蔚蓝天使 The Blue Angels(2024)(EN)Subtitles
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1 00:00:47 The Blue Angel Creed!
2 00:00:50 As a Blue Angel,
3 00:00:52 I will dedicate all my efforts to pride,professionalism and perfection.
4 00:00:57 I will strive to honor the crest I earnedand the flag I wear,
5 00:01:02 but I will never forget from where I came.
6 00:01:05 Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel.
7 00:01:49 First daythat I drove up to the hangar
8 00:01:52 in El Centro and,
9 00:01:54 you know, saw my name on a parking sign,
10 00:01:55 saw my name on the door,saw my name on the side of a jet already,
11 00:01:58 and it was like, "Man, this is...this is real."
12 00:02:10 I havethe blessing, the privilege,
13 00:02:12 the honor to be
14 00:02:13 boss of the Blue Angels right now,and I've been so for a couple years.
15 00:02:18 But this is my last year.
16 00:02:22 Had a chance to be partof seven deployments,
17 00:02:24 served in a lot of different conflictsaround the world throughout the years.
18 00:02:27 And... and naval aviation was a homeand was something that
19 00:02:30 I feel like I was meant to do.
20 00:02:36 It was something thatI wanted to do since I was a kid.
21 00:02:38 Something that I never thoughtwas actually gonna happen.
22 00:02:44 Every year, about a thirdof the entire squadron
23 00:02:47 rotates back to the fleet.
24 00:02:48 The challenge for every bossis to get the newbies,
25 00:02:51 their replacements,up to speed for the coming season
26 00:02:55 and integrated intothe Blue Angel way of life.
27 00:02:59 All these thoughtswere going through my mind, like,
28 00:03:01 "Oh, man, you know,it's just... I don't...
29 00:03:04 I don't know what I'm doing.Do I even belong here?"
30 00:03:08 But this is it. This is who I amfor the next two years,
31 00:03:11 and this is my job for the next two years.
32 00:03:14 I am now a Blue Angel.
33 00:04:54 All right, welcome back, everybody. Evan.
34 00:04:56 Yes, Boss, we'll debriefour practice over El Centro.
35 00:04:57 - Fired up, ready to go.- All right.
36 00:04:59 I'll take a safety for rolling upto low brake cross at 450.
37 00:05:03 Pay Doc ten dollarsfor a zipper and a collar.
38 00:05:05 I'll fix it all. I'm glad to be here.
39 00:05:06 - Cheese.Yes, sir, Boss.
40 00:05:08 I'll have it for safety, though,but underline deep sag on the fan rollout.
41 00:05:13 Naval aviation is somethingI fully dedicate myself,
42 00:05:16 and I can look back in 20 years
43 00:05:17 and say I gave every fiber of my beingto getting better at it.
44 00:05:21 But you come to the Blue Angels,
45 00:05:23 and that really happensin that first season
46 00:05:25 where you're tryingto figure this thing out.
47 00:05:28 That can be scary.
48 00:05:30 I'll fix it all.I'm glad to be here, Boss.
49 00:05:31 - All right, Whiskers.Yes, sir,
50 00:05:32 I'll take safeties for being 296 knotsout of the PUB.
51 00:05:34 Pay Doc five dollars for pregame jitters.
52 00:05:37 I'll fix it all. I'm glad to be here,Boss.
53 00:05:38 - Day taps, Boss.Good jet.
54 00:05:40 Good jet.
55 00:05:42 All right, roll it!
56 00:05:44 There's a crucibleyou have to go through together.
57 00:05:54 It has to be six pilotstotally synced up, flying as one.
58 00:05:58 - Go! Let's go!
59 00:06:00 You are clearto taxi via runway two-four-A.
60 00:06:05 How's it going?
61 00:06:11 And it can be frustrating at timesto train brand-new guys from the fleet.
62 00:06:19 One of the first things we go out and dois just do basic turns.
63 00:06:22 We turn left, we turn right.
64 00:06:24 Three, two, nine, seven, four...
65 00:06:28 And just do thatover and over again,
66 00:06:31 because if you don't have the rightfoundation, it's just not gonna work.
67 00:06:45 Rip it.
68 00:06:51 As the boss,you're the flight leader.
69 00:06:52 You're the conductor.
70 00:06:54 You're the lead goosein the formation, right?
71 00:06:59 Ready? Hit it.
72 00:07:03 These jets are max performing.
73 00:07:08 At low altitudes, at high air speeds,in close proximity to other aircraft.
74 00:07:13 I have to be steady at the helm,as they say.
75 00:07:16 Ease in the power.
76 00:07:22 Chomps flies in the four position.
77 00:07:25 He's back there watchingand making sure that we're good.
78 00:07:30 The number fourpilot for the Blue Angels.
79 00:07:33 It's the best seat in the house.
80 00:07:36 You can see everything.You can see what Boss is doing.
81 00:07:38 You can see whatall the wingmen are doing.
82 00:07:42 And you're kind ofthe airborne safety observer
83 00:07:44 because you havethat best seat in the house.
84 00:07:48 Yes.
85 00:07:50 As the flight surgeon on the team,
86 00:07:52 you're also the leadground safety officer.
87 00:07:55 - Okay, rolling.- Okay, rolling.
88 00:07:57 I study the demoinside and out for every position.
89 00:08:04 I know where they should be at all times:their altitude, their air speeds.
90 00:08:11 With two brand-new pilotson the team this year,
91 00:08:15 I am constantly watching them.
92 00:08:23 Chewy, you kind of start a little flat,and you're trying to hold it in there,
93 00:08:25 and Jamammy actually goes deep.
94 00:08:27 Is that kind of what you're seeing?
95 00:08:29 Cheese and Iare 100% the newbies.
96 00:08:32 Steep learning curve, for sure.
97 00:08:34 Just feel deflated
98 00:08:36 and like you're the worst pilot ever.
99 00:08:37 How did I get here?
100 00:08:39 It just rippled through the formation.
101 00:08:40 So, like, Jamammy was first,I was second, then Cheese was third,
102 00:08:43 and just, like, the whole formationshifted, then had to shift back into set.
103 00:08:48 So, this year, we've hada new two pilot, a new three pilot,
104 00:08:52 I'm filling a new role as the slot pilot,
105 00:08:53 a new six pilot in the demo,
106 00:08:56 and then our number five pilot,he was out half the year last year,
107 00:08:59 not flying in the demo,so we're getting him
108 00:09:01 learning how to fly in formation again.
109 00:09:05 We're bringing five new peopleinto this formation and making one demo.
110 00:09:15 Good work. See you in a little bit.
111 00:09:17 - Yeah.- Whoo!
112 00:09:23 It's one team, six jets.
113 00:09:26 We all do somethinga little bit different.
114 00:09:28 We'll start the show with four jets,
115 00:09:30 the Diamond takeoff maneuver.
116 00:09:35 And then you'll have the twosolo individual takeoff maneuvers.
117 00:09:49 Generally, our maneuvers alternatebetween Diamond and solos.
118 00:09:55 And by the end of the show, we'll getthe Delta together, all six jets.
119 00:10:01 The Delta Formation is the signatureformation of the Blue Angels.
120 00:10:09 Early on in winter training,both Chomps and I
121 00:10:11 are heads on a swivel, making sureour new guys are learning that
122 00:10:15 we've got enough spaceto get out of the way.
123 00:10:20 Cheese is a guy who's an aggressive guy.
124 00:10:22 If you're riding a horse,you got to pull back on the reins.
125 00:10:24 He's a little more pull-back-on-the-reinstype of guy.
126 00:10:29 We had to use a term called"knock it off" a couple times,
127 00:10:31 meaning we're stopping right now.
128 00:10:33 Cheese was bringing ina whole bag of knots.
129 00:10:35 Coming in way too hot.
130 00:10:38 I'm looking over my shoulder going,"This ain't gonna work."
131 00:10:44 Three spot'sincredibly challenging.
132 00:10:46 A big departure from what you doin terms of fleet flying.
133 00:10:50 You're also on kind ofthe more difficult side of the formation.
134 00:10:53 We're all very used to looking leftwhen we fly,
135 00:10:56 which is what Cheese gets to doin the two spot.
136 00:10:58 On the left side, in that three spot,you're looking right the whole time.
137 00:11:01 All your controls areright in front of you or to the left.
138 00:11:05 And it's just sort ofan unnatural position to be in.
139 00:11:12 The very first time the Diamondwas practicing the Vertical Break...
140 00:11:19 ...Jamammy went the wrong way.
141 00:11:30 You think to yourself,okay, as a safety officer,
142 00:11:33 is he safe? Number one.
143 00:11:35 Two, do I speak up and get in his cockpit,or do I stay silent right now
144 00:11:39 and watch what he does to recover?
145 00:11:46 You have to make that decision,and I decided:
146 00:11:49 Remain quiet. This is his first time.
147 00:11:51 He looks safe.
148 00:11:53 He may be goingthe wrong direction. [laughs]
149 00:11:55 It's not funny, but it doesn't look likehe's gonna hit anybody else.
150 00:12:00 Kind of scared us.
151 00:12:02 It was like, how is he gonnarespond to this, right?
152 00:12:05 Did he rattle himself to the pointwhere he's not able to compartmentalize,
153 00:12:09 put that one in the past?
154 00:12:16 Two flat on the in.Little mismatch, break the seal.
155 00:12:18 Apex ten left, two wideand five tight in the up.
156 00:12:22 Vertical up was three left.
157 00:12:24 It's an incredible amount of stressgoing in on the newbies.
158 00:12:29 You're constantly being toldwhat you did wrong.
159 00:12:31 So, Cheese, we actually overbanked,it looked like.
160 00:12:34 Did you feel good about that one today?
161 00:12:35 Cheese, see how tight you look there?
162 00:12:36 - And, Cheese, you justdrifted forward again.
163 00:12:38 All of us are way fast,and we're all idle/boards
164 00:12:40 trying to control everythingin close here.
165 00:12:43 Everyone comes into this teama relatively accomplished pilot, thinking,
166 00:12:47 "I feel comfortable flying an F-18,
167 00:12:49 I feel... I feel pretty goodabout my abilities as a pilot,"
168 00:12:52 but this place is the...it's the great equalizer.
