PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION, Fla. — I fell in love with watching the Blue Angels practice last summer, when my family and I watched them fly at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at the Pensacola Naval Air Station.
On a return trip to the air station this year, I saw the behind-the-scenes work the Blue Angels’ maintenance crew does on the ground to get the famed pilots in the air.
I climbed up to the top row of the bleachers on the sideline of the tarmac near the hangar.
The crowd the show was much slimmer than the one at the museum last year, but the enthusiasm was just as intense.
Children from local day cares came to watch the Blue Angels fly, and their excited chatter and radiant faces showed how ready they were for the show.
The planes, flanked to the front and rear by mechanics, were lined up out to our left. Then the pilots came out from a building to our right.
The show was about to start.
The crowd cheered as the pilots waved and nodded to the eager spectators. They walked toward their planes then lined up with their backs to us. The maintenance crew and pilots stood at attention. Then the pilots marched down the line of aircraft, each one breaking off from the group to climb into their plane.
The maintenance crew saluted the pilots as they walked by. Every detail was exact and carried out with great respect.
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The planes started up, and the maintenance men began motioning air traffic signals. The crew behind the planes ran up remove the chocks.
The Blue Angels taxied away, and the ground crew gave each other high fives. The crowd cheered for the behind-the-scenes men.
“Way to get them up there, boys!” one lady yelled.
The crew waved back and ran off the tarmac.
The show was incredible, just like last year’s had been. It seemed much too short.
The Boeing F/A-18 Hornets flew over our heads and performed death-defying feats.
At one moment in the show the planes flew low and shot right over our heads before we knew they were behind us.
When their practice ended, the maintenance crew came back out to greet the pilots.
As soon as the pilots left the planes, the crew went to work.
The pilots lined up for photos with the crowd while the ground crew scurried around the planes.
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I had not known much about the maintenance crew before that day. I had known there had to be some group that readied the planes and helped the pilots, but the importance and details of the crew’s job had escaped me. It was a real learning experience to meet some of the backstage men.
I wandered among the planes, watching them work. A few of them talked animatedly to each other as they fueled up the planes with smoke-oil, which helps the crowds see the planes and the pilots see each other.
A few other men were going from plane to plane, making adjustments.
The crew has to be the best of the best, as do the pilots.
The selection process is lengthy and the crew member has to be recommended. They must have more than just the mechanical know-how. They must have character, courage, loyalty, commitment and be willing to do whatever it takes to keep the Blue Angels up and running.
“It is ultimately a dream come true. It is the greatest challenge, achievement, opportunity I have had in my life,” said Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd Class Anthony Shuford. “It is a blessing to have a part in touching lives across America — the driving force.”
The crew must be willing to stay up for 24 hours to fix a jet for the next day’s show. They must be willing to work on any other planes that land at their base.
The members of the crew are in the Navy to stay and volunteer for the position.
Like the pilots, they rotate their terms on the crew. They work on the planes in three- to four-year stints, while a Blue Angels pilot flies with the group for two to three years.
There are 78 men and 12 women on the crew, 45 to 50 of whom travel with the Blue Angels to their shows.
The rest stay in Pensacola as a support group.
If a Blue Angels plane breaks down at the show or needs a spare part, the group back at the base gathers the supplies and loads Fat Albert, a supply plane, to send over parts.
The jets are fighter jets, and the crew does not modify them too much to make them fit for the Blue Angels. The only major adjustment is that the weapons and extra fuel tanks are removed to make the jets lighter or “slick.”
A Blue Angels jet can be ready for combat within 72 hours.
The Blue Angels experience would not be complete without a visit to the Pensacola Museum of Naval Aviation. The Blue Angels practice and the museum are free.
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The Blue Angels practice begins at 8:30 a.m. every Tuesday and Wednesday at the Pensacola Museum of Naval Aviation. The gates open at 7:45. For museum hours and more information, visit www.navalaviationmuseum.org or call (850) 453-2389 or (800) 327-5002. On weekends call (850) 452-3604 ext. 3131. For additional information, visit www.blueangels.navy.
