Blue Angels - US NAVY Flight Demonstration Squadron History

After the end of the World War II the importance, the publicity and predominantly - the rating of US Navy became lower in the eyes of ordinary people who were used to read about the numerous victories of the Navy pilots. Because of that the US Navy Secretary James Forestal and the chief of US Navy Operations Admiral Chester Nimitz take decision to form the official US Navy aerobatic team which will carry on the traditions of before-WWII teams.

In the morning of April 24th, 1946, admiral Chester Nimitz sends directive to Vice-Admiral Frank Wagner, director of Naval Air Advanced Training Command (NAATC) in Pensacola, Florida, concerning the creation of an aerobatic team attached to the command.

The team is formed in the airbase in Jacksonville, Florida where are situated the NAATC's headquarters.

For the team's commander is selected the World War II instructor and ace (with eight air victories) Lieutenant Commander Roy "Butch" Voris. He has been given the task to select the rest of pilots and ground staff - everyone experienced since the WWII. The airplane of the team becomes Grumman F6F Hellcat - the main NAVY fighter during the World War II.

The pilots train twice a day and after a less than a month they are ready for their first flight show - on June 15th, 1946, in Jacksonville.

By that time the team consists of four planes Hellcat, one North American SNJ T-6 Texan (plane that at this time has been used for training and learning purposes) and one convoying plane Beechcraft JRB (SNB). The four Hellcats are painted in light blue and golden. On the bottom side of each wing with golden letters is spelled US NAVY, on the plane sides - NAVY and on the both sides of the tail - numbers from 1 to 4. The SNJ plane which impersonates the role of an enemy aircraft is painted in yellow with a large red circle from both sides (which shows its "Japanese" belonging) and a zero on its tail. The convoying plane Beechcraft JRB is painted in standard US Navy colors. It is used very short time and is replaced with R4D-5 Skytrain which has more carrying capacity.

The first shows of the US aerobatic team are not as those at the present time. Except for the standard for this kind of show figures of aerobatics in formation they perform something very interesting - assault of the Japanese air fighter on the American one, but this becomes a part of the show only since the end of July. The role of the Japanese fighter is performed by SNJ assaulting the main formation. In some of the first shows is used the PB-4Y airplane (B-24's modification with one vertical stabilizer) guarded by the main formation. The "Japanese" fighter attacks the main formation and after the series of figures reconstituting the real fight atmosphere it is "hit" and begins to release smoke for much more authenticity. After that the pilot who flies on the back seat in the SNJ releases the small parachute which imitates the pilot leaving the falling plane. The show lasts 17 minutes. The first team has 12 people ground staff, one commentator and one man who organize the show itself, as well as three representatives of Grumman.

Since the team still has not received the official name, the officer from the headquarters of the Navy proposes the name "Navy Blue Lancers" but it has not been accepted by the team members. Lieutenant Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll (team's right wing) suggests the name "Blue Angels" after he has seen in the New York magazine an advertisement for night club "Blue Angel". The rest of the team accepts the name and it becomes official.

The Blue Angels perform their last show with the Hellcats in the presence of Grumman representatives in Bathpage, New York.

On August 25th, 1946, the team moves on the Grumman F8F Bearcat airplanes. The main planes are already five - the plane number 5 is a solo pilot. During the moving of the new planes from company airport of Grumman in Bathpage which has been performed by the team pilots, while landing for refueling in Norfolk almost all the planes crush. Fortunately no one from the pilots has been injured. This happens due to oversight of the Grumman. The Blue Angels airplanes are specially modified for their needs, i. e., and their armaments has been removed. Grumman has forgot to restore the balance of the modified planes and, when the fuel is over, the plane becomes lighter and the lack of balance brings up the planes' instability. This leads to the crush of most of the planes.

Then the role of the "enemy" plane is performed by Bearcat which has been painted in the same colors as the SNJ plane and recieves nickname "Beetle Bomb".

The first tragedy for Blue Angels comes on September 29th, 1946. While performing the individual aerobatic figures with the Bearcat plane, Lieutenant Ross Robinson dies. Doing the looping he dangerously approaches ground, accelerates too hard, which causes the tearing of the halfwing. The plane becomes unsteerable and hits the ground.

In 1947 the commander of the team is Lieutenant Commander Robert Clarke which introduces for the first time the well-known diamond formation, the looping and tono in the same formation.

