The Blue Angels is the United States Navy's flight demonstration squadron. It was formed in 1946, making it the second oldest formal flying aerobatic team (flying under the same name) in the world, after the French Patrouille de France formed in 1931. The Blue Angels' six demonstration pilots fly the F/A-18 Hornet in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in their aerial displays in 1946. An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each year. The Blue Angels also visit more than 50,000 people a show season (March through November) in schools and hospitals. Since 1946, the Blue Angels have flown for more than 260 million spectators.
Read more about Blue Angels: Mission, Air Show Overview, Origin of Squadron Name, Insignia and Paint Scheme, Current Aircraft, Team Members, Training and Weekly Routine, Aircraft Timeline, Show Routine, Accidents, In The Media, Notable Alumni, Budget
Famous quotes containing the words blue and/or angels:
“How prone poor Humanity is to dam up the minutest remnants of its freedom, and build an artificial roof to prevent it looking up to the clear blue sky.”
—E.T.A.W. (Ernst Theodor Amadeus Wilhelm)
“What angels invented these splendid ornaments, these rich conveniences, this ocean of air above, this ocean of water beneath, this firmament of earth between? this zodiac of lights, this tent of dropping clouds, this striped coat of climates, this fourfold year?”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)