Forgotten Heroes

Forgotten Her es

The Blue Angels Flying the Skies

By Avi Heiligman

The American military has many assets in its arsenal that could be used in many different ways depending on the situation. Not only could they be used to strike at ene mies, the military has aided allies in humanitarian, training, economical, and in many other capacities. The coro navirus pandemic saw the use of hospital ships, military doctors and other medical personnel in action across the country. Even domestically, the Amer ican military has responded to natural disasters and terrorism on the homefront among times. Recently, many Americans saw the air demonstration squadrons from both the air force and navy. Both teams have a storied histo ry, as they have been wowing audiences for over seven decades.

Air demonstrations go back to the early days of aviation. In fact, over 100 years ago, many Americans saw flying circuses before they ever flew in an airplane. Many World War II pilots got their “itch” for flying from seeing these air demonstrations. Over the years, air forces worldwide have developed air display teams, and even a few private organizations have gotten in on the act. In the U.S. it was the Navy’s Blue Angels that first took to the skies as an air demonstration team.

After World War II, the navy wanted to keep the public interested in naval aviation and not see a drop-off as they had after World War I. With thousands of planes that were manufactured during the war that were now destined for the scrap heap, it wasn’t too difficult for Lt. Commander Roy “Butch” Voris, a World War II fighter ace, to procure several Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat fighters and outfit them for air shows. They were first introduced as the Blue Angels in July 1946. In addition to the Hellcats, they

also employed a T-6 painted to look like a Japanese Zero fighter and flown to simulate aerial combat.

A year later, the Blue Angels were flying the Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat. the sides as they fly within 18 inches from wingtip to canopy. This maneuver, along with the diamond loop and the diamond barrel roll, are still performed today with the F/A 18 Hornets.

In a regular year, 11 million spectators will come out to see them

Under flight leader Lt. Commander Bob Clark, the team first performed their iconic Diamond Formation. In this four-plane formation, one plane is in front, one in back and two on

In 1949, the Blue Angles switched to the Grumman F9F- Panther. They moved to NAS Whiting Field in Florida after they had previously moved from Jacksonville to Corpus Christi,

Texas. It was there that they adopted their crest, added a sixth pilot to their shows, and acquired a Douglas R4D6 Skytrain for logistics. By the start of the 1950s, the squadron became famous as they performed nationwide. However, they were disbanded to fight in the Korean War. All of the pilots flew with VF-191 and were stationed on the carrier USS Princeton (CV-37). In March 1951, Fight Leader John Magda was killed while leading a strike against communist troops.

The Blue Angels were reactivated in October 1951 and reported to Corpus Christi, Texas, under Lt. Commander Voris. The 1950s saw the Blue Angels add a sixth plane and progressed from the F9F-2 Panther to the F9F-8 Cougar and then to the F-11 Tiger. The Tiger was their first supersonic jet, and the team added a lot more aerial stunts to their shows.

From the 1960s and onwards, the Blue Angels perfected their performances as they transitioned to the F-4 Phantom to the A-4 Skyhawk, and in 1986, they started flying the F/A-18 Hornet. Next year, they will have upgraded to the F/A18E Super Hornet when they celebrate their 75 th anniversary.

No discussion of the Blue Angels will be complete without mentioning their support aircraft, especially their Lockheed Martin C-130, nicknamed “Fat Albert.” In use since 1970, Fat Albert traditionally starts off the show with a few passes that amaze crowds since a C-130 isn’t the sleekest of planes. It is mainly used for logistics and to carry crew and spare parts for the F/A-18 Hornets. It has an all-Marine crew of seven personnel. The current plane was just brought into use this year. In 2019, there were a total of eighteen Marines on the Fat Albert