169 00:12:58 Time away from family is...
170 00:12:59 is the most difficult partof being on this team.
171 00:13:02 Work in El Centrofor three months in a cocoon.
172 00:13:06 Which we need to be--you need that kind of safe place
173 00:13:08 to get it to a point wherewe can take it on the road.
174 00:13:13 But it's just such a grind.
175 00:13:15 It's monotonous. It's Groundhog Day.
176 00:13:18 You're waking up in the desertevery day in the dark,
177 00:13:21 going to work in the dark.
178 00:13:25 Flying two or three times every day.
179 00:13:30 Going home in the dark,
180 00:13:32 and then you're studyingfor your flight the next day.
181 00:13:37 I'm not the mostacademically sound person,
182 00:13:39 and it's a struggle.
183 00:13:43 So, flying two to three times a day,that's what you need.
184 00:13:46 I absolutely needed it.
185 00:13:50 This is how I typically do it.
186 00:13:52 Bring it inboard a little bit,
187 00:13:54 and I'll extend a little bit here,and then that'll make
188 00:13:56 the arc feel more normalas we come in here.
189 00:13:58 - Yes, sir, Boss.- Questions?
190 00:14:00 - None.- All right, fired up, ready to go.
191 00:14:01 Fired up, ready to go, Boss.
192 00:14:05 We're all responsible for our liveswith... in no uncertain terms.
193 00:14:10 Everybody's lives are ineach other's hands,
194 00:14:12 that they're not going to do somethingthat we don't expect.
195 00:14:19 It's an unforgiving business.
196 00:14:21 Rip it.
197 00:14:32 Great job today.
198 00:14:33 Thanks, Boss. It was amazing.See you back at the ranch.
199 00:14:36 You got it, Mo.
200 00:14:41 You walk down the hallsin El Centro, and you see
201 00:14:44 all the faces that have made upthe past of this organization.
202 00:14:47 Legendary figures who you hear about,
203 00:14:49 you hear whispers aboutthroughout the fleet.
204 00:14:52 Boss Wooldridge--he's one of the first people
205 00:14:54 I met after I made the team.
206 00:14:57 He's a legend.
207 00:14:59 One ofthe unique things about him is
208 00:15:01 he got called back
209 00:15:02 to be the boss of the Blue Angelsthree total times.
210 00:15:04 He's the only guythat's done it three times.
211 00:15:09 He has spent so much time.
212 00:15:10 He's intimately familiarwith what goes on.
213 00:15:14 When I cameto the Blue Angels, I was amazed
214 00:15:17 at how close the formations wereand-and the maneuvers.
215 00:15:22 How can you do that?
216 00:15:25 But as Vince Lombardi said,
217 00:15:27 we're gonna go out there today,and we're gonna "chase perfection."
218 00:15:31 We'll never get perfection,but along the way,
219 00:15:34 we're going to realize excellence.
220 00:15:36 ...accelerate to300 miles per hour.
221 00:15:39 The markers towardgetting to excellence
222 00:15:41 is when you're able to, as a formation,
223 00:15:43 feel like you can move it in closer.
224 00:15:48 We define our seasonby what we call our sets,
225 00:15:50 which is how close we fly together.
226 00:15:55 At the beginning of the season,we'll start in our furthest-out set,
227 00:15:58 which we call the Fleet Parade.
228 00:15:59 As close as you would ever flyin the Navy.
229 00:16:02 And then as we start to progress,
230 00:16:04 we'll start to bring those sets ina little bit tighter to Blue Gold.
231 00:16:08 When we say Blue Gold set,
232 00:16:10 it's where the line of the blue paint
233 00:16:12 and the gold paint actually meet.
234 00:16:15 That's where Jamammy's gonnaput in his head, is underneath that.
235 00:16:20 And that's about 18 inches apart.
236 00:16:22 If you raise your handsabove your head,
237 00:16:24 it'd be from the top of your fingertipsto your top of your head
238 00:16:27 is 18 inches away from each other.
239 00:16:29 22-ton jets,
240 00:16:31 400 miles an hour.
241 00:16:35 The next step would beour closest set, which is Yankee,
242 00:16:38 meaning that he'sgoing to put his aircraft
243 00:16:40 underneath the "Y" on my left wing.
244 00:16:42 So, Jamammy, he's actually gonnaslide up underneath like that.
245 00:16:47 That creates that parallax that we're allin that perfect Diamond Formation
246 00:16:50 and almost have our wingtips overlapping.
247 00:16:59 As the new number two,I set the formation.
248 00:17:03 I need to be perfect in every waybecause everybody looks at me
249 00:17:07 to set the distance.
250 00:17:10 If I'm off by a letter,
251 00:17:12 Jamammy then looks at thatand he sets it off of me,
252 00:17:14 and then Chomps sets that distanceoff of both of us.
253 00:17:16 So, if there's any mismatch down the line,
254 00:17:20 essentially, it's probably caused by me.
255 00:17:30 People just don't realizehow physically demanding the flight is.
256 00:17:38 I mean, the demo is
257 00:17:39 45 minutes of, as Blue Angel eightcalls it, pure violence.
258 00:17:48 We had, first of all,a 45-pound spring
259 00:17:51 pulling the stick away from us.
260 00:17:53 You couldn't get a good feel for itunless it was pulling away from you
261 00:17:57 at about 45 pounds.
262 00:18:01 It is a full-body workoutwhen these aviators fly,
263 00:18:05 from their feet to their handsto their head.
264 00:18:10 They use their entire body
265 00:18:12 to combat g-forces.
266 00:18:19 When you're pulling g'sin the aircraft, all your blood
267 00:18:21 is rushing down to your legs,to your lower extremities.
268 00:18:24 And once that blood leaves your head,
269 00:18:27 you're then at riskof loss of consciousness.
270 00:18:33 First sign isyou're gonna lose your vision
271 00:18:35 and start graying out-- tunnel vision.
272 00:18:38 In order to combat that, we're gonna pushthat blood back up with our muscles.
273 00:18:44 Squeezing the legs,the butt, the abs.
274 00:18:47 And if it's a real heavy g pull,then making sure I lock down
275 00:18:51 a three-quarter-lung-capacity breath.
276 00:19:06 As a pilot, you understand the risk.
277 00:19:10 You do a job where,at practice, in training,
278 00:19:13 you can end it all in an accident.
279 00:19:18 So it's just... it's a mix of emotions.
280 00:19:28 What we dois very dangerous.
281 00:19:30 First couple times you take off,you got to push the "I believe" button.
282 00:19:34 But one of the things we learnin flight school
283 00:19:36 very early on is it's a team sport.
284 00:19:38 We're all the same,cut from the same cloth.
285 00:19:42 The risk is never any lowerwhen we go out and practice
286 00:19:47 as it is when we're doing the actual show,so we take
287 00:19:50 a fine-tooth comb to everything.
288 00:20:07 It looked likewe were good, and--
289 00:20:08 We were good until a half mile.
290 00:20:10 That's gonna be your focusfor tomorrow, is that arc.
291 00:20:13 So let's take a hammer downto that one tomorrow.
292 00:20:15 Really try to fine-tune that.
293 00:20:18 During the debrief,we dissect everything.
294 00:20:21 There's definitely timesat the end of days
295 00:20:23 where you're frustrated'cause you can't get a maneuver right.
296 00:20:25 And not only do you knowthat you did it incorrectly in the air,
297 00:20:29 but now you get to watch itframe by frame on a TV screen,
298 00:20:32 like, zoomed in with an HD camera,
299 00:20:34 so you can really seehow bad you were, you know.
300 00:20:37 But that's-that's part of it.That's how we... that's how we get better.
301 00:20:41 Every single person does that,including Boss.
302 00:20:44 That's, like... that's a tendency for me,probably a tendency for somebody else,
303 00:20:47 is you're trying to get down this much...
304 00:20:49 You should be your own worst critic.
305 00:20:51 That's a commitment we have.
306 00:20:52 It's easy to say, tough to do.
307 00:20:55 Be a better version of yourself.Be a better teammate.
308 00:20:56 Help the team get better every day.
309 00:21:00 - Let's go, let's go, let's go.
310 00:21:03 -"Diamond" on three. One, two, three.Diamond!
311 00:21:08 Failing together.
312 00:21:11 The "failing together" mindset
313 00:21:13 really gets people close.
314 00:21:17 Everything is trust,
315 00:21:19 and so far, over El Centro,that's where we really build that trust.
316 00:21:27 What you're seeing nowin this final week is this teamwork,
317 00:21:30 this focus point, this foundation
318 00:21:31 to try to reach for that perfectionevery single day.
319 00:21:35 But the closer you get to that pinnacle,
320 00:21:37 the further awayyou realize you actually are.
321 00:21:39 ♪ Well, it seems so real ♪
322 00:21:42 ♪ I can see it ♪
323 00:21:45 ♪ And it seems so real ♪
324 00:21:48 ♪ I can feel it ♪
325 00:21:50 ♪ And it seems so real ♪
326 00:21:53 ♪ I can taste it ♪
327 00:21:56 ♪ And it seems so real ♪
328 00:21:59 ♪ I can hear it ♪
329 00:22:02 ♪ So why ♪
330 00:22:07 ♪ Can't I touch it? ♪
331 00:22:14 ♪ So why ♪
332 00:22:18 ♪ Can't I touch it? ♪
333 00:22:49 All right. It's Friday, March 11, 2022
334 00:22:52 over Naval Air Facility El Centro,California,
335 00:22:54 where the winds are three-three-zeroat nine, ten miles vis, sky clear.
336 00:22:57 Forecast for the winds: three-four-zeroat six, unlimited vis, sky clear.
337 00:23:01 When we're cleared for takeoff, we'll putfour on the runway with a wind check.
338 00:23:04 Check your parking brake off.Diamond Half Squirrel Cage.
339 00:23:08 Left turnoutfollowed by the solo section...
340 00:23:09 During the briefs,we will follow around our ground track
341 00:23:13 with our pensas Boss is talking through the sequence.
