Think you know all there is to know about the Blue Angels?
Click through the slideshow and test your knowledge with these Blue Angel factoids.
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When were the Blue Angels started?
1946. Admiral Chester Nimitz, the chief of Naval Operations, wanted to raise Navy morale and showcase naval air power, while also generating public and political support for larger budget allocation for the Navy. Many of the same techniques and styles are still used.
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How many places do the Blue Angels fly in a year?
"The Blues" fly 70 different shows at 34 locations throughout the U.S. every year, on average. Since 1946, they've flown for more than 260 million spectators, according to the Angels' information.
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What's the highest speed they fly at?
The highest speed at any air show is 700 mph, just shy of Mach 1. That may seem fast, but these plans can actually reach speeds of up to 1,400 mph (and dip as slow as 120 mph).
Cliff DesPeaux
Just how close do they get to each other?
During the Diamond 360 maneuver, they fly just 18 inches from each other.
The Blue Angels make these formations work with (unsurprisingly) physics, thanks to the huge amount of air pressure that builds up around the planes. The "cushion" means that the plans can nudge each other with the air pressure, and not with the actual plane itself.GRANT HINDSLEY/SEATTLEPI.COM
Where did the name come from?
When the original team was planning a show in New York back in 1946, one of them reportedly saw the name of the city's nightclub -- Blue Angel -- in the New Yorker magazine.
According to the Seattle Museum of Flight: "In 1946, the Jax News (the local paper in Jacksonville, Florida) did some old-school crowdsourcing and ran a contest asking the community to help name this new air show team. Some of the submissions included: Com-bats; Death-Cheaters; Sky-Jackers; The Flying Buccaneers; The Sea Eagles; The Skyscrapers; Navy Cats: and, Strat-O-Cats (among others). None of the names seemed right, and the contest never produced a name that the team liked."Cliff DesPeaux
How high and low do they get?
It all depends on weather conditions, but the highest they get is about 15,000 feet. The lowest is just 50 feet.
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How much do one of their planes cost?
Approximately $21 million.
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How many Angels have there been?
Though there's only six pilots flying in a given year, there have been 251 demonstration pilots and 35 flight leaders and commanding officers helming the Blue Angels since 1946.Cliff DesPeaux
Are they the oldest flying aerobatic team?
Not quite. The French Patrouille de France formed in 1931.
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Do the pilots wear G-suits?
Interestingly enough, no they don't: The air bladders would repeatedly inflate and deflate, which would interfere with the pilot's access of the control stick (which sits in between their legs). Instead, the Angels have to tense their muscles in order to prevent blood from rushing to their head and knocking them unconscious.LACEY YOUNG/SEATTLEPI.COM
Have any Blue Angels members died during a show?
Yes. Out of the 262 Blue Angel pilots, 27 of them have died during shows and practice sessions.
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Do you have to go to "Top Gun" school to become a Blue Angel pilot?
Nope! The crew of pilots are made up of Navy and Marine Corps aviators, and while some have attended Navy Fighter Weapons School they don't have to. They are required to have a minimum of 1,250 tactical jet hours and be carrier qualified. (Applicants do have to go through Blue Angels "rush," wherein they sit on team briefs and social events, and are graded on whether they can tell a joke prior to the briefs. Team members then vote in secret on the next year's selections, with no accountability to higher Navy authority.)
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How much do you have to practice when you're on the Blue Angels?
Two practice sessions a day, six days a week, for four months. They also train during their regular season (on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and every Friday when they arrive at a new location).Cliff DesPeaux
Are the Blue Angels combat ready?
No -- but they can be in under 72 hours if they need to be. (Changes would involve reinstalling the gatling gun, which has been replaced with a canister that produces the smoke you see at airshows, and some minor cockpit adjustments.)
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Who calls the shots during the flight?
Not this kid, or any ground crew, actually. During the air show you'll hear the "Boss," or Blue Angel #1, who communicates vocally with the other members.
According to one interview with 107.9, "voice inflection has a lot to do with how hard and sharp the maneuvers will be performed." They also rely on sight -- which, at hundreds of miles per hour, is mind-boggling.
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Do Blue Angels modify their show at all from city to city?
Not too much — but they do sometimes. If they're in, say, Colorado, they the air is thinner, and they don't have enough air molecules to stay up while performing a gear down loop in the diamond formation at the "slow" speed of 120 mph.
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Love 'em or hate 'em, the Blue Angels seem to be here to stay.
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Though their presence is the stuff of dog hows and congested traffic, the Navy planes make their annual stopover here in Seattle during Seafair, just another activity to check off the list (and, in true Seattle fashion, be perturbed by) come festival.
But just how much do you know about the blue planes that sear through our skies every August? For instance, do you know that pilots have to concentrate in order to not pass out while they fly?
And if you have any fun facts you think we missed, feel free to let us know in the comments.
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SeattlePI reporter Zosha Millman can be reached at zoshamillman@seattlepi.com. Follow Zosha on Twitter at @zosham. Find more from Zosha here on her author page.
