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Blue Angels Continue 2009 Show Schedule Demonstration sites are selected in support of U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and Department of Defense objectives with safety as a primary consideration. Performances greatly assist in the recruiting and retention goals of the military services, enhance esprit de corps among uniformed men and women, and demonstrate the professional skills and capabilities of the Naval Services to the American public and U.S. Allies. Members of the 2009 season U.S. Navy Blue Angels Team:
Remainder of the Blue Angels 2009 schedule: [June]
[July]
[August]
[September]
[October]
[November]
Contact:
History of the Blue Angels At the end of World War II, Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team to showcase naval aviation. The team performed its first flight demonstration less than a year later, June 1946. Flight Leader, Lt. Cmdr. Roy "Butch" Voris led the team flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat at Craig Field, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida. The Navy Flight Demonstration Team transitioned to the Grumman F8F Bearcat, August 25, two months after the first demonstration. In 1947 Flight Leader, Lt. Cmdr. Robert Clarke, introduced the famous diamond formation, now considered the Blue Angel trademark. At the end of the 1940s, the Blue Angel Team was flying its first jet aircraft, the Grumman F9F-2 Panther. In 1950, the Korean Conflict put a great demand on naval aviation. The Navy responded by reassigning the Blue Angels to the aircraft carrier USS Princeton (CV-37), where the Blue Angels became the nucleus of Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191), known as Satan's Kittens. The Blues were reorganized in 1951 and reported to NAS Corpus Christi, Texas where the team began flying the F9F-5, the faster version of the Panther. The team remained in Corpus Christi until the winter of 1954. The beginning of 1955 brought the team to its present home, Sherman Field, NAS Pensacola, Florida where it transitioned to flying the swept-wing Grumman F9F-8 Cougar. The ensuing 20 years saw the Blue Angels transition into two more aircraft. In 1957 the team began flying the Grumman F11F-1 Tiger. By 1969 the team was performing in its first dual-engine jet, the McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II. In December 1974, the Blue Angel Team reorganized as the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron establishing Cmdr. Tony Less as the commanding officer. The squadron added support officers and redefined its mission to support Navy recruiting. The Blue Angel Squadron also donned a new aircraft in 1974, the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II. On November 8, 1986, the Blue Angels completed their 40th anniversary. During the ceremony the squadron unveiled its present aircraft, the sleek McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet. The Hornet is the first dual-role fighter/attack aircraft serving on the nation's front lines of defense. In 1992 the Blue Angel Squadron
deployed for its first European tour in 19 years. Over one million people
in Sweden, Finland, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, the United Kingdom
and Spain saw the Blue Angels perform during their 30-day tour. In November
1998, Cmdr. Patrick Driscoll landed the first "blue Jet" on a "haze gray
and underway" aircraft carrier, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75).
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