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Blue Angels dazzle spectators at Scott

  • Published
  • By Bekah Clark
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  The U.S. Navy played an integral role in the 2010 Airpower Over the Midwest air show held at Scott last weekend.

The air show was Scott's premier event of the year and also served as a culmination of the Navy Week St. Louis which was held from Sept. 2-12.

As the last act of the air show each day, the Blue Angels wowed the crowd with thundering, seemingly gravity defying choreographed maneuvers.

Fat Albert, the C-130 Hercules that travels with the Blue Angels team carrying equipment and support staff and manned by an entirely Marine aircrew, kicked off each of the Blue Angels' performances.

Each of their approximately 45-minute long performances included a four-jet Diamond Formation, in concert with the fast-paced, high-performance maneuvers of its two Solo pilots as well as multiple other graceful aerobatic maneuvers. The performance ended with the team illustrating the pinnacle of precision flying, performing maneuvers locked as a unit in the renowned, six-jet Delta Formation.

"The Blue Angels were beyond words. Great show -- magnificent," said Mary Donahue, who attended the air show.

Kathy Siddens, who also attended the air show, said that the Blue Angels are amazing. "I think the grownups like the show more than the kids."

While the flying is certainly fun, admitted Navy Capt. Greg McWherter, the flight leader and commanding officer for the Blue Angels, the true purpose of the Blue Angels is to help educate the public about airpower, he said.

"Our job is serve as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, as well as to demonstrate the strength of airpower," he said. "The flying is great, but the jets are used to get the attention of the public so we can educate them on what the U.S. Navy does and our role in current operations."

The first member of the team Blue Angel No. 7 arrived Sept. 8 to provide rides to key influencers in the area, including two community leaders Farrell Shelton, Eureka High School head football coach, and Mark Sutherland, an author and Monsanto's lead communicator, as well as one member of the media, Larry Conners, a KMOV Channel 4 news anchor.

The remainder of the team arrived Sept. 9 and performed a practice run of the show that same day.

The Blue Angels were accompanied by multiple displays from the U.S. Navy, such as the Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal diver tank and a recruiting booth.

The team is stationed at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla., during the show season. However, the squadron spends January through March training pilots and new team members at Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif.

The Blue Angels were scheduled to fly 68 air shows at 35 air show sites in the United States during the 2010 season, as the team celebrates their 23rd year of flying the F/A-18 Hornet.

Last season, more than 8 million spectators watched the Blue Angels perform. Since its inception in 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 463 million fans.