342 00:23:16 Whiskers will be in from behindthe crowd to Sneak to Vertical Rolls,
343 00:23:19 and the five ship will be in fromthe right for the Line Abreast Loop.
344 00:23:22 Once we getto a certain maneuver,
345 00:23:25 we will chair-fly.
346 00:23:26 Around the crowd for the Delta Roll.
347 00:23:28 - Ball, say five.Cheese.
348 00:23:29 Jamammy.Chomps.
349 00:23:30 Chewy.Whiskers.
350 00:23:31 After you do it so much,
351 00:23:33 you know exactly where you're going,what you're doing, how it's gonna feel,
352 00:23:36 and you can actually, like,visualize yourself doing it,
353 00:23:39 getting a-a practice in on that maneuverbefore you go out and do it.
354 00:23:44 Airspeed call. Come left.
355 00:23:46 Got six, Boss.
356 00:23:48 Boss.
357 00:23:50 Come in for left.
358 00:23:53 We're left turn for the Delta Roll.
359 00:23:55 A little more pull.
360 00:23:58 Horizon seven-five, easing power idle.
361 00:24:01 Ready? Roll hat.
362 00:24:04 - We're left turn for the Fleur De Lis.Cheese.
363 00:24:06 Jamammy.Chomps.
364 00:24:07 Chewy.Whiskers.
365 00:24:12 Distractions, we talked about it,are gonna be here.
366 00:24:14 It's game-on time.
367 00:24:15 And just keep in mindyou're gonna have jitters.
368 00:24:18 You're gonna go out there,and even though it's at El Centro,
369 00:24:21 there's-there's gonna bea few thousand people there
370 00:24:24 that'll be saying somethingthat's gonna be looking to distract you.
371 00:24:27 Think about that tonight,and think about when you get in there,
372 00:24:29 just like we talked about,everything from the walk down,
373 00:24:32 start talking the cadence,thinking about it, hop in the jet,
374 00:24:36 do everything and don't get distractedby looking around.
375 00:24:39 Stay focused inside the canopy.
376 00:24:40 And then once we're on the runway,it's same as it ever was.
377 00:24:43 So, with that, I'm glad to be here.
378 00:24:45 Rip it!
379 00:25:16 We're going to try to dowhat we can to make the demo
380 00:25:18 as tight, as low,as entertaining as possible.
381 00:25:22 But that's not my line.
382 00:25:24 You know, this...this-this tiger that I'm chasing.
383 00:25:28 The most important thing is
384 00:25:30 six jets up, six jets down.
385 00:25:44 First day of the show season,
386 00:25:46 and I can't tell youwhat it's gonna feel like.
387 00:25:49 I have no idea what to expect.
388 00:25:51 You know, it's anotherone of those things.
389 00:25:53 Like, man, am I... am I ready to do this?
390 00:26:31 Ladiesand gentlemen, your United States Navy
391 00:26:34 takes pleasure in performing for you this,
392 00:26:37 our first flight demonstrationof the season.
393 00:26:41 Now, to the left,Captain Kesselring calls:
394 00:26:44 "Smoke on. Off brakes now.
395 00:26:47 Burners ready now."
396 00:26:48 And the Blue Angel Diamond is rolling.
397 00:26:51 Burners ready now.
398 00:27:19 The Diamond isapproaching for a maneuver that is likely
399 00:27:21 familiar to those of you who have seenthe Blue Angels perform in the past.
400 00:27:25 From the right, at 400 miles per hour,the Diamond Roll.
401 00:27:31 All four aircraft flying as one in thisgraceful 360-degree rolling maneuver.
402 00:27:49 The two solo pilots will next demonstrate
403 00:27:51 the inverted flight capabilityof the F-18.
404 00:27:55 Approaching inverted from the leftand right, Lieutenant Commander Rickoff
405 00:27:57 and Lieutenant Commander Brattonwill roll their aircraft 360 degrees.
406 00:28:02 Bratty, hit it.
407 00:28:09 Ladies and gentlemen,the Opposing Inverted to Inverted Roll.
408 00:28:16 As the four Diamond pilots approach,you should notice
409 00:28:20 the flight leader and slot pilotare both in the inverted position.
410 00:28:23 The Blue Angel Double Farvel.
411 00:28:25 Ready? Hit it.
412 00:28:40 Rip it.
413 00:28:43 Pull. Pull it.
414 00:28:52 The 2022 teamtakes a great deal of pride
415 00:28:55 in saluting Navyand Marine Corps aviators,
416 00:28:57 maintenance crewsand support personnel everywhere.
417 00:29:01 From the left, your Blue Angels.
418 00:29:19 It has been an honor and our pleasureto perform for you
419 00:29:22 our first flight demonstrationof the season.
420 00:29:29 The Blue Angels aren't aboutjust jet performance.
421 00:29:31 Anybody can go out there and learnto do a lot of twirls and loops and rolls,
422 00:29:35 but to do it together,
423 00:29:36 to make six jets fly as one,that's the magic.
424 00:29:39 That's the Blue Angel magic.
425 00:29:41 Ladies and gentlemen,
426 00:29:42 representing your United States Navyand Marine Corps,
427 00:29:45 the Blue Angels 2022.
428 00:29:51 It was a little bumpy road,but I made it.
429 00:29:54 Once we finished crowd-lining,you know, Chomps came up and said,
430 00:29:56 "Hey, guys, congrats.You're... you're demo pilots now."
431 00:30:00 So it was pretty incredible.
432 00:30:05 You finishthat show in El Centro,
433 00:30:07 that drop of salute happens,you head back to your room,
434 00:30:10 and you start packing it up.
435 00:30:12 Then you see Fat Albertgetting loaded up with all of our gear,
436 00:30:14 all of our personnel,and you realize that,
437 00:30:17 "Hey, I've got an eight-month seasonstaring me in the face right now."
438 00:30:22 So it's daunting, to say the least.
439 00:30:24 Not just that first weekbut every week after that.
440 00:30:28 Bert's rolling, and so are we,to a... to a town near you.
441 00:30:33 Fat Albert isour C-130J Super Hercules asset,
442 00:30:37 affectionately known as Bert.
443 00:30:39 Those are our Marines, an all-Marine crew.
444 00:30:42 They also provide logistics support.
445 00:30:45 Fat Albert is key in essentiallysupporting the team
446 00:30:48 to and from every single air show site.
447 00:30:51 It's about 30,000 pounds of cargo,45 personnel.
448 00:30:57 - Okay, you got all the newbies?- Maybe.
449 00:31:00 - Yeah.
450 00:31:01 We havesix pallets worth of gear.
451 00:31:03 All of our friends are sittingon the red seats or blue seats
452 00:31:06 on the sides, crammed in tight,almost knee to pallet.
453 00:31:10 - And about this close to your buddy.
454 00:31:20 We've just donethat first air show.
455 00:31:23 Now we're off to New Orleans.
456 00:31:25 We're gonna roll into town like a...
457 00:31:27 like a circus, I guess.
458 00:31:32 The U.S. Navy Blue Angelsreturned to town this weekend.
459 00:31:34 The Blue Angelscame into town,
460 00:31:35 landing at the Naval Air Stationin Belle Chasse.
461 00:31:42 Right whenwe get there with Fat Albert,
462 00:31:44 you know, we kind of, like, set the tone.
463 00:31:48 When that crew entrance door opens,everything is set up perfectly
464 00:31:53 so that we're able to put on a great show.
465 00:31:56 It's definitely similarto being on a sports team.
466 00:32:01 The schedule is relentless.
467 00:32:04 You are constantly on the road.You're constantly traveling.
468 00:32:08 Exact mesh of a sports team
469 00:32:10 with the schedule of a touringrock and roll band.
470 00:32:18 I always say it's likeplanning 30 weddings.
471 00:32:21 Thirty weddings and 30 placesyou've never been to
472 00:32:24 with 30 families you've just met.
473 00:32:44 Great job today.
474 00:32:49 Pitch-Up Break. Cheese, upper deck.
475 00:32:51 And down.
476 00:33:25 Coming back homeat the end of those three months
477 00:33:27 and-and seeing our familieson the flight line
478 00:33:29 for the first time was incredible.
479 00:33:38 It's so special to have this home base.
480 00:33:43 This place that just loves us so much.
481 00:33:47 Our families are here.
482 00:33:49 Our families live here all the time.
483 00:33:59 For me, when I found outI made the team, that was on July 11th.
484 00:34:05 One month later, Jo was born.
485 00:34:06 And a month after that,I left to go join the team.
486 00:34:09 So, the fact that they take careof our families so well, I think,
487 00:34:13 is what really, uh,endears this place to us.
488 00:35:15 I never had any thoughtthat I would be on the team.
489 00:35:17 You know, joining a teamwhere I'm gonna be gone for,
490 00:35:20 you know, nearly 300 days a year,
491 00:35:22 uh, with a brand-new little daughterand having some tough conversations
492 00:35:25 with my wife about:"Do we want to do this?"
493 00:35:28 And for me, it was... it was:
494 00:35:30 This is a way I can, you know,in a sense, kind of give back.
495 00:35:36 June 20, 1986.
496 00:35:38 I'm, like, this nine-year-old boyup in Fargo, North Dakota.
497 00:35:43 My dream when I saw the Blue Angelswas to go serve my country.
498 00:35:50 You know, I grew upplaying sports-- basketball--
499 00:35:52 and finishing up collegeand, you know, thinking like,
500 00:35:54 "Boy, I'd love to fly for the Navy,but I'm just... you know, I'm too big.
501 00:35:57 I can't fit in the cockpit."
502 00:35:59 And sure enough, it turns out I fitand they-they would have me,
503 00:36:02 and kind of the rest is history,as far as joining the Navy.
504 00:36:10 I'm currentlya major in the Marine Corps,
505 00:36:11 managing aircraft maintenance.
506 00:36:15 Brian told me, you know,"One of the bucket things in my career
507 00:36:17 is to maybe apply for the Blue Angels.
508 00:36:19 It's one in a million.One in a million, though.
509 00:36:21 We're never gonna get it."
