Blue Angels

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Blue Angels

The Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets fly in tight diamond formation, maintaining 18" wingtip-to-canopy separation.
Country:	United States
Aircraft Currently Flown:	12 (numbers 1 through 6, 2 two-seat (#7) jets and 4 spare jets) F/A-18s 1 C-130T Hercules
Sponsor:	United States Navy
Base Airfield:	NAS Pensacola
Winter Airfield:	NAF El Centro
Colors:	"Blue Angel Blue" and "Insignia Yellow"
Date Formed:	April 24, 1946
Crest/Logo:

The United States Navy's Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is the world's first officially sanctioned military aerial demonstration team.

[edit] Overview

The Blue Angels first flew three aircraft in formation, then four, and currently operate six aircraft per show. A seventh aircraft is for backup, in the event of mechanical problems with one of the other aircraft, and for giving public relations "demonstration flights" to civilians, usually selected from a press pool.

This aerobatic team is split into "the Diamond" (Blue Angels 1 through 4) and the Opposing Solos (Blue Angels 5 and 6). Most of their displays alternate between maneuvers performed by the Diamond and those performed by the Solos. The Diamond, in tight formation and usually at lower speeds, performs maneuvers such as formation loops, barrel rolls, or transitions from one formation to another.

The Opposing Solos usually perform maneuvers just under the speed of sound which showcase the capabilities of their individual F/A-18 Hornets through the execution of high-speed passes, slow passes, fast rolls, slow rolls, and very tight turns. Some of the maneuvers include both solo F/A-18s performing at once, such as opposing passes (toward each other in what appears to be a collision course, narrowly missing one another) and mirror formations (back-to-back. belly-to-belly, or wingtip-to-wingtip, with one jet flying inverted).

At the end of the routine, all six aircraft join in the Delta formation. After a series of flat passes, turns, loops, and rolls performed in this formation, they execute the team's signature "fleur-de-lis" closing maneuver.

The parameters of each show must be tailored to local visibility: In clear weather the "high" show is performed, in overcast conditions it's the "low" show that the spectators see, and in limited visibility (weather permitting) the "flat" show is presented. The "high" show requires an 8,000-foot ceiling and visibility of 3 nautical miles from the show's centerpoint. "Low" and "flat" ceilings are 3,500 and 1,500 feet respectively.

[edit] History

The first Blue Angel Flight Demonstration Squadron, 1946–1947 assembled in front of one of their F6F Hellcats (l to r): Lt. Al Taddeo, Solo; Lt. (J.G.) Gale Stouse, Spare; Lt. Cdr. R.M. "Butch" Voris, Flight Leader; Lt. Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll, Right Wing; Lt. Mel Cassidy, Left Wing.

On April 24, 1946 Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Chester Nimitz issued a directive ordering the formation of a flight exhibition team (the first such official venture by any of the Armed Services) to boost Navy morale, demonstrate naval air power, and maintain public interest in naval aviation. However, an underlying mission was to help the Navy generate public and political support for a larger allocation of the shrinking defense budget. In April of that year, Rear Admiral Ralph Davison personally selected Lieutenant Commander Roy Marlin "Butch" Voris, a World War II fighter ace, to assemble and train a flight demonstration squadron, naming him Officer-in-Charge and Flight Leader. Voris selected two fellow instructors to join him (Lt. Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll and Lt. Mel Cassidy, both veterans of the War in the Pacific), and the three spent countless hours developing the show. The group perfected its initial maneuvers in secret over the Florida Everglades so that, in Voris' words, "...if anything happened, just the alligators would know." The team's first demonstration before Navy officials took place on May 10, 1946 and was met with enthusiastic approval.

On June 15 Voris led a trio of Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats, specially modified to reduce weight and painted sea blue with gold leaf trim, through their inaugural 15-minute-long performance at Craig Field, Florida. The group, known simply as the "Navy Flight Exhibition Team," thrilled spectators with low-flying maneuvers performed in tight formations, and (according to Voris) by "...keeping something in front of the crowds at all times. My objective was to beat the Army Air Corps. If we did that, we'd get all the other side issues. I felt that if we weren't the best, it would be my naval career." The Blue Angels' first public demonstration also netted the team its first trophy, which sits on display at the team's current home at NAS Pensacola.

On August 25, 1946 the Blue Angels switched to the Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat and introduced the famous "diamond" formation at the World Air Carnival in Birmingham, Alabama.

