Blue Angels
Blue Angels
The mission of the Blue Angels is to enhance Navy recruiting and credibly represent Navy and Marine Corps aviation to the United States and to its Armed Forces to America and other countries as international ambassadors of good will.
Established by the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, on April 24, 1946, the Blue Angels got their name during a trip to New York by the original team in 1946. One of the members ran across the name of the city's famous Blue Angel nightclub in New Yorker's Magazine. Their first air show was on June 15, 1946 at Craig Field, Jacksonville, Florida.
Each year, an estimated 15 million people see the squadron during air shows. In addition, the Blue Angels visit over 50,000 people a show season (March - November) at school and hospital visits.
To become a Blue Angel demonstration pilot, each applicant must be career-oriented, career-qualified, active-duty Navy or Marine Corps tactical jet pilot with a minimum of 1,350 flight hours. The average age of a Blue Angel pilot is 32 years old.
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