510 00:36:23 And we were both in quite a bit of shockwhen we found out that that was happening.
511 00:36:28 We're just super fortunateto have been stationed together.
512 00:36:32 For the next duty station,he's got his orders.
513 00:36:34 I do not have my orders yet,so I'm still kind of knocking on wood,
514 00:36:37 hoping everything kind ofcomes in alignment for it.
515 00:36:40 But again, it's not...
516 00:36:42 Don't stress about somethingyou don't have the control over.
517 00:36:46 It's definitely a bit of a jigsaw,as far as trying to, you know,
518 00:36:49 plan a family in the military.
519 00:36:52 It's doable. I mean, we've got two.
520 00:36:53 It's definitely doable, so...
521 00:36:55 it'll be just one of those thingsthat you... that you work through.
522 00:36:59 Yeah, there you are.
523 00:37:01 All right, Remy.
524 00:37:06 There's not much flying tours leftfor a guy like me.
525 00:37:08 The mission was really what...what I went back to.
526 00:37:13 People's dreams, uh, dreams they neverthought they could possibly achieve,
527 00:37:17 can come true, and that's the mentalitywe want in the Blue Angels.
528 00:37:27 What I never realized--
529 00:37:28 and I've been on great teams before--what I didn't realize is how attached
530 00:37:32 I'd be to this team.
531 00:37:33 Bye-bye, Remy.
532 00:37:47 There isn't a familylike a Blue Angel family.
533 00:37:49 And I'll miss that.
534 00:37:51 I'll miss that and...and all that goes along with it.
535 00:37:56 Everything here is aboutbeing a member of the team.
536 00:38:00 It takes all 141 personnelon our command doing their job,
537 00:38:05 putting forth that maximum effort.
538 00:38:09 It's constant.
539 00:38:10 It's 18 hours a daywith the same people every day.
540 00:38:13 So every single person in here--every pilot,
541 00:38:16 every officer, every teammate,every enlisted maintainer--
542 00:38:18 whatever position we haveon this team is family.
543 00:38:20 ♪ Through the hard times and the good...
544 00:38:23 What's up? Mic check.Hey!
545 00:38:25 Like I said,give it 100%.
546 00:38:27 This is the time that I need y'all.I'm glad to be here.
547 00:38:30 Whoo!
548 00:38:41 ♪ I have to praise you ♪
549 00:38:45 ♪ I have to praise you...
550 00:38:46 Chief Mass Communication SpecialistPaul Archer.
551 00:38:50 My nameis Oyindamola Michael.
552 00:38:53 I am the number six crew chief.
553 00:38:55 My name isLieutenant Griffin Stangel.
554 00:38:57 Uh, call sign "Push Pop."
555 00:38:58 Lieutenant Brian Abe. Uh, I go by Mo here.
556 00:39:01 Lieutenant Paul Kruger, call sign "Suppo."
557 00:39:03 I'm Lieutenant Henry Cedeño
558 00:39:05 from Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico.
559 00:39:06 ♪ I have to praise you...
560 00:39:12 So, my role on the teamas Blue Angel number seven
561 00:39:14 is I'm the narrator.
562 00:39:16 ♪ I have to praise you...
563 00:39:17 My goal is to interactwith a crowd of tens of thousands,
564 00:39:20 sometimes hundreds of thousands of people.
565 00:39:24 I'm a masscommunication specialist.
566 00:39:27 We're aerial photographers, right?
567 00:39:28 We get to go up and fly in the jet
568 00:39:30 and take all the pretty Blue Angel photos.
569 00:39:37 I've got a femalefront man right now.
570 00:39:39 That's only happened,I think, maybe once before.
571 00:39:41 You know, running the entire crew.
572 00:39:43 What's up,guys?
573 00:39:45 All right, all handstomorrow is gonna be 0800.
574 00:39:47 I got a lot of informationto put out, so pay attention.
575 00:39:50 I need two volunteers.
576 00:39:51 From '99 to 2000,
577 00:39:52 Karen Marini wasthe last female front man.
578 00:39:55 They called her Frontchik.
579 00:39:56 Now I go by Front Ma'am.
580 00:39:58 And then my bravo is a front man.
581 00:40:00 Hot seat, Front Ma'am.Flight walk complete. We have ATAF...
582 00:40:03 Essentially, I'm walkingevery single jet on the line,
583 00:40:07 along with our crew chiefs.
584 00:40:09 We have 12 crew chiefs,and it's two crew chiefs per pilot.
585 00:40:16 I'm the number one crew chief,Boss Kesselring's crew chief.
586 00:40:20 We go in the cockpit,just check everything
587 00:40:22 that the pilot would checkbefore they take off.
588 00:40:24 Flight controls, you know,the displays, everything.
589 00:40:27 And then I'm justdouble-verifying, triple-verifying
590 00:40:30 everything's good for that pilot to getin the cockpit and go out and fly.
591 00:40:34 As a pilot, I neverpre-flighted an airplane.
592 00:40:37 I had so much trust in my crew chief.
593 00:40:40 All I do is getin my aircraft and strap in.
594 00:40:44 He'd tell me it's good to go,and it's good to go.
595 00:40:47 When the jet's good to go,we do a signature handshake.
596 00:40:51 - We do it and go, "Whoo!"Whoo!
597 00:40:53 ♪ Praise you like I should ♪
598 00:40:56 ♪ I have to praise you ♪
599 00:40:59 Uh, prepare to take off.
600 00:41:07 When I was four years old,my dad took me to an air show
601 00:41:10 in Fort Worth, Texas,
602 00:41:12 and I got to watch the Blue Angels flyfor the very first time.
603 00:41:15 I thought that they were awesome.
604 00:41:17 To the point where I, like,ran away from my parents
605 00:41:18 to go try to find the jets,wherever they were parked.
606 00:41:20 And they had to come upover the loudspeaker:
607 00:41:22 "If you've lost a littlefour-year-old son,
608 00:41:23 can you come to the announcer booth
609 00:41:25 and we'll give your sonback to you" type of thing.
610 00:41:28 I found 'em. I fell in lovewith aviation at four years old.
611 00:41:36 I wanted to do something like that.
612 00:41:38 Right when Cheese's jetkind of drifted deep,
613 00:41:41 your jet looked like it just twitchedand kind of almost did the same thing.
614 00:41:44 So we just need to focus on that setdown the line, especially...
615 00:41:46 Chomps is a big softie.
616 00:41:48 He just understands the stakes at play.
617 00:41:50 I mean, he's the guythat has the best vantage point
618 00:41:53 of the entire formationevery second, every day.
619 00:41:58 That's a heavy weight, and Boss kind ofowns that as the commanding officer.
620 00:42:03 But there are things I just can't see.
621 00:42:06 And back there, we had some depth...
622 00:42:08 Chomps is, uh,our lone Marine Corps pilot.
623 00:42:12 We make fun of him,call him General Zastoupil,
624 00:42:14 because he kind of gives off that persona
625 00:42:16 when he... when he goesand talks to people.
626 00:42:19 All right, so big take awayis now gonna be reducing
627 00:42:21 the overreaction for the flat there.
628 00:42:24 Yeah, I was trying not to hit him.
629 00:42:25 I know, but that's a huge, hugedump on the nose.
630 00:42:29 That's correct. It's also the closestI've ever been to a jet.
631 00:42:33 So...- I can freeze it and hold it, but...
632 00:42:37 There's gotta be some sort of compromise.
633 00:42:39 Like you just have to keep driving moreto just kinda get away,
634 00:42:42 but not that huge just dumpingof the nose away from the formation.
635 00:42:45 Looked pretty gross up there.
636 00:42:46 Uh, Delta Roll will be a focusinto tomorrow as well.
637 00:42:49 Bearing lines, matching of the rate.
638 00:42:52 There's one Marine optionin the Blue Angels
639 00:42:55 at any given time, so we can only have one
640 00:42:57 jet demonstration piloton any particular year.
641 00:43:01 So this year is my final year.
642 00:43:04 My job is to try to bring everyonetogether on the same page
643 00:43:07 so there's never any, like,lingering questions between the elements.
644 00:43:10 And so that's why it kind of restson the number four spot,
645 00:43:13 always a second-year guy,to do the debrief.
646 00:43:21 We're gonna be on the roadquite a bit coming up.
647 00:43:23 Quite a... quite a bit.And it's a lot of time away from family.
648 00:43:26 That's something that we also don't getthat much of, is time with our families.
649 00:43:32 So, when we come here,we try to spend as much time as we can.
650 00:43:36 And when I walked outof the house this morning,
651 00:43:38 I had one daughter attachedto my left leg, saying,
652 00:43:40 "Daddy, don't go.Just stay here this weekend."
653 00:43:44 And my little son is just literally,like, rock climbing up my right leg
654 00:43:48 as I'm walking to the truck this morning.
655 00:44:10 It is so cool to seethe reactions of the public.
656 00:44:13 They think, you know, oh, you're arock star with this high-paced lifestyle.
657 00:44:18 Yeah? Uh, a lot of practice.
658 00:44:20 And then in the evenings,we attend commits
659 00:44:23 where we'll go to a local outreach event.
660 00:44:26 - The pilots will go to schools.
661 00:44:29 So, our mission is to showcasethe teamwork and professionalism
662 00:44:33 of the United States Navyand Marine Corps.
663 00:44:35 I was with Bossat the Blue Angel Foundation.
664 00:44:39 - Thanks so much for coming out today.- Awesome to meet you.
665 00:44:42 The Blue Angel Foundation
666 00:44:43 is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization
667 00:44:46 to help wounded veterans,
668 00:44:50 and Freedom Station is part of that.
669 00:44:53 It was truly special to spendsome time with those wounded warriors.
670 00:44:58 We also get to go to the hospitals.
671 00:45:01 I'm Monica.I am the doctor for the Blue Angels.
672 00:45:04 We get to interact with each child
673 00:45:07 and just spend a little time with them.
674 00:45:13 All right!
675 00:45:18 The first time you put this suit on,you feel kind of like an imposter.
676 00:45:24 And I remember thatevery time I wear the uniform.