In 1949 the Blue Angels perform their first show with jet aircrafts Grumman F9F-2 Panther. The second solo pilot - number 6 - has been added to the team. On those planes the Blue Angels for the first time use blue and red smoke as a method to highlight the figures. The smoke is formed by the fuel released by the devices for forced fuel pumping situated on the ends of halfwings. The colorization is achieved by using the special colorize injected in flowing fuel.

On July 20th, 1950, the planes fly for the last time on the east coast in Jacksonville because of the order to bring the aircrafts on a war footing because of the beginning of the Korean War. The last show is on July 30th, 1950, in Dallas.

On August 7th-12th the Blue Angels use their planes to train at the airbase Moffett Field, California. After finishing that first stage, they transfer their Panthers in the Alameda airbase where the rearranging of the aircrafts for battles has been finished. On November 7th the Blue Angels have been transferred to the aircraft-carrier Princeton for combat training. On December 1st they officially turn on war establishment as a core of the fight squadron "Satan's Kittens" commanded by Lcdr. Johnny Magda who is a former commander of Blue Angels, too. The airplanes are painted in a standard US Navy colors. Lcdr. Johnny Magda is the only member of the Blue Angels who died during the Korean War. His plane was hit by the ground-air missile while doing the patrol flight.

On October 25, 1951, the Blue Angels have been formed again. Their commander becomes the first of the Blue Angels - Roy "Butch" Voris, who remains on command in 1952 when the team is moved to the new airbase at Corpus Cristy, Texas. The aircrafts are F9F-5 - a faster Panther modification. In 1952 the Blue Angels use two airplanes Vought F7U Cutlass painted in the team's colors but only for a very short time because they are too complicated for piloting and one of them looses the cover of its undercarriage during the flight. After that the plain does not fly as a part of the team anymore. The Cutlass aircrafts are used as a conveyers and do not take part in the demonstrations. In the same year Lockheed TV-2 Shooting Star, also painted in the team's colors, is given to the Blue Angels. It is used by the PR officer who by that time flies on F8F Bearcat. On the tail of this plane is placed number 0. In the Corpus Cristy airbase the plane remains till the winter of 1954.

In the beginning of 1954 the pilot of US Marine begins to fly with the Blue Angels. The same year the team receives special colored flying suites. By that time the Blue Angels begin to use Curtis R5C Commando as a cargo plane but find that it cannot cope with their needs. Soon Curtis R5C Commando is replaced with Douglas R4D-8 Super Skytrooper.

In the beginning of 1955 the Blue Angels are transferred to their present home - Sherman Field airbase, Pensacola, Florida - and begin to fly on Grumman F9F-8 Cougar, their first airplane with arrow-shaped wing. The aircraft on which flies the PR officer is Cougar but from its two-seats modification F9F-8T. It carries number 0 which is replaced later with number 7.

In 1956 the Blue Angels for a first time visit a foreign country (Canada).

In 1957 the team jumps to Grumman F11F-1 Tiger airplanes. Interesting is that the Blue Angels fly on two modifications of the Tiger. On the first one, which has a "short" nose, they fly the first three years and after a certain period of time they begin to use smoke generators on the end of exhaust pipe which release white smoke. After that they jump to the Tiger with a "long" nose. The reason for the difference between the two modifications is the different kind of radar used on the two machines. In second modification the releases of fuel is used again to make a smoke trail. After that the team returns to the usage of smoke generators which is the present way to make a smoke trails in the Blue Angels demonstrations.

In 1959 a decision is accepted according to which the cargo plane receives number 8. It is Douglas R5D Skymaster - the first cargo plane painted in the Blue Angels colors.

In 1961-1963 the Blue Angels make themselves masters of group landing of six planes in a Delta formation.

In July 1963 the team performs its show Nr. 1000 in California.

In the summer of 1965 the Blue Angels perform their first European tour which includes France, Great Britain, Finland, Denmark, Holland and Iceland.

The fatal accidents in 1966 in Toronto, Canada during the airshow and the two crashes during the training flights in 1957 put an end of usage of the Tigers in the Blue Angels.

In the middle of 1960s the Blue Angels begin to use Lockheed C121 Constellation for a cargo plane.

In the end of 1968 the team starts the exploration of its first two-engine aircraft McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II and begins to use it in the aerobatic shows in 1969. This puts an end of using the Grumman airplanes. An F-4H is added to the team as a plane for the PR officer. in the season 1969 for a first time a woman begins to serve at the team as an administrative officer.

