Blake Hall
The blog Foxtrot Alpha interviewed a former Blue Angel, Commander Shaun “Linus” Swartz, and published an extremely in-depth, insightful piece called Confessions of a Blue Angel.
Here are a bunch of highlights from the piece and a few facts you might not have known about the United States Navy’s legendary flight demonstration squadron.
When the Blue Angels were founded in 1946, one of the original requirements was that all members had to be bachelors.
The Blue Angels were named after a bar in New York City.
The procedure in actually becoming a Blue Angel is very similar to a fraternity rush at a college or university. If you make it through a bunch of initial cuts, you then need to endure and pass a grueling one-on-16. A unanimous 16-0 vote is needed from the incumbent Blue Angel officers in order to be officially accepted.
A Blue Angel who just made the team is called a “Newbie”. One of the most difficult parts of being a “Newbie” is adjusting to the uniformity of everything. When making a public appearance (away from the jet and on the ground) all of the Angels have to mimic the “Boss” — the leader of the squadron. If the Boss has a jacket on, everyone must have their jacket on. Sunglasses off. Sunglasses on. It all has to be mirrored. If you don’t follow along, it costs you. All discrepancies are $5.
All of the Blue Angel jets can be combat ready in less than 72 hours.
In the flight show, during a maneuver called “Diamond 360”, the jets fly just 18 inches from each other.
The Blue Angels fly an average of 70 shows a year in over 30 different locations. According to Swartz, the Chicago airshow is not only the premiere show of the year, but it’s also the most demanding technically.