677 00:45:28 I think a good feeling to have is
678 00:45:30 you should never feeltoo comfortable in this suit.
679 00:45:34 You're representinga whole bunch of folks.
680 00:45:37 You're not just representing yourself.
681 00:45:45 For me, that's... that's lookingat the 28 faces on the wall every day.
682 00:45:53 The 28 men that we've lost in this job.
683 00:45:59 Breaking news tonight:
684 00:46:01 A Blue Angels jet went downin Smyrna, Tennessee,
685 00:46:04 which is just outside of Nashville.
686 00:46:06 We were right therewhen it happened.
687 00:46:08 Several of the guys, you know,saw it happening in real time.
688 00:46:13 Captain Jeff Kusswas killed when he went down in Smyrna
689 00:46:16 practicing at the Great American Air Show.
690 00:46:21 He was just one of the most upbeatand professional guys you've ever met.
691 00:46:27 I mean, you get into this mindseton this team
692 00:46:31 that every day is gonna be the exact same.
693 00:46:33 Right? We get into the routine,and the routine is kind of set.
694 00:46:38 And then, when a massive eventlike that happens,
695 00:46:40 everybody's just like,"What are we gonna do right now?"
696 00:46:49 It's a different type of flying.
697 00:46:52 Those maneuvers are lowand fast to the ground.
698 00:46:54 Right?There's very little room for mistakes.
699 00:47:04 We owe it to themto think about their memory.
700 00:47:08 And I ask myself every day, "Who am I?"
701 00:47:20 Who am I, right, to sit here?
702 00:47:25 Tough to have an egowhen you look at those guys up there
703 00:47:27 and go, "Okay, who am I?"
704 00:47:33 It's a humbling experience.It's still humbling.
705 00:47:43 I'm in my last year,and I'm turning it over.
706 00:47:48 It's a unique process,picking my replacement.
707 00:48:05 There's only a handful of peoplewho ever experience this.
708 00:48:11 The boss application--there is no other time that you can apply
709 00:48:13 for the Blue Angels, right?
710 00:48:15 So it's a very final thing.
711 00:48:18 They've flown down herefrom all corners of the world.
712 00:48:23 And this is some life-changing news.
713 00:48:25 Maybe a lifelong dream.
714 00:48:30 For me, back in the '90s,
715 00:48:32 I was just an averagesquadron commanding officer.
716 00:48:36 You know, they would never pick me.
717 00:48:38 Why even try?
718 00:48:40 So I was relaxed and honest.
719 00:48:43 You know, "I'm just gonna be me."
720 00:48:45 And I was shocked when they pulled me out,
721 00:48:49 outside the room, said, "You're the guy."
722 00:48:52 Oh, boy. Whew.
723 00:49:06 And that was a life changer.I was real surprised.
724 00:49:13 It's a tough decision.I mean, these folks are all Olympians.
725 00:49:18 These folks work their entire life.
726 00:49:21 You've heard of the gold medalist,maybe the silver or even the bronze,
727 00:49:24 but someone comes in fourthand no one knows their name.
728 00:49:32 First off, thank you,everyone. Very, very well done.
729 00:49:35 - Please hold your heads high.
730 00:49:37 - Very well done. Very well done.Thank you.
731 00:49:39 Very well done.
732 00:49:40 - Okay.We'll come on out here.
733 00:49:41 Awesome.
734 00:49:44 All right.
735 00:49:47 You won't start gettingyour PAO training right away,
736 00:49:49 but you'll be expected to saya few things, uh, to the press.
737 00:49:52 Right, your-your most important thingto do right now is
738 00:49:55 - you're gonna call your wife.- Mm-hmm.
739 00:49:56 Give her a call-- make it a quick one--
740 00:49:57 - and call your... call your mom and dad.- Yeah. Yeah.
741 00:49:59 Okay, then let me know.Just give them a couple of minutes...
742 00:50:02 That was, uh,extremely emotional, for sure.
743 00:50:04 Uh, surprising to start,and then a... and then a...
744 00:50:06 just a flood of different emotions.
745 00:50:09 My name's Commander Alex Armatas.Call sign is "Scribe."
746 00:50:12 I grew up in Central New York, and, uh,very young I knew I wanted to fly.
747 00:50:16 Press conference one.
748 00:50:18 I've been in the Navyfor quite a while now.
749 00:50:19 A little over 20 years.
750 00:50:23 I kind of prepared myselfto not be the one,
751 00:50:24 so now I'm very quicklyhaving to come to terms
752 00:50:27 with the fact that this will be, uh...this will be my role next, and, uh...
753 00:50:29 and I need to get ready for that, so...
754 00:50:31 So, what do you think?Shock? Shock and awe?
755 00:50:34 - Yeah, big-time.- Yeah. Yeah, me, too.
756 00:50:36 I think, uh...
757 00:50:37 - Job's gonna be different than you think.Yeah?
758 00:50:40 It's gonna be challengingin aspects you don't know.
759 00:50:43 - I wouldn't trade it for the world.- Yeah.
760 00:50:45 It's been fantastic.
761 00:50:50 I appreciate it. Thank you.
762 00:50:55 Uh, good afternoon, everyone.
763 00:50:56 As mentioned, my name'sCommander Alex Armatas.
764 00:50:58 Uh, it is an absolute honor to be here.
765 00:50:59 It's, uh, very humbling, very emotional,as Captain Kesselring mentioned.
766 00:51:03 Admiral, thank you as well, sir.
767 00:51:04 Uh, and, uh, just...
768 00:51:06 Even thoughhe's a very skilled leader
769 00:51:08 and very skilled aviator,
770 00:51:09 he's gonna go through that same crucible,that same learning curve.
771 00:51:12 As I look back, oh, boy.
772 00:51:15 There's just... he doesn't knowwhat he doesn't know yet.
773 00:51:18 - Does this get easier with time? This--- Yeah.
774 00:51:20 Does it get easier? I hope so.
775 00:51:21 - How you doing? Outstanding job. Yeah.- Thanks, Admiral. I appreciate it.
776 00:51:23 - Outstanding.- Yeah, this is, uh...
777 00:51:25 I hope it gets easier the more you do it.
778 00:51:29 The Blue Angels werethe brainchild of Admiral Chester Nimitz.
779 00:51:33 In 1946,
780 00:51:35 Admiral Nimitz said,"We've got to make sure
781 00:51:38 the American public doesn't forgetabout Navy planes."
782 00:51:44 He pulled a fellow that hadfive aerial victories during the war,
783 00:51:49 a young 26-year-old lieutenant commandernamed Butch Voris.
784 00:51:53 And so, Butch grabbedabout four of his best friends, they...
785 00:51:58 created a team, created a few maneuvers
786 00:52:02 and took it right to the American public.
787 00:52:20 The Blue Angels fly
788 00:52:22 the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II,a single-seat light attack jet,
789 00:52:26 versions of which have been operationalin the fleet since 1956.
790 00:52:45 Over the years, the team hasgone through many different airplanes--
791 00:52:49 propeller-driven airplanes,and then into the jet era.
792 00:52:56 Ready?
793 00:52:57 Hit it.
794 00:52:59 Take it in!
795 00:53:00 We didn't see it as a risk.
796 00:53:02 We saw taking this jobas a Blue Angel as a privilege.
797 00:53:37 It's so highly sought-afterto be part of the Blue Angels.
798 00:53:42 And it's a...it's a very distinct privilege
799 00:53:47 to be selected to the Blues.
800 00:53:51 And we got to pick our own.How about that?
801 00:53:53 Nobody from above was saying,"You're gonna take this person,
802 00:53:56 teach him how to fly,teach him how to be a Blue Angel."
803 00:54:00 Which was really unusual in the military.
804 00:54:11 All right.
805 00:54:12 This day is gonna bevery busy, very tight on timelines.
806 00:54:15 If you're next, be on deckoutside the room.
807 00:54:18 Everybody else can relax in here,do your thing.
808 00:54:20 Thanks.
809 00:54:21 There's the robustinterview process.
810 00:54:23 We get medical. We take a lookat the backgrounds and all that.
811 00:54:27 But really, what it comes down tois three things:
812 00:54:30 talent, passion and personality.
813 00:54:31 Questions for me? Awesome.
814 00:54:34 - You stand right here.- Oh.
815 00:54:36 My first introductionto aviation was when my dad took
816 00:54:40 my family to Tuskegee,
817 00:54:42 where we got to ride in a small,single-engine aircraft.
818 00:54:47 Up until that point, I wanted to bea train conductor and a police officer.
819 00:54:51 But after that flight,I wanted to be a pilot.
820 00:54:57 The interview matters.
821 00:54:59 We are picking the best-fit personfor this job.
822 00:55:03 And by "best-fit," I mean,
823 00:55:05 that's hugely important.
824 00:55:06 We're spending a lot of timewith each other.
825 00:55:08 We know each other so well.
826 00:55:12 They're certainlya bit on the nervous side.
827 00:55:14 Got the nerves going.
828 00:55:15 You see their excitement.You see the desire.
829 00:55:18 They're so closethey can darn near taste it.
830 00:55:30 We try to learneverything about that individual
831 00:55:32 before they get hereso that when they do get here
832 00:55:34 we know exactly whattheir personality is going to be
833 00:55:36 and where they're going to fit inin their part of this team.
834 00:55:43 We'll startduring the interview process,
835 00:55:45 you know, dig a little deeper,but it literally is
836 00:55:49 a unanimous decisionamongst 17 people in the room
837 00:55:52 that requires hours of deliberationand discussion to reach that consensus.
838 00:55:58 Obviously,you're gonna pick the people
839 00:56:00 you think will be the absolute best.
840 00:56:02 Sometimes that takes five minutes.
841 00:56:04 Sometimes that takes four hours.You never know.
842 00:56:08 These are allvery personal conversations
843 00:56:10 with personal detailsabout this individual's life
844 00:56:13 that the general publicdoesn't need to ever know.
845 00:56:16 And it's certain thingsthat we'll talk about in there,
846 00:56:18 and at the end of the night,we all slap the table and say,
847 00:56:21 "What happened here stays here."
