on the planet who continually push the limits of human flight.

Veteran’s Flight team

The Veteran’s Flight team in their bright yellow, vintage World War II-era biplanes, will be making several passes over Casino Beach. Organized by Pensacola attorney and pilot Roy Kinsey, about a dozen Stearman pilots from all over the Southeast are flying in the show to pay tribute to all WWII and Korean War vets.

Bill Culberson with Fighterjets Inc.

Next in line, another new addition to this year’s air show is MiG-17F pilot Bill Culberson with Fighterjets Inc. Born the son of an Air Force fighter jet pilot who also joined the Air Force, Culberson has been in love with military aviation as long as he can remember. His classic 1950s-era MiG-17F can maintain 8g turns with a max speed of 715 mph.

Red Bull Air Force team (round two)

The Red Bull Air Force team will swing back around at 1:30 p.m. to create a visual spectacle with helicopter pilot Aaron Fitzgerald, aerobatic pilot Kevin Coleman in his Extra 300 SHP plane and the Red Bull Air Force jump team – the trio will perform a joint aerial demonstration that will last approximately 25 minutes.

Fat Albert

Look to the Gulf horizon at approximately 2 p.m. as the famous C-130J aircraft, affectionately known as Fat Albert, followed by six signature blue and gold F-18 Super Hornets, make their way over Pensacola Beach.

The Blue Angels perform

The Blue Angels will perform for the next 45 minutes following Fat Albert’s appearance. Pensacolians and guests will have the chance to once again be thrilled by aeronautic maneuvers like the Diamond Dirty Loop, the Double Farvel, the Vertical Pitch, the Fleur-de-Lis, the Opposing Knife-Edge pass and the crowd-favorite Sneak Pass.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Blue Angels Pensacola Beach Air Show Saturday schedule: What to know