The team soon became known worldwide for its spectacular aerobatic stunts. During a trip to New York, Lt. Wickendoll came across an advertisement in The New Yorker for the city's popular "Blue Angel" nightclub. Voris liked the name and on July 19 officially made it the team's moniker. On August 25 the squadron upgraded their aircraft to the F8F-1 Bearcat. Though Voris left the team on May 30, 1947 the "Blues" continued to perform nationwide (including one year, 1949, in a blinding all-yellow scheme with blue markings^[1]) until the start of the Korean War in 1950, when (due to a shortage of pilots) the team was disbanded and its members were ordered to combat duty. Once aboard the aircraft carrier USS Princeton the group formed the core of VF-191 (Satan's Kittens).

The Blue Angels were officially recommissioned on October 25, 1951, and reported to NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. Lt. Cdr. Voris was again tasked with assembling the team (he was the first of only two commanding officers to lead them twice). By the end of the 1940s, the Blue Angels were flying their first jets, the Grumman F9F-2 Panther, but soon would be utilizing the improved F9F-5. The Angels remained in Corpus Christi until the winter of 1954, when they relocated to their present home at NAS Pensacola. It was here they progressed to the swept-wing Grumman F9F-8 Cougar. The ensuing 20 years saw the Blue Angels transition to two more aircraft, the Grumman F11F-1 Tiger (1957), which would be best known for its use as a demonstration plane, and the huge double-sonic McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II (1969), the only plane to be flown by both the "Blues" and the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.

All six Blue Angel A-4F Skyhawks fly in delta formation, smoke on.

In December, 1974 the Navy Flight Demonstration Team downsized to more economical subsonic McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II and was reorganized into the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron. This reorganization permitted the establishment of a commanding officer, a flight leader, added support officers, and further redefined the squadron's mission emphasizing the support of recruiting efforts. Commander Tony Less was the squadron's first official commanding officer.

On November 8, 1986 the Blue Angels completed their 40th anniversary year during ceremonies unveiling their present aircraft, the sleek McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, the first multi-role fighter/attack aircraft now serving on the nation's front lines of defense since the F-4 Phantom. The power and aerodynamics of the Hornet allows them to perform a slow high angle of attack "tail sitting" maneuver, and to fly a loop with landing gear down in formation, neither duplicated by the Thunderbirds. The Blue Angels also operate a Marine Corps C-130T Hercules nicknamed "Fat Albert" due to its shape resembling the cartoon character. Fat Albert provides support and at selected venues puts on a show of its own with a jet-assisted take off (JATO) before the "Blues" begin their demonstration. "Fat Albert Airlines" flies with an all-Marine crew of three officers and five enlisted personnel.

The Blue Angels perform more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques in their aerial displays as in 1946. Since their inception, the "Blues" have flown for more than 427 million spectators worldwide. The Blue Angels often perform directly over major cities such as San Francisco and Seattle during "Fleet Week" maritime festivals, such as Seafair.

[edit] Timeline

The "Blues" support crew watches the team perform in the Grumman F9F-2 Panther jet fighter.

• 1946: The "Navy Flight Exhibition Team" is formed and takes the name Blue Angels.
• 1950: The team is ordered to Combat Duty Status in response to the Korean Conflict.
• 1954: "Blues" pilot LCDR Hawkins becomes the first naval aviator to survive an ejection at supersonic speeds. The first Marine Corps pilot, Capt Chuck Hiett, joins the team. Team is rebased at NAS Pensacola in the winter of 1954.
• 1956: The team gives its first performance outside the United States in Toronto, Canada.
• 1965: The Blue Angels are the only team to receive a standing ovation during the four-day Paris Air Show.
• 1968: LT Mary Russell becomes the first woman assigned to the "Blues."
• 1974: The team transitions to the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II and is reorganized to add support officers and redefine the squadron’s mission, which emphasizes the support of recruiting efforts.
• 1986: The Blue Angels complete their 40th anniversary year in November and unveil their present aircraft, the sleek McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet.
• 1986: LCDR Donnie Cochran, is selected to join the Blue Angels. He is the first black Naval Aviator to be selected.
• 1992: The Blue Angels become the first foreign flight demonstration team to perform in Russia. More than a million spectators witness the "Blues" performances during a month-long European tour.
• 1994 CDR Donnie Cochran assumes command of the Blue Angels.
• 1998: CDR Patrick Driscoll makes the first "Blue Jet" landing on a "haze gray and underway" aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75).
• 2000: Show season attendance tops 15 million spectators.