848 00:56:23 And then it's neverto be talked about again.
849 00:56:26 'Cause at the end of the day, guess what--those are your new people.
850 00:56:33 There has to be a unanimous decision.
851 00:56:35 But if we don't pick the right peopleto carry on that legacy,
852 00:56:38 then what we've done is just a failure.
853 00:56:42 If you're a finalist, you'rekind of waiting on pins and needles.
854 00:56:46 Saturday afterthe Pensacola Beach Air Show,
855 00:56:48 you call in, they tell you whether or not,
856 00:56:49 you know, either "Welcome to the team,"or, you know,
857 00:56:52 "Hey, sorry. Try again next year."
858 00:56:56 For me, took me three tries.
859 00:56:58 I got... you know,I got lucky along the way.
860 00:57:00 Did a couple deployments,and then I ended up here on the team.
861 00:57:07 That was... that was a huge,huge success... [chuckles]
862 00:57:10 ...in my book.
863 00:57:13 Let's go.
864 00:57:17 You know, we owe it to all those folks,
865 00:57:19 the majority of folks who have rushedthe team that didn't make it.
866 00:57:23 Some miss out by just one vote.
867 00:57:27 We are four months, 16 shows awayfrom the end of the season,
868 00:57:32 so make sure you appreciate itwhile you're here.
869 00:58:01 This city definitely hasa special place for us.
870 00:58:06 These people who have been comingto these shows, you know, since the '60s,
871 00:58:12 they still welcome us as if we're family.
872 00:58:27 We're moments in time on this team.
873 00:58:30 I've been watchingthe Blue Angels since 1982.
874 00:58:33 It's my 40th summer.
875 00:58:34 I've been around them my entire life.
876 00:58:36 Twenty-plus.
877 00:58:38 The adrenaline, the rush,and honestly, like, seeing it in person
878 00:58:42 just makes it that much more real.
879 00:58:48 Okay, winds are two-zero-zero-eight.We own the airspace.
880 00:58:51 - Have a good one.
881 00:58:53 We're cleared for takeoff.
882 00:59:27 In relativelyslow speed flight, they will give you
883 00:59:30 an opportunity to get a close lookat the precision flying
884 00:59:33 that produces the 18-inchwingtip-to-canopy separation
885 00:59:36 between these four aircraft.
886 00:59:38 From the right, the Blue Angel Diamond.
887 00:59:45 Looking at it,the start of the season,
888 00:59:48 you know, I'd think, "Man, there's no wayI'm gonna get this close to a jet."
889 00:59:53 Especially for the Diamond 360,which is what we consider
890 00:59:55 one of our hardest maneuvers.
891 00:59:57 They're at 360.
892 01:00:05 We just bumped itinto Blue Gold set.
893 01:00:08 Scott-- Jamammy-- he's currentlyup under, you know, Boss's wing.
894 01:00:13 Now, me on the other side,because of parallax,
895 01:00:16 I'm not actually sliding myselfup underneath.
896 01:00:18 What I'm actually doing is I'm slidingoutboard and forward.
897 01:00:24 You have Frank underneath my wing
898 01:00:26 doing almost the exact same thingthat Scott is doing,
899 01:00:28 just a little bit more aft.
900 01:00:31 It's kind of gettingnot so much comfortable,
901 01:00:33 but it's getting familiar, uh,to the point where it's like,
902 01:00:35 "Man, we're actually really doing this."
903 01:00:37 You know, this is...this is the aspect of the Blue Angels
904 01:00:39 that no other demonstration teamreally reaches.
905 01:00:50 But the Yankee setat the start of the season
906 01:00:53 is something you really want to get
907 01:00:55 and you don't completely knowif maybe you'll actually get there, but...
908 01:00:59 There's teams that have done thisin the past,
909 01:01:01 and then there's teams that haven't.
910 01:01:04 Now that we're starting to getin that regime of flight,
911 01:01:08 will we get there?
912 01:01:10 Hopefully, yes.
913 01:02:04 Of course, the crowd favoriteis the Sneak.
914 01:02:15 The Diamondwill execute their maneuver,
915 01:02:17 showcasing the precision flying,uh, that is required
916 01:02:20 of all Navy and Marine Corps pilots.
917 01:02:22 And then as we're setting up for ournext maneuver, we get the solos in there,
918 01:02:26 who just pull on the stick a lotand provide the filler.
919 01:02:44 The Diamond'sfavorite maneuvers are when
920 01:02:45 they get to break apart from Boss,
921 01:02:47 act like a solo,and then once that's over,
922 01:02:49 they're back to being the Diamond.
923 01:02:51 I mean, the Diamond, everybody knowsthey're-they're the better pilots here.
924 01:02:54 Every... Literally everybody knows.
925 01:02:55 You know that you actually have to thinkabout those around you,
926 01:02:58 like, be a team player.
927 01:02:59 They just don't get that yet.
928 01:03:01 So, maybe one day,they'll understand that, but...
929 01:03:03 Fun and excitement.
930 01:03:04 Definitely, the solos use a lot morethan Diamond.
931 01:03:06 They're all flying off of Boss, so...
932 01:03:08 Healthy competition--that's exactly what it is.
933 01:03:28 After I leftPensacola for finalist week,
934 01:03:31 it was just me and my husbandat the house.
935 01:03:32 We were kind of waitingand anticipating this phone call.
936 01:03:36 I was the very first personto call in, uh, so I called in
937 01:03:39 and, uh, they kind of joked aroundwith me and they said,
938 01:03:41 "Hey, you have the wrong number.Try calling this number back."
939 01:03:44 So I am in panic mode immediately.
940 01:03:47 We tend to mess with them a little bit...
941 01:03:49 when they, uh...when they call in for the selectees, so...
942 01:03:52 We have a five-minute window to call in,
943 01:03:54 so I'm-I'm going through my messages,
944 01:03:56 making sure I have the right...the right number.
945 01:03:59 I call back. They're like,"Still the wrong number."
946 01:04:01 We're listening in as Cody has got somerock music playing in the background.
947 01:04:05 I get a call from Boss.
948 01:04:06 - He's like...- Amanda, weren't you supposed
949 01:04:10 I-I was like, "I have donesomething terribly wrong.
950 01:04:12 I'm in trouble."
951 01:04:14 He's like, "Hey, next year, when you...when you're on the team,
952 01:04:16 maybe we'll get your timelinea little bit better."
953 01:04:18 And then everybody said,"Welcome to the team."
954 01:04:20 But they had me super frazzled.
955 01:04:23 A history-making dayfor the legendary Blue Angels.
956 01:04:25 The Navy's elite flight squadronhas selected its first
957 01:04:28 female fighter jet demonstration pilot,
958 01:04:31 Lieutenant Amanda Lee from Minnesota.
959 01:04:34 She is soon going to be flying highwith the Blue Angels.
960 01:04:37 She will need to complete an intensivefive-month training program
961 01:04:41 with other new members of the teambeginning in September.
962 01:04:46 I enlisted in the Navy in 2007.
963 01:04:49 I ended up enlisting asan aviation electronics technician,
964 01:04:52 and I started working on the F-18.
965 01:04:55 I get to my first squadron,and my division chief said,
966 01:04:58 "You don't belong here. I don't feel likeyou're challenged enough."
967 01:05:01 And the only thing I knew in the Navy
968 01:05:03 was aviation, so I was like,"Let's try to fly."
969 01:05:05 Once you wear this crest,it's a life-changing journey
970 01:05:09 and you have an opportunity to representthose over 800,000 active duty reserve
971 01:05:12 and civilian support personnelby wearing it.
972 01:05:15 Having the whole team theregreeting you, really excited for you,
973 01:05:19 it was absolutely an unforgettable day.
974 01:05:21 So remember today is the daythat you became a Blue Angel.
975 01:05:24 Look around at your teammates.
976 01:05:26 Commit this special bond to memory.
977 01:05:28 Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel.
978 01:05:35 Welcome to the team.
979 01:05:42 I think the media likesto make a big deal out of firsts,
980 01:05:45 but, you know, I always feelwe give short shrift
981 01:05:49 to why they actually made it, right?
982 01:05:53 We have a fantastic officerand a fantastic pilot.
983 01:05:59 The end of the day,when you're flying 12 inches apart,
984 01:06:01 what really matters
985 01:06:02 is that you can trust 'em.
986 01:06:27 I think the progressionwith the team is going really well,
987 01:06:29 and I'm really, really excited to seewhen we can bring this in
988 01:06:32 and how tight we can actuallyget that formation.
989 01:06:46 In terms of being a newbieon the Blue Angels,
990 01:06:50 it feels like an eternity.
991 01:06:52 We are entering a phase of the seasonwhere a new team is selected
992 01:06:56 and it's the official "you are no longera newbie on the team."
993 01:07:02 You finally kind of knowwhat you're doing.
994 01:07:35 Rip it.
995 01:07:39 It's kind of fun watchingthe folks who just learned.
996 01:07:44 It's cool seeing Cheese go fromnot knowing anything but fleet flying
997 01:07:49 to feeling 110% confident.
998 01:07:54 But he has another enormous rolethat he's got to learn.
999 01:07:58 Cheese next year in the two jet
1000 01:08:00 is gonna havethe incredible responsibility
1001 01:08:02 of training a new boss.
1002 01:08:14 Good morning, Mike. How are you?
1003 01:08:16 Thanks. Good. And yourself?- Hi.
1004 01:08:18 - Doc, nice to see you again.- Good to be back.
1005 01:08:19 - Hi. Mike.- Alex Armatas.
1006 01:08:21 We are in San Antonio, Texas,at the Wyle KBR centrifuge center.
1007 01:08:26 You guys ready for this?
1008 01:08:29 This is the first dayfor the incoming pilots
1009 01:08:32 to be on the job as Blue Angels.
1010 01:08:37 This is a g toleranceimprovement training program,
1011 01:08:41 and it is a very demandingand rigorous program.
1012 01:08:44 People who've been flying F-18sfor 20 years go to the centrifuge
1013 01:08:48 if they get selected.
