Few aircraft can captivate an audience the way the U.S. Navy Blue Angels do. Their engines roar to life and turn heads toward the sky, accomplishing exactly what the elite demonstration team was designed to do: showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps with incredible flight demonstrations and community outreach.
Fans world-over will recognize the signature blue and gold jets streaking through the skies, most recently in nationwide-hospital flyovers to honor the work of first responders and medical personnel fighting the COVID-19 public health emergency.
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| Photo Courtesy Chicago Sun Times |
But the F-18 Hornet isn’t the only marvel on display. The Blue Angels team is a high-functioning machine in itself. The Blue Angels pilots often get most of the attention, but did you know there is a team of approximately 100 military and civilian personnel working on the ground to keep this fleet airworthy?
Here’s a look at what it takes to be a Blue Angels maintenance and support specialist.
The Team Behind the Scenes
These aircraft command a lot of attention in the skies and on the ground. There are about 100 men and women of the Navy and Marines who serve on the Blue Angels' enlisted maintenance and support team. Each maintainer brings specialized job qualities to the team, but works above and beyond their specialty to keep the aircraft operational. According to a 2016 Facebook post, “every single person on the team is cross-trained to be able to support maintenance actions on the flight line”.
Unlike civilian flights, in which the pilots are responsible for determining their aircraft’s airworthiness, the Blue Angels pilots rely on the work of the men and women who fix and prepare the jets for flight. Maintainers are responsible for keeping the aircraft clean and operational for every air show.
Two crew chiefs are assigned to each aircraft, each alternates attending air shows. Crew chiefs are in charge of ensuring all of the functional checks with the jet are completed successfully before the pilot flies.
Get a look at them in action here as the pilots are strapped in, briefed and motivated by their respective crew chiefs:
Alternating crews of about 45 team members travel to each show site with the Blue Angels Officers to ensure the signature blue and gold jets are flying smoothly. Almost forty support personnel will travel to an airfield several days ahead of the demonstration team to prepare the airport for a show. They prepare ground equipment, hangar space and ensure the jets are show-ready once they arrive.
In a true testament to their work, the Blue Angels have never canceled an air show due to a maintenance problem, speaking monumentally to the overall effectiveness of the ground team.
How To Become a Member of the Blue Angels Maintenance and Support Team
With a team so elite, it should come as no surprise that the selection process is rigorous. Securing any role on the Blue Angels team is incredibly competitive.
For starters, career-oriented enlisted Sailors and Marine applicants must come recommended for Blue Angel duty by their current commanding officer. They go through extensive screening to ensure they reflect the professionalism of today’s Sailors and Marines, a core responsibility of all Blue Angels team members. Screening includes interviewing with members of each of the 15 squadron work centers.
When selected, personnel on the Enlisted Team volunteer for a three-year tour with the squadron. When this tour is complete, they will return to the fleet to continue their naval careers.
More Than a Demonstration
The Blue Angels are an impressive fleet to see in action - the pilots’ demonstration of skill and the sheer power of the jet engines is enough to (quite literally) blow you away. But if there’s anything we’ve learned from the Enlisted Team, it’s that these jets are only as impressive as the people and parts that support them.
“The pilots of the Navy’s elite Flight Demonstration Squadron are the first to say that the F/A-18 Hornet jets they fly really belong to the mechanics and technicians who keep them operational each day,” according to an AvGeekery article.
The maintainers really do take pride in calling these planes their own, and accordingly they clean and maintain the jets with the best parts and materials. Their success relies on the Blue Angels supply team, countless commercial suppliers and their integral naval training.
Most importantly, their work reflects that of all the men and women serving in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps today. Their attention to detail and rigorous work-ethic is a testament to the military’s excellence, and their seamless coordination with different departments is the truest demonstration of the Blue Angels’ excellence.
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