Source:Blue Angels Monumental Moments

[edit] Aircraft

[edit] Demonstrators

1. Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat - June-August 1946
2. Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat - August 1946-1949
3. Grumman F9F-2 Panther - 1949-June 1950 (first jet);
   1. Grumman F9F-5 Panther - 1951-Winter 1954/55
4. Grumman F9F-8 Cougar - Winter 1954/55-mid-season 1957 (swept-wing)
5. Grumman F11F-1 Tiger - mid-season 1957-1969 (first supersonic jet)
6. McDonnell F-4J Phantom II - 1969-December 1974
7. Douglas A-4F Skyhawk - December 1974-November 1986
8. McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18A & F/A-18B Hornet - November 1986-Present

[edit] Support

1. Lockheed C-121 Super Constellation - 1969-1973
2. Lockheed C-130 Hercules - 1970-Present

[edit] Routines

The solos make a "knife-edge" pass. The far aircraft is actually slightly higher than the near aircraft to make them appear in-line to the audience.

Blue Angels aircraft perform the "Section High Alpha", the slowest manuever of their show. During the maneuver the two jets slow down to 125 knots as they pitch the nose of the F/A-18 up to 45 degrees.

Blue Angel number seven roars past during the Fleet Week 2007 air show over the San Francisco Bay.

• Fat Albert (C-130) - JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off)
• Fat Albert - Flat Pass
• Fat Albert - Short-Field Assault Landing
• Engine Start-Up and Taxi Out
• Diamond Take-off
• Solos Take-off (Blue Angel #5: Dirty Roll on Take-Off; Blue Angel #6: Low Transition, Split S on Take-Off)
• Diamond Pass in Review: Aircraft 1, 2, 3 and 4 are in their signature 18" wingtip-to-canopy diamond formation.
• Opposing Knife-Edge Pass
• Diamond Roll
• Opposing Inverted to Inverted Rolls
• Diamond Aileron Roll
• Fortus
• Diamond Dirty Loop
• Minimum Radius Turn
• Double Farvel: Diamond formation with aircraft 1 and 4 inverted.
• Opposing Minimum Radius Turn
• Echelon Parade
• Opposing Horizontal Rolls
• Left Echelon Roll: The roll is made into the Echelon which is difficult and dangerous.
• Sneak Pass: the fastest speed of the show is about 700 mph (just under Mach 1 at sea level)
• Line-Abreast Loop
• Opposing Four-Point Hesitation Roll
• Vertical Break
• Opposing Pitch Up
• Tuck Under Break
• Section High-Alpha Pass: (tail sitting), the show's slowest maneuver^[2]
• Barrel Roll Break
• Double Tuck Over Roll
• Low Break Cross
• Delta Roll
• Fleur de Lis
• Solos Pass to Rejoin
• Loop Break Cross (Delta Break): This is usually the final major maneuver of the show. After the break the aircraft separate in six different directions, perform half Cuban eights then cross in the center of the performance area.
• Crossover
• Delta Pitch Up Break to Land

Source: Air videos of these maneuvers

[edit] Accidents

In its entire history, 26 pilots from the group have been killed in air show or training accidents.^[3] Through the 2006 season, there have been 262 pilots and squad leaders in the squad's history^[4] giving the job a 10% fatality rate.

[edit] Air show

• 1946 - September: Lt. "Robby" Robinson was killed while performing a Cuban Eight maneuver during an airshow when a wingtip broke off his Bearcat sending him into a death spiral.
• 1952 - Two aircraft collide during a demonstration in Corpus Christi, Texas; one pilot is killed, but the team resumes its performances two weeks thereafter.
• September 2, 1966 - Lt. Cmdr. Dick Oliver crashed and was killed at the Canadian International Air Show in Toronto.
• July 13, 1985 - Aircraft 5 and 6 (Lead and Opposing Solo) (A-4F) collide at Niagara Falls, killing Lt. Cmdr. Robert Gershon.^[5]
• April 21, 2007 - Aircraft 6 during an in flight rendezvous following the Delta Loop Break cross maneuver, crashed near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in Beaufort, South Carolina^[6] killing its pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis of Pittsfield, Mass.^[7][8] (See 2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash)

