At the end of World War II, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, the Chief of US Naval Operations, ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team to keep the public interested in Naval Aviation and to boost Navy morale. Lt. Cmdr. Roy “Butch” Voris, a veteran flying ace with eight air victories to his credit, was chosen as the new flight team's commander and tasked with selecting the rest of the pilots and ground staff.
The Blue Angels are the second oldest formal aerobatic team in the world, following the Patrouille de France, which was formed in 1931. Flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the Navy's main fighter during WWII, their first aerial demonstration took place on 15 June 1946 at Jacksonville's Craig Field.
For the first month, the team flew without a name. Officers at Navy Headquarters had suggested “Navy Blue Lancers,” a moniker the pilots rejected. As the group prepared for a show in New York that July, Lt. Maurice “Wick” Wickendoll came across an advertisement in the New Yorker for the city's famous Blue Angel nightclub. The first demonstration under the “Blue Angels” name was in Omaha, 19 July 1946.
By the end of the 1940s, the Blue Angels had transitioned to jets, flying the Grumman F9F-2 Panther. Since then, their mission has remained clear: to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to the country through flight demonstrations and community outreach.
Today the team, composed of six Navy and one Marine Corps demonstration pilot, flies the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet alongside their support aircraft, the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. Each year they perform about 60 shows at 32 locations across the United States, with two additional performances in Canada. An estimated 11 million spectators watch them annually, and since 1946, more than 505 million people worldwide have witnessed their breathtaking displays.
During a typical demonstration, the six jets split into the Diamond Formation (Blue Angels 1 through 4) and the Lead and Opposing Solos (Blue Angels 5 and 6). The Diamond performs loops, rolls, and tight transitions at speeds around 400 mph, while the Solos push the Super Hornet's limits with high-speed passes, slow passes, rolls, and tight turns. At the peak of a show, the team reunites in Delta Formation for a finale that leaves the crowd in awe.
Speeds range from 126 mph during the Section High Alpha to just under Mach 1 at 700 mph. Opposing passes, mirror formations, and inverted flight add suspense, making each performance a masterclass in precision flying.
Show routines are tailored to the weather: the “high show” requires an 8,000-foot ceiling and 3 miles of visibility; the “low show” can be flown with a 4,500-foot ceiling; and the “flat show” requires at least 1,500 feet.
In August 2018, Boeing received a contract to convert nine single-seat F/A-18E Super Hornets and two F/A-18F two-seaters for the Blue Angels. Modifications include replacing weapons with a smoke-oil tank, tensioning the control stick with 40 pounds of force for precision, and equipping systems for close-formation flying. The jets remain combat-capable and can be returned to carrier duty within 72 hours.
Blue Angel pilots do not wear G-suits, which inflate and deflate during manoeuvres and could cause unintended movement. Instead, pilots use a special muscle-tensing technique to prevent blood from pooling in the lower body during high-G manoeuvres.
Each winter, the team trains intensively at NAF El Centro, California. Over two months, pilots gradually tighten formations and lower altitudes until their flying reaches the precision required for public demonstrations. From March through November, their home base is NAS Pensacola, Florida, with weekly practices and show travel. The average pilot is 33 years old.
In 2023, Lt. Amanda Lee made history as the first female demonstration pilot to fly the F/A-18 Super Hornet in the Blue Angels' core Diamond Formation, debuting as the #3 Left Wing before later shifting to the #4 Slot.
As of September 2025, the average annual pay for a Blue Angel pilot is $130,916, a figure notably less than that of senior airline captains, who can earn $200,000 to $450,000 annually. Still, most Blue Angels would tell you their reward is the honour of representing the Navy and inspiring millions.
I have been fortunate to see, first-hand, the Blue Angels, the Italian Frecce Tricolori, the French Patrouille de France, the Canadian Snowbirds and the British Red Arrows perform. To choose the “best of the best” is, in my humble opinion, impossible, as each team, operating a different aircraft, specializes in a unique facet of aerobatic formation flying. The British are superbly staid and formal; the French are poetry and flair in motion; the Italians bring a fantastically choreographed spectacle, the Canadian Snowbirds are the absolute masters of seamless changes in their large formation; and the Blue Angels leave one gasping in amazement at the sheer brilliance of their varied routine.
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