Blue Angels

Blue Angels U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron
The Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets fly in a tight diamond formation, maintaining 18-inch wing tip to canopy separation.
Active	24 April 1946 – present
Country	United States
Branch	United States Navy United States Marine Corps
Role	Aerobatic flight demonstration team
Size	16 officers, 110 enlisted
Garrison/HQ	NAS Pensacola NAF El Centro (Winter Airfield)
Colors	"Blue Angel" blue "Insignia" yellow
Website	blueangels.navy.mil
Commanders
Current commander	Cmdr. Ryan Bernacchi
Insignia
Identification symbol
Aircraft flown
Fighter	3 – McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A Hornets (single seat) 1 – McDonnell Douglas F/A-18B Hornets (two seat) 10 – McDonnell Douglas F/A-18C Hornets (single seat) 2 – McDonnell Douglas F/A-18D Hornets (two seat) *Note – Only 7 F/A-18C/D Hornets are used during a demo.
Transport	1 – C-130T Hercules

The Blue Angels is the United States Navy's flight demonstration squadron, with aviators from the Navy and Marines. The Blue Angels team was formed in 1946, making it the second oldest formal flying aerobatic team (under the same name) in the world, after the French Patrouille de France formed in 1931. The Blue Angels' six demonstration pilots currently fly the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, typically in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in their aerial displays in their inaugural 1946 season. An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each full year. The Blue Angels also visit more than 50,000 people in a standard show season (March through November) in schools and hospitals. Since 1946, the Blue Angels have flown for more than 260 million spectators.

On 1 March 2013 the U.S. Navy announced that due to sequestration actions aerial demonstration team performances including that of the Blue Angels would cease from 1 April 2013. In October 2013, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, stating that "community and public outreach is a crucial Departmental activity", announced that the Blue Angels (along with the U.S. Air Force's Thunderbirds) would resume appearing at air shows starting in 2014, although the number of flyovers will continue to be severely reduced.

The mission of the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is "to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach."

The Blue Angels' show season runs each year from March until November. They perform at both military and civilian airfields, and often perform directly over major cities such as San Francisco's "Fleet Week" maritime festival, Cleveland's annual Labor Day Air Show, the Chicago Air and Water Show, Jacksonville's Sea and Sky Spectacular, Milwaukee Air and Water Show, and Seattle's annual Seafair festival.