[edit] Other incidents

• 1951 - LCDR Johnny Magda is the first Blue Angel killed in combat over Korea. The team is reactivated in October at NAS Corpus Christi.
• 1973 - CDR Harley Hall (1970 team leader) is shot down over Vietnam, and is officially listed as Missing In Action.
• November 8, 1978 - One of the solo aircraft failed to recover after low roll during a practice session at NAS Miramar. Navy Lieutenant Michael Curtain was killed.
• January 23, 1990 - Mid-air collision between two Blue Angels aircraft during a practice session at El Centro. Marine Corps Maj. Charles "Chase" Moseley was faulted for the collision with team leader Cmdr. Pat Moneymaker. One airplane was destroyed and the other badly damaged. Both pilots survived unharmed.^[9]
• October 28, 1999 - Lt. Cmdr. Kieron O'Connor and recently selected demonstration pilot Lt. Kevin Colling crash while practicing maneuvers in Valdosta, Georgia. Neither survived.^[10]
• December 2, 2004 - Pilot Lt. Ted Steelman ejects from his Blue Angels F/A-18 approximately one mile off Perdido Key after reporting mechanical problems and loss of power, he suffered minor injuries and fully recovered.^[11]

[edit] Miscellaneous

Water condensation in the strake vortices of a Hornet during a tight maneuver.

• The "Blues" aircraft are completely combat-ready, and can be repainted and armed for combat service in just 72 hours.^[12]
• The Blue Angels was a short-lived dramatic television series inspired by the team's exploits and filmed with the cooperation of the Navy, that aired from September 1, 1960 to March 20, 1961.^[13]
• The Blue Angels were the subject of "Flying Blue Angels," a pop song recorded by George, Johnny and the Pilots (Coed Co 555), that debuted on Billboard Magazine's "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" chart on September 11, 1961.
• The Blue Angels' crest changes with every new aircraft type they acquire. When they flew A-4s, in the upper right corner, was an outline of the A-4s in formation. Since then, the crest has been modified with the F/A-18's outline.
• In 2005, the Discovery Channel aired a documentary miniseries, "Blue Angels: A Year in the Life", focusing on the intricate day-to-day details of that year's training and performance schedule.^[14][15]
• The video for the American rock band Van Halen's 1986 release "Dreams" is comprised of Blue Angels performance footage. The video was originally shot featuring the Blues in the A-4 Skyhawk. It was later reshot after the transition to the F/A-18 Hornet.^{[citation needed]}
• Singer Pras' debut album featured Blue Angels as a single.
• The Blue Angels don't wear G-suits, because the air bladders inside them would repeatedly deflate and inflate. That would interfere with the control stick between a pilot's legs. Instead, Blue Angel pilots tense their stomach muscles and legs to prevent blood from rushing from their heads and rendering them unconscious.^[12]
• The Blue Angels Creed, written by JO1 Cathy Konn, 1991-1993:

[edit] Alumni

• Donnie Cochran
• LCDR. Jack Mason Gougar -- Plane Commander and Engineering Officer, 1967-1968
• Adm. Patrick M. Walsh -- Left Wingman and Slot Pilot, 1985-1987
• Major Len Anderson --Narrator and Solo Pilot 2002-2004

[edit] See also

• Blue Angels Alumni Association

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• (2005). "The First Blue Angel." Miramar 50th Air Show Special Commemorative Program 18.
• (2005). "The Blue Angels History." Miramar 50th Air Show Special Commemorative Program 22.
• Blue Angels Timeline (1946–1980) accessed November 10, 2005.
• "First Blue: Monterey resident Butch Voris formed the nation’s most-loved aviation team" article by Brett Wilbur in the April 1, 2004 edition of the Monterey County Weekly — accessed October 16, 2005.
• "Grumman and the Blue Angels" article by William C. Barto at the Grumman Memorial Park official website — accessed October 15, 2005.
• "First Blue: The story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels" by Robert K. Wilcox, Thomas Dunne Books/St.Martins Press, 2004, www.robertkwilcox.com
• http://moneymaker.rootsweb.com/newspapers/clip08.htm

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Blue Angels

• Explore the Navy: Blue Angels official website.
• The Blue Angels — show schedules and other information.
• First Blue Angel story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels.
• U.S. Navy Blue Angels Alumni Association official website
• Blue Angels at Aerobatic Teams web page
• Blue Angels at San Francisco Air Show Pictures
• RTP-TV Aerospace Show on the Blue Angels (online video)