Blue Angels to Fly into Punta Gorda This Weekend -- A Little History of the "Blues"

The soaring sounds of jet airplanes overhead remind me that the Blue Angels are coming to Punta Gorda for this weekend's air show.  The Angels or "Blues," currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team, are returning after a two-year absence from the Florida International Air Show.  The Punta Gorda show is the only one in southern Florida that will feature them this year.   Their appeal and draw goes without saying.  Since there formation at the end of the World War II, their purpose has been to promote US Naval Aviation both domestically and worldwide and support recruitment efforts.  

After the end of the World War II it became apparent to the the US Navy that to keep this armed forces group  in in the minds of people who were used to reading about  numerous victories of the Navy pilots, a strong publicity program had to be launched.   It was  in 1946 that the then US Navy Secretary James Forestal and the chief of US Navy Operations Admiral Chester Nimitz decided to launch the official US Navy aerobatic display team.   Nimitz directed  Vice-Admiral Frank Wagner, director of Naval Air Advanced Training Command (NAATC) in Pensacola, Florida, to create such a team.

The original 1946 Blue Angels Demonstration Team

The team was formed at the airbase in Jacksonville, Florida.  The name "Blue Angels" actually came from a team member who saw an ad in the New Yorker magazine for a nightclub the "Blue Angel" and the rest is history.  Including the 2012 season, the Blue Angels have had 242 demonstration pilots, and 34 Flight Leaders/Commanding Officers.  Their home base now is in Pensacola, Florida.  Since their inception, the "Blues" have flown a variety of different aircraft types, thrilling more than 427 million spectators worldwide.

The six demonstration pilots currently fly in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where still employing many of the same techniques used in their aerial shows in 1946.   During their aerobatic demonstration, the Blues fly six F/A-18 Hornet aircraft, split into the Diamond Formation (Blue Angels 1 through 4) and the Lead and Opposing Solos (Blue Angels 5 and 6). Most of the show alternates between maneuvers performed by the Diamond Formation and those performed by the Solos.  The Solos join the Diamond Formation for a Delta Formation near the end of the show.  

This year will be the first time that the Air Show will feature more than one jet team.  In addition to the  Blue Angels, the Black Diamond Jet Team, which is America’s premier civilian-owned demonstration team will perform. The Black Diamond Jet team, formerly known as the Heavy Metal Jet Team, will return to the Florida International Air Show for their second year. Flying five L-39 aircraft and two MiG-17 fighters, this is the first seven- ship civilian jet team act in North America.  

Joining the two jet teams will be Team RV, which is the world’s largest air show team performing in North America. Team RV features a 10-12 ship aerobatic and large formation routine flown by experienced military fighter pilots and private general aviation pilots flying “home built” planes.  For more on this 32nd annual air show visit: http://www.floridaairshow.com/