Editing Blue Angels (section)

==History==
===Overview===
[[File:Blue Angels Vinage Insignia.JPG|thumb|upright=0.8|The original team insignia]]

The Blue Angels were originally formed in April 1946 as the Navy Flight Exhibition Team.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1946 |publisher=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> They changed their name to the Blue Angels after seeing an advertisement for the [[New York City|New York]] nightclub [[The Blue Angel (New York nightclub)|The Blue Angel]], also known as The Blue Angel Supper Club, in the [[New Yorker Magazine]].<ref>[https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/history/default.htm#:~:text=Butch%20Voris%20and%20the%20Blue%20Angels "Butch Voris and the Blue Angels", US Navy Blue Angels website]</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://dixiesunnews.com/news/articles/2012/03/21/angels-fly-over-southern-utah/ |title=Blue Angels fly over St. George, thunder over Dixie |date=21 March 2012 |last=Tommor |first=Samantha |newspaper=Dixie Sun News |access-date=27 September 2020 |archive-date=30 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030123144/https://dixiesunnews.com/news/articles/2012/03/21/angels-fly-over-southern-utah/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The team was first introduced as the Blue Angels during an air show in July 1946.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://aerobaticteams.net/en/resources/i39/Blue-Angels-History.html |title=Blue Angels History |publisher=Aerobatic Teams |access-date=12 March 2019}}</ref>

The first Blue Angels demonstration aircraft wore navy blue (nearly black) with gold lettering. The current shades of blue and yellow were adopted when the first demonstration aircraft were transitioned from the [[Grumman F6F Hellcat|Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat]] to the [[Grumman F8F Bearcat|Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat]] in August 1946; the aircraft wore an all-yellow scheme with blue markings during the 1949 show season.<ref>Campbell, ''War Paint'', p. 171.</ref>

The original Blue Angels [[insignia]] or crest was designed in 1949, by Lt. Commander Raleigh "Dusty" Rhodes, their third Flight Leader and first jet fighter leader. The aircraft silhouettes change as the team changes aircraft.<ref name="OFFICIAL" />

The Blue Angels transitioned from propeller-driven aircraft to blue and gold jet aircraft ([[Grumman F9F Panther|Grumman F9F-2B Panther]]) in August 1949.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1949 |website=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Blue Angels demonstration teams began wearing leather jackets and special colored flight suits with the Blue Angels insignia, in 1952. In 1953, they began wearing gold colored flight suits for the first show of the season and or to commemorate milestones for the flight demonstration squadron.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, yearly photos |website=Blue Angels Association |access-date=16 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northescambia.com/2014/03/wearing-gold-the-blue-angels-return-to-the-skies |title=Wearing Gold: The Blue Angels Return To The Skies. March 16, 2014 |website=NorthEscabia.com |access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF_KgLw13L8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211103/OF_KgLw13L8 |archive-date=2021-11-03 |url-status=live|title=US Navy Blue Angels 1st Air Show in 2014 on March 15 at El Centro California |date=13 April 2014 |via=YouTube |access-date=12 March 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.opb.org/news/video/harley-hall-vietnam-pow/ |title=Harley Hall: Vietnam POW (wearing BA gold flight suit-1971) |publisher=OPB TV/Radio |access-date=16 March 2019 |archive-date=30 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430094423/https://www.opb.org/news/video/harley-hall-vietnam-pow/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The Navy Flight Exhibition Team was reorganized and commissioned the ''United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron'' on 10 December 1973.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/history/ |title=History of the Blue Angels/Significant Events in Blue Angels History, 1970s |website=Blue Angels |access-date=14 March 2019}}</ref>

===1946–1949===
[[File:Voris and 1st Blue Angel team 1946.jpg|thumb|left|The first Navy "Blue Angels" Flight Demonstration Squadron (1946–1947), assembled in front of one of their [[Grumman F6F Hellcat]]s (l to r): Lt. Al Taddeo, Solo; Lt. (J.G.) Gale Stouse, Spare; Lt. Cdr. R.M. "Butch" Voris, Flight Leader; Lt. Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll, Right Wing; Lt. Mel Cassidy, Left Wing]]

The Blue Angels were established as a Navy flight exhibition team on 24 April 1946 by order of Chief of Naval Operations [[Admiral Chester Nimitz]] to generate greater public support of naval aviation. To boost Navy morale, demonstrate naval air power, and maintain public interest in naval aviation, an underlying mission was to help the Navy generate public and political support for a larger allocation of the shrinking defense budget. Rear Admiral [[Ralph E. Davison|Ralph Davison]] personally selected [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] [[Roy Marlin Voris|Roy Marlin "Butch" Voris]], a World War II [[fighter ace]], to assemble and train a flight demonstration team, naming him Officer-in-Charge and Flight Leader. Voris selected three fellow instructors to join him (Lt. Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll, Lt. Mel Cassidy, and Lt. Cmdr. Lloyd Barnard, veterans of the War in the Pacific), and they spent countless hours developing the show. The group perfected its initial maneuvers in secret over the Florida [[Everglades]] so that, in Voris' words, "if anything happened, just the alligators would know". The first four pilots and those after them were some of the best and most experienced aviators in the Navy.<ref name="aug55">{{cite web |title=Blue Angels Article, August 1955 |url=http://www.blueangels.org/NANews/Articles/Aug55/Aug55.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240525110523/http://www.blueangels.org/NANews/Articles/Aug55/Aug55.htm |archive-date=25 May 2024 |access-date=4 March 2019 |publisher=Naval Aviation News}}</ref>

