page_title: Blue Angels
section_title: Air show routine
hierarchical_section_title: Blue Angels / Air show routine
caption_attribution_description: Solo aircraft assigned to the U.S. Navy's Flight Demonstration Team, "Blue Angels", perform the slowest maneuver in their show, the "Section High Alpha." During the maneuver the two jets slow down to 125 knots as they pitch the nose of the F/A-18 Hornet up to 45 degrees.
context_page_description: The Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron was formed in 1946 by the United States Navy. The unit is the second oldest formal aerobatic team in the world, after the French Patrouille de France formed in 1931. The Blue Angels' McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets are currently flown by five Navy demonstration pilots and one Marine Corps demonstration pilot.
  The Blue Angels typically perform aerial displays annually in at least 60 shows at 30 locations throughout the United States and two shows at one location in Canada. The "Blues" still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in the inaugural 1946 season. An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows from March through November each year. Members of the Blue Angels team also visit more than 50,000 people in schools, hospitals, and community functions at air show cities. Since 1946, the Blue Angels have flown for more than 505 million spectators.
  As of November 2011, the Blue Angels received $37 million annually out of the annual DoD budget.
context_section_description: This Blue Angels show routine was used in 2017.
  Fat Albert (C-130)—high-performance takeoff (Low Transition)
  Fat Albert—Parade Pass (The plane banks around the front of the crowd.)
  Fat Albert—Flat Pass
  Fat Albert—Head on Pass
  Fat Albert—Short-Field Assault Landing
  FA-18 Engine Start-Up and Taxi Out
  Diamond Takeoff—either a low transition with turn, a loop on takeoff, a Half Cuban Eight takeoff, or a Half Squirrel Cage
  Solos Take Off—No. 5 Dirty Roll on Takeoff; No. 6 Low Transition to High Performance Climb
  Diamond 360—Aircraft 1, 2, 3 and 4 in their signature 18-inch wingtip-to-canopy diamond formation
  Opposing Knife Edge Pass
  Diamond Roll—entire diamond formation rolls as a single entity
  Opposing Inverted to Inverted Rolls
  Diamond Aileron Roll—all four diamond jets perform simultaneous aileron rolls
  Fortus—Solos flying in carrier landing configuration with No. 5 inverted, establishing a "mirror image" effect
  Diamond Dirty Loop—the diamond flies a loop with all four jets in carrier landing configuration
  Minimum Radius Turn—highest G maneuver (No. 5 flies a "horizontal loop" pulling seven Gs to maintain a tight radius.)
  Double Farvel—diamond formation flat pass with No. 1 and No. 4 inverted
  Opposing Minimum Radius Turn
  Echelon Parade
  Opposing Horizontal Rolls
  Left Echelon Roll—a roll into the Echelon, which is somewhat difficult for the outside aircraft
  Sneak Pass—the fastest speed of the show, just under Mach 1 (about 700 mph at sea level) Video
  Line-Abreast Loop—the most difficult formation maneuver to do well (No. 5 joins the diamond as the five jets fly a loop in a straight line.)
  Opposing Four Point Hesitation Roll
  Vertical Break
  Opposing Vertical Pitch
  Barrel Roll Break
  Tuck Over Roll
  Low Break Cross
  Section High-Alpha Pass: (tail sitting), the show's slowest maneuver
  Diamond Burner 270
  Delta Roll
  Fleur de Lis
  Solos Pass to Rejoin, Diamond flies a loop
  Loop Break Cross—Delta Break (After the break the aircraft separate in six different directions, perform half Cuban Eights then cross in the center of the performance area.)
  Delta Breakout
  Delta Pitch Up Carrier Break to Land
caption: "Section High Alpha", the slowest maneuver of the show. Two hornets slow down to 125 knots (232 km/h) as they pitch up together to 45 degrees.
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