1014 01:08:50 And it can be challenging at times andsometimes have to learn new techniques
1015 01:08:54 to make sure they can performat the highest levels
1016 01:08:56 before they can be on the team.
1017 01:08:59 When you increase g-forces,
1018 01:09:01 gravity is gonna pullthe blood in your head down to your feet,
1019 01:09:05 so you're gonna pass out.
1020 01:09:07 Go ahead and put your g-suits on.
1021 01:09:09 I want to check them just to make sure.
1022 01:09:11 The first day,incoming aviators wear their g-suits,
1023 01:09:14 which they're used to wearingout in the fleet.
1024 01:09:16 Go ahead and climb on inand sit down as best
1025 01:09:19 or as easy as possible.
1026 01:09:21 A g-suit is somethingthat we strap on, and they will inflate
1027 01:09:25 and deflate, depending onthe amount of g's you're pulling,
1028 01:09:27 to help you sustain g'sso you don't have to strain as hard.
1029 01:09:30 Harness.
1030 01:09:32 Harness locked.Zippers are up.
1031 01:09:34 G-suit pressureone-five-five.
1032 01:09:37 There it is.
1033 01:09:48 Okay, we're just gonnaget you up to idle speed.
1034 01:09:50 In three, two, one. Engage.
1035 01:09:58 All right, should feel like you'regoing straight up in a rocket right now.
1036 01:10:01 Yeah.
1037 01:10:02 Pull back.
1038 01:10:06 Up top. Breathe.
1039 01:10:08 Bring those knees in.Dig with those heels.
1040 01:10:09 Breathe. Drop the shoulders.
1041 01:10:11 Plank the abs. Down to five and a half.
1042 01:10:13 Keep it going.
1043 01:10:15 Squeeze that butt.Get those abs tight.
1044 01:10:17 Keep them tight.
1045 01:10:18 You're letting these g's control you.
1046 01:10:19 Come on. I want you to control them.
1047 01:10:25 You're on top. Breathe.
1048 01:10:26 Squeeze the knees. Squeeze that butt.
1049 01:10:28 Breathe. Keep those abs tight.Keep them tight.
1050 01:10:30 Work. Bring those knees in.Squeeze that butt!
1051 01:10:33 Come on, breathe.
1052 01:10:34 Come on, dig the heels.You got this.
1053 01:10:36 Keep squeezing. Come on.
1054 01:10:38 Squeeze the knees. Nicely done.
1055 01:10:41 I got to tell you, Alex, that may be
1056 01:10:43 the best I've ever seenanybody do on their first ride.
1057 01:10:46 I'm sure. I'm not just blowing smoke, man.
1058 01:10:48 I don't say that to people.That was awesome.
1059 01:10:54 Today, there are no g-suits.
1060 01:10:57 And the reason we require that is because
1061 01:11:00 we do not fly with g-suitsin the Blue Angels.
1062 01:11:05 Welcome back.- Yeah.
1063 01:11:07 The g-suit fills up with air,
1064 01:11:09 so the way we fulcrumwith our-our arm on our leg,
1065 01:11:12 if that were to inflate,it would move our arm
1066 01:11:15 and inherently just move the aircraft,so we don't do that.
1067 01:11:17 Okay, we're gonnastart the profile now.
1068 01:11:21 We have five profilesthat every Blue Angel aviator
1069 01:11:24 will go through in the centrifugewhich represent
1070 01:11:27 what they experiencewhen flying in the jet.
1071 01:11:38 And those are the high-g profiles,and one of which is
1072 01:11:41 the PUB, the Pitch-Up Break,which is our very last maneuver,
1073 01:11:44 where the pilots will pullseven and a half g's
1074 01:11:47 to break around the airfieldbefore landing.
1075 01:11:51 But it's critical thatthey stay awake during that maneuver.
1076 01:11:56 So we've taken that demonstration profile
1077 01:11:59 and simulated it in the centrifuge
1078 01:12:01 so that we can train to itbefore getting into the jet.
1079 01:12:04 All right, I have controls.
1080 01:12:05 Going to seven g's, five seconds.
1081 01:12:11 Okay, legs tight. Breath.
1082 01:12:14 On top. Breathe.
1083 01:12:15 Dig with the heels. Plank the abs.
1084 01:12:17 Breathe. We're-we're downto five and a half. Keep it going.
1085 01:12:20 Stay with the strain. Come on.
1086 01:12:23 -Stay with it. Stay with it. Stay with it.
1087 01:12:29 It gets peoplewhen it drops off like that.
1088 01:12:33 It's the weirdest thingto have a g-induced loss of consciousness.
1089 01:12:36 You don't even knowwhere you are or what you are.
1090 01:12:39 I mean, it's just likeyour whole conscious self is gone.
1091 01:12:44 Alex, you okay?
1092 01:12:46 - Yeah.- All right.
1093 01:12:48 I called Boss about this and said,"Hey, Boss, the new boss just passed out."
1094 01:12:53 And he said, "Good.
1095 01:12:54 Good, because that's a wake-up callthat he needs."
1096 01:12:57 You know, "Let's get to work.This is not gonna be easy."
1097 01:13:04 You're on top. Breathe.
1098 01:13:07 Come on, dig the heels.You got this. Keep squeezing.
1099 01:13:09 Breathe. Squeeze those knees.Get that butt tight.
1100 01:13:11 Yes. Abs tight. Hold them tight.
1101 01:13:13 Come on, legs.
1102 01:13:14 One, two. Breathe. You got this.And you're coming down.
1103 01:13:17 You're coming all the way home.
1104 01:13:18 Keep the strain. Legs, butt, heels.
1105 01:13:20 Oh, you're coming down.
1106 01:13:24 Yep, there we go.
1107 01:13:29 I got you, Amanda.
1108 01:13:31 Go ahead and put your head back. Amanda?
1109 01:13:33 I had never g-LOC'd before.
1110 01:13:36 And whatever your mind goes throughat that point, you know,
1111 01:13:39 who knows, but I was in outer space.
1112 01:13:41 Take a breath.
1113 01:13:44 It's, like, a... an eye-openerfor how inherently dangerous this job is.
1114 01:13:50 We're just getting everythingback to normal.
1115 01:13:52 Okay.- Head back in the headrest.
1116 01:13:54 There you go.
1117 01:13:55 There was certainlya point today where I was...
1118 01:13:56 I was frustrated, and it was a...it was a difficult profile,
1119 01:13:59 and I just kind of sat down and...and just-just wanted to...
1120 01:14:02 just wanted to relaxand do nothing for a few minutes.
1121 01:14:05 But like most things in this business,
1122 01:14:06 you-you get over it and you...and you move on.
1123 01:14:08 Breath up.
1124 01:14:11 On top. Breathe. Drop those shoulders.
1125 01:14:13 Bring the knees in.Squeeze the butt. Breathe.
1126 01:14:15 A lot of todayis building confidence,
1127 01:14:19 knowing that you can physically do this.
1128 01:14:23 Breathe. Good.Terminate, terminate, terminate.
1129 01:14:27 Got to get your mind right,your body right.
1130 01:14:29 But without that mind being 100% investedthat you can do this,
1131 01:14:33 you're not gonna be able to do it.
1132 01:14:34 You're on top. Breathe here.Squeeze those knees together.
1133 01:14:37 Squeeze that butt. Keep it tight.Breathe. Good.
1134 01:14:39 Breathe. Squeeze those knees.Get that butt tight. Breathe. Good.
1135 01:14:42 Come on, now. There you go.Looking good. You got it.
1136 01:14:45 One, two, and you're coming downall the way home.
1137 01:14:51 Nicely done.
1138 01:14:57 All right.Hey!
1139 01:14:59 Nice job.
1140 01:15:00 That's what this whole trainingis about-- to let them know
1141 01:15:04 we are in the big leagues nowand it's time to step it up.
1142 01:15:07 Nice job, man.
1143 01:15:09 We've got a lot to learn.
1144 01:15:10 Starting next month, we'll start travelingwith the team, and pretty much
1145 01:15:14 from the moment we start travelinguntil the change of command in November,
1146 01:15:17 we are joined at the hipwith whoever we're replacing.
1147 01:15:21 We'll all be doing thatall the way through the fall.
1148 01:15:23 - Hey, Boss.- New boss!
1149 01:15:25 - Hey.- All right, cheers.
1150 01:15:39 Right now, it's thekhaki newbie phase, as we refer to it.
1151 01:15:41 It's a good chance for all of usto kind of feel
1152 01:15:43 what it's like to be on the road.
1153 01:15:45 The best way to describe it is "surreal."
1154 01:15:53 First jumper.
1155 01:15:55 First jumper. Two jumps away.
1156 01:15:59 Not untilyou live it, boy, do you understand
1157 01:16:01 what it's like to be a Blue Angel.
1158 01:16:05 It's actually a bit comicalat the start because you have a bunch
1159 01:16:08 of highly trained, skilled folks who...
1160 01:16:10 don't really know what to do anymore.
1161 01:16:12 You can... But you can stand just--yeah, either way.
1162 01:16:15 You can dance around. Thanks.
1163 01:16:17 Being a newbie,there's a very delicate balance.
1164 01:16:22 You're basically there to be a sponge.
1165 01:16:24 That's crowd right. Intro to crowd.
1166 01:16:26 We account forevery single minute of the day.
1167 01:16:29 By the time you get back to the hotel,
1168 01:16:31 boy, you can't even remember what you atefor lunch or if you even ate lunch.
1169 01:16:36 I wanted to start offwith the narrator spot,
1170 01:16:38 and then when I found outthat I was gonna be
1171 01:16:41 in the Diamond, it's justone of those things where you're like,
1172 01:16:43 "I'm just happy to be here."
1173 01:16:44 Um, as we say, "I'm glad to be here."
1174 01:16:46 Set your flaps.
1175 01:16:49 "Glad to be here."
1176 01:16:51 The perfect expression of the gratitudewe have from the top down, the bottom up.
1177 01:16:59 Whoever is around you, and-and you say,"I'm just glad to be here."
1178 01:17:04 It's a reset.
1179 01:17:06 It lets people know thatno matter what kind of day you had,
1180 01:17:09 you're glad you are withthe people you're with,
1181 01:17:12 because they'll understandand they'll trust you
1182 01:17:16 because you won't hold anything back.
1183 01:17:18 And when you have that kind of effort,
1184 01:17:20 it raises the outcomesfor each and every person.
1185 01:17:24 "Glad to be here."
1186 01:17:27 That was foundational.
1187 01:17:30 All right!
1188 01:17:36 Th-There's a kind of a sayingfrom deploying sailors
1189 01:17:40 where the days are longbut the weeks are short.
1190 01:17:44 Kind of living in the moment.You're tired a lot of times.
1191 01:17:48 All of a sudden, you wake upand it's, you know, September,
1192 01:17:52 and then it's end of season week.
1193 01:17:55 Rip it.
1194 01:18:17 You spend the entire 365 previous days
1195 01:18:20 with your team, getting betterand better and better, and then...
1196 01:18:23 Let's get rolling.
1197 01:18:24 Here it is.
1198 01:18:25 I'll never do this again.
1199 01:18:28 My replacement has been picked,and this is our last ride.
1200 01:18:31 It's definitelyan emotional moment, you know?
1201 01:18:33 Yeah.
1202 01:18:46 For the Diamond 360,we've talked at length over the last...
1203 01:18:50 I-I would say each one of ushas had hours conversations
1204 01:18:53 with each other about the Diamond 360,kind of preparing our fulcrum...
1205 01:18:57 Our goal at the beginningof the season is
1206 01:19:00 the tireless pursuit of perfection.
1207 01:19:02 And I think a lot of it comes downto just not being satisfied,
1208 01:19:05 knowing that there's a next level.
1209 01:19:15 There's tension in it. There's, one,
1210 01:19:17 you got to be safe,you got to be professional.
1211 01:19:22 But there's another side to that:
1212 01:19:24 "Gosh, man, I want to make surethat we get to the tightest sets."
1213 01:19:31 The Blue Angel hallmark of precision.
1214 01:19:35 That tension, it's good,but you got to keep it in check.
1215 01:19:38 All right, for the Diamond Roll.
1216 01:19:40 Hold to deep. Hold to deep...
1217 01:19:42 The way I chose to lead was
1218 01:19:45 I wanted Chomps to be empowered.
1219 01:19:49 'Cause I have that much trust in-in Frank.
1220 01:19:56 During that final week,Frank came into my office and said,
1221 01:19:59 "We can do it."
1222 01:20:02 The Diamond 360 and Yankee set.
1223 01:20:09 From the right, the Blue Angel Diamond.
1224 01:20:48 To be able to do that safely...
1225 01:20:52 ...flying just inches apart,that's-that's a grand slam.
1226 01:20:57 That's the Blue Angel magic.
1227 01:21:11 Departing team members,last three ranks, anyone want to talk?
1228 01:21:14 - Destiny, you crying yet?I'm not crying.
1229 01:21:16 - You good?Come on, Kev.
1230 01:21:18 Come on, Kev!This is it.
1231 01:21:20 - Come on, Kev.
1232 01:21:23 - Come on, Kev!
1233 01:21:31 ♪ Put your hands in the airif you heard me ♪
1234 01:21:33 - ♪ Wash your hands, wash your feet ♪
1235 01:21:35 ♪ Brush your teeth, wash your back...
1236 01:21:40 ♪ Put your arms in the airif you heard me ♪
1237 01:21:43 ♪ Wash your hands, wash your feet,wash your back, wash your back...
1238 01:21:47 Good afternoon, Bert.
1239 01:21:55 I've never been ina command like this before,
1240 01:21:58 and, uh, you guys treat me like family,and I really appreciate that.
1241 01:22:02 Thank you so much. I will miss it.
1242 01:22:04 - I will miss it.
1243 01:22:09 ♪ When there's nowhere else to run ♪
1244 01:22:14 ♪ Is there room for one more son...
1245 01:22:19 You know, to everyone leaving,you will be missed.
1246 01:22:21 We'll talk about it more tonight.
1247 01:22:23 For the newbies in the back, soak it in.
1248 01:22:25 Talk to these peoplebefore they leave today.
1249 01:22:27 Whoo!
1250 01:22:29 ♪ Hold on ♪
1251 01:22:32 ♪ If you can, hold on ♪
1252 01:22:34 - All right!
1253 01:22:36 - ♪ Hold on ♪- Hit it.
1254 01:22:38 - One more time.- Three, four, five.
1255 01:22:55 Expo is clear to taxi.
1256 01:22:57 Line up on runway two-five-right.
1257 01:23:01 Now.
1258 01:23:02 ♪ I wanna stand up, I wanna let go ♪
1259 01:23:05 - ♪ You know, you know ♪
1260 01:23:08 ♪ No, you don't, you don't ♪
1261 01:23:11 ♪ I wanna shine on in the hearts of man ♪
1262 01:23:14 ♪ I want a meaning from the backof my broken hand ♪
1263 01:23:18 - ♪ Another head aches ♪
1264 01:23:20 ♪ Another heart breaks ♪
1265 01:23:23 ♪ I'm so much older than I can take ♪
1266 01:23:26 ♪ And my affection,well, it comes and goes ♪
1267 01:23:31 ♪ I need direction to perfection,no, no, no, no ♪
1268 01:23:34 ♪ Help me out, yeah ♪
1269 01:23:37 ♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪
1270 01:23:41 ♪ Oh, don't you put meon the back burner ♪
1271 01:23:44 ♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪
1272 01:23:49 ♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1273 01:23:51 ♪ Yeah ♪
1274 01:23:53 ♪ You're gonna bring yourself down, yeah ♪
1275 01:23:57 ♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1276 01:24:00 I don't thinkyou remember shows or weekends.
1277 01:24:05 The level of perfection that we seek,I see it in moments.
1278 01:24:11 Every once in a while,you're in a roll or a rollout,
1279 01:24:14 the jets just kind of freeze,
1280 01:24:16 and the world around youseems to kind of spin, so...
1281 01:24:19 And those are kind of the momentsthat I'll remember
1282 01:24:21 that kind of stick with me.
1283 01:24:23 The four Diamond pilotsare rolling out in trail formation
1284 01:24:26 for a dynamic separation maneuver.
1285 01:24:29 The Blue Angel Vertical Break.
1286 01:24:31 Rip it.
1287 01:24:32 ♪ I got soul, but I'm not a soldier ♪
1288 01:24:35 ♪ I got soul,but I'm not a soldier ♪
1289 01:24:48 ♪ Yeah ♪
1290 01:24:50 ♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪
1291 01:24:54 ♪ Oh, don't you put meon the back burner ♪
1292 01:24:58 ♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪
1293 01:25:02 ♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1294 01:25:04 ♪ Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1295 01:25:08 ♪ Yeah ♪
1296 01:25:10 ♪ Oh, don't you put meon the back burner ♪
1297 01:25:14 ♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1298 01:25:17 ♪ Yeah, you're gonnabring yourself down...
1299 01:25:19 I walked away thinking, "This isexactly what we worked for all year,"
1300 01:25:24 and it was incredible to see.
1301 01:25:26 ♪ Last call for sin ♪
1302 01:25:28 - ♪ While everyone's lost ♪
1303 01:25:30 ♪ The battle is won...
1304 01:25:32 Great job. Great tour.
1305 01:25:34 Ah, good deal, Boss.Welcome back.
1306 01:25:36 Great.
1307 01:25:38 No kidding-- during the show,the parking spots are all changed over,
1308 01:25:42 and that is how the Blue Angels do it.
1309 01:25:44 ♪ Things that I've done ♪
1310 01:25:45 ♪ Time, truth and hearts ♪
1311 01:25:49 All the old guys' nameshave been scraped off.
1312 01:25:52 ♪ If you can, hold on ♪
1313 01:25:54 You know, when you walk outof this hangar that final time, that's it.
1314 01:25:56 - ♪ If you can, hold on ♪
1315 01:25:58 There's no coming back.
1316 01:26:10 Just started prepping my cadencefor that final walk back,
1317 01:26:13 when it's that final drop of salute.
1318 01:26:15 That's right, and left.
1319 01:26:17 Left, left.
1320 01:26:19 How long I might waitfor that final drop of salute.
1321 01:26:21 Left, left.
1322 01:26:24 Left, right, left.
1323 01:26:26 - Right, right.- Hut!
1324 01:26:28 We drop salute,and we know that the next day,
1325 01:26:31 personnel are gonna goall across the world
1326 01:26:34 to the next tour of duty.
1327 01:26:38 That's the last momentthat our family's gonna be together.
1328 01:26:42 You know?
1329 01:26:44 Uh... yeah.
1330 01:26:49 And salute.
1331 01:26:53 Ready? Two.
1332 01:27:22 The flying is cool,but it's not the same
1333 01:27:24 as being around Jamammy or Cheeseor Chewy or Whiskers or Boss
1334 01:27:28 or any of the supply officersto maintainers downstairs.
1335 01:27:31 It's that one-on-one connectionyou have with your crew chiefs--
1336 01:27:33 Joe and Alan for me--so that's gonna truly,
1337 01:27:36 truly be the thingthat I'm gonna miss the most.
1338 01:27:58 It's all the parts.It's not just five people.
1339 01:28:01 It's 141 personnelthat put this thing together.
1340 01:28:04 Ready? One, two and three.
1341 01:28:06 - All right!
1342 01:28:11 The people change.The suits stay the same.
1343 01:28:13 What this team means stays the same.
1344 01:28:16 And what this team means to the countryhas stayed the same
1345 01:28:19 and has lasted the test of time.
1346 01:28:24 And then-- poof, you know?-- it's gone.
1347 01:28:32 I pinch myselfI get a chance to be part of it.
1348 01:28:55 The Blue Angel Creed!
1349 01:28:58 As a Blue Angel,
1350 01:29:00 I will dedicate all my efforts to pride,professionalism and perfection.
1351 01:29:05 I will strive to honor the crest I earned,
1352 01:29:08 and I will never forget from where I came.
1353 01:29:10 Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel.
1354 01:32:27 Great job. Great tour.