In 1970 at the team arrives the new cargo plane KC-130F Hercules who soon after that receives the nickname "The Fat Albert" - the popular character from Bill Cossby's TV-show.

In October-November, 1971, the Blue Angels perform their first tour in Asia. They visit Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Philippines and Guam.

During the Vietnam War the Blue Angels are not disbanded but two team members die in the war. One of them is the former team commander - Commodore Harley Hall, who is brought down on January 27th, 1973, during the flight with F-4J from aircraft-carrier Enterprise above the North Vietnam. Harley Hall and the other member of the plane's crew eject successfully but their fate still remains unknown. Interesting is the fact that according to Commodore Hall's wife he had been captured by the Vietnamese authorities and shown as a spoil, i. e. as a Big Blue Angel, during the war parade in Hanoi. Vietnamese authorities knew him very well because he led the team during its Asian tour two years ago. Captain Hall is now officially knows as KIA (Killed In Action).

Another ex-member of the Blue Angels who died in the war is Lieutenant Clarence Tolbert, who was brought down on November 6th, 1972, above the Vietnamese coast. He flew on the A-7B Corsair from the Midway aircraft-carrier. Tolbert eject successfully but his parachute did not open and he died.

Another three fatal accidents - in 1972 and 1973 - form the Blue Angels decision to abandon their present airplane. After these crashes some people insist that the team must be disbanded. Fortunately the common sense prevails and the Blue Angels continue to delight people with their incredible mastery. There are some proposals the team to begin to use F-14 Tomcat airplane but it proves to be too complicated for technical support and maintenance, too expensive for exploitation and not that kind of safe machine which the team needs at all.

In 1974 the Blue Angels receive the status of official flight demonstration squadron of US Navy and begin to fly on McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II. The plane Nr. 7 is TA-4 Skyhawk.

On October 8th, 1977, the Blue Angels perform their flight show number 2000 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Two more fatal accidents (one in 1978 and another in 1985 in which during the airshow above the Niagara waterfall, New York, two of the planes run into one another and one of the pilots, Lieutenant Commodore Michael Gershon, dies) make the team think over the change of aircrafts used, as if it is the only guilt for those crashes.

On November 8th, 1986, the Blue Angels celebrate their 40th anniversary. During the ceremony goes the presentation of the new squadron's airplane - MDD F/A-18 Hornet. To the team are added two more two-seated F/A-18B with numbers 7 and 8. In this year for a first time black man serves at the squadron.

On September 7th, 1990, the Blue Angels perform their flight show number 3000.

In 1992 the Blue Angels visit the ex-enemy number one - Russia, when they met "Strizhi", the aerobatics squadron of the Russian air forces which uses MiG-29.

On Thursday, October 28th, 1999, an accident takes the lives of two members of the Blue Angels. During the training flight while approaching the ground for landing F/A-18B number 7 crashes in the yard of a farm near Moody airbase, California, when the team will do the show during the weekend. One of the pilots was a member of the team since one year and the other one - since one month. Show was postponed because of the deaths of the pilots.

In the same year the pilot Nr. 3 from US Marine quits the squadron because of his relationship with the woman - PR-officer. He is replaced by last year's number 4 who was called up from the combat unit where he served till the end of present show season. Thereby the Blue Angels finish the season without a pilot from US Marine.

On 21 april 2007, #6 solo pilot Lt. Cmdr. Kevin J. Davis died during an airshow at Beaufort. The crash happened as the team was performing its final maneuver of the show. The team's six pilots were joining from behind the crowd of thousands to form a delta formation, but Davis jet did not join. Moments later, his jet crashed just outside Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, hitting homes in a neighborhood about 35 miles northwest of Hilton Head Island. The cause of the crash is pilot mistake. Davis push the stick too hard and goes to high G. Blue Angels don't carry G-suits and he lose vision. On the videos is visible that he gives more angle of roll, and when he push the pitch, plane goes right to the ground. (This is our opinion, but looks like official report gives the same result). Eight people on the ground were injured, and some homes were damaged. His parents were in the crowd. Davis, a decorated pilot who joined the Blue Angels in 2005, had previously served as an announcer for the airshows. He also handled celebrity flights, and flew with stars such as Kelly Clarkson, actor James Franco and University of Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops.