Official Website of Pascal Coquille French Photographer · © 2009
The U. S. Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron
The Blue Angels’ mission is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts and to represent the naval service to the United States, its elected leadership and foreign nations. The Blue Angels serve as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors for the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps.
A Blue Angels flight demonstration exhibits choreographed refinements of skills possessed by all naval aviators. The Blue Angels’ C-130, affectionately known as Fat Albert, begins each demonstration by exhibiting its maximum performance capabilities during a ten-minute performance. Shortly thereafter, you will see the graceful aerobatic maneuvers of the four-jet Diamond Formation, in concert with the fast-paced, high-performance maneuvers of its two Solo pilots. Finally, the team illustrates the pinnacle of precision flying, performing maneuvers locked as a unit in the renowned, six-jet Delta Formation.
The team is stationed at Forrest Sherman Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, during the show season. However, the squadron spends January through March training pilots and new team members at Naval Air Facility El Centro, California.
The Blue Angels are scheduled to fly 68 air shows at 35 air show sites in the United States during the 2010 season, as the team celebrates our 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.
Prime contractor: Boeing
Principal contractor (airframe): Northrop Corporation
Powerplant: Two General Electric F404-GE-400 low-bypass, turbofan engines; each in the 16K-pound thrust class
Radar: Hughes APG-65 with long-range detection in both head-on and tail-on aspects
Length: 56 feet
Height: 15.3 feet
Wingspan: 40.4 feet (with missiles)
Wing area: 400 square feet
Speed: Mach 1.7+ (1,200 mph)
First flight: November 1978
Amy joined the Blue Angels in September 2008. She has accumulated more than 1,600 flight hours and 220 carrier arrested landings. Her personal decorations include two Strike Flight Air Medals, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and various personal and unit awards.
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