[[File:F6F-5 Blue Angels NAN10 46.jpg|thumb|right|Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats in 1946]]
The team's first demonstration with [[Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat]] aircraft took place before Navy officials on 10 May 1946 and was met with enthusiastic approval. The United States Navy's Blue Angels performed their first air show at what is now JaxEx (formerly Craig Municipal Airport, one of 6 airports in the Jacksonville, FL area developed for military training), on June 15, 1946.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.flyjacksonville.com/content.aspx?id=1002 | title=Jacksonville International Airport}}</ref> The exhibition team flew three Gruman F6F Hellcat Fighter planes (a fourth F6F-5 was held in reserve). On 15 June, Voris led the three Hellcats (numbered 1–3), specially modified to reduce weight and painted sea blue with gold leaf trim, through their inaugural 15-minute-long performance.<ref name="OFFICIAL" /> The team employed a [[North American T-6 Texan|North American SNJ Texan]], painted and configured to simulate a [[Japanese Zero]], to simulate aerial combat. This aircraft was later painted yellow and dubbed the "Beetle Bomb". This aircraft is said to have been inspired by one of the [[Spike Jones#Murdering the Classics|Spike Jones]]' ''Murdering the Classics'' series of musical satires, set to the tune (in part) of the [[William Tell Overture|''William Tell'' Overture]] as a thoroughbred horse race scene, with "Beetle Bomb" being the "trailing horse" in the lyrics.

The team thrilled spectators with low-flying maneuvers performed in tight formations, and (according to Voris) by "keeping something in front of the crowds at all times. My objective was to beat the Army Air Corps. If we did that, we'd get all the other side issues. I felt that if we weren't the best, it would be my naval career." The Blue Angels' first public demonstration also netted the team its first trophy, which sits on display at the team's current home at [[Naval Air Station Pensacola|NAS Pensacola]]. During an air show at [[Omaha, Nebraska]] on 19–21 July 1946, the Navy Flight Exhibition Team was introduced as the ''Blue Angels''.<ref name="Blue Angels History">{{cite web |url=https://aerobaticteams.net/en/resources/i39/Blue-Angels-History.html |title=Blue Angels History |publisher=Aerobatic Teams |access-date=6 March 2019}}</ref> The name had originated through a suggestion by Right Wing Pilot Lt. Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll, after he had read about the Blue Angel nightclub in ''[[The New Yorker]]'' magazine. After ten appearances with the Hellcats, the Hellcats were replaced by the lighter, faster, and more powerful F8F-1 Bearcats on 25 August.<ref name="Blue Angels History"/> By the end of the year the team consisted of four Bearcats numbered 1–4 on the tail sections.

In May 1947, flight leader Lt. Cmdr. Bob Clarke replaced Butch Voris as the leader of the team. The team with an additional fifth pilot, relocated to [[Naval Air Station Corpus Christi|Naval Air Station (NAS) Corpus Christi]], Texas. On 7 June at [[Birmingham, Alabama]], four F8F-1 Bearcats (numbered 1–4) flew in [[diamond formation]] for the first time which is now considered the Blue Angels' trademark. A fifth Bearcat was also added that year. A SNJ was used as a Japanese Zero for dogfights with the Bearcats in air shows.

[[File:F8F-1 Blue Angels 1946.jpg|thumb|left|[[Grumman F8F Bearcat]]s in "diamond" formation, 1947]]
In January 1948, Lt. Cmdr. Raleigh "Dusty" Rhodes took command of the Blue Angels team which was flying four Bearcats and a yellow painted SNJ with USN markings dubbed "Beetle Bomb"; the SNJ represented a Japanese Zero for the air show dogfights with the Bearcats. The name "Blue Angels" also was painted on the Bearcats.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://photorecon.net/seventy-years-strong-the-u-s-navys-blue-angels/ |title=Seventy Years Strong: The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels |first=Ken |date=24 March 2019 |last=Kula |journal=PhotoRecon |access-date=24 March 2016}}</ref>

In 1949, the team acquired a [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|Douglas R4D Skytrain]] for logistics to and from show sites. The team's SNJ was also replaced by another Bearcat, painted yellow for the air combat routine, inheriting the "Beetle Bomb" nickname. In May, the team went to the west coast on temporary duty so the pilots and the rest of the team could become familiar with jet aircraft.<ref name=aug55/> On 13 July, the team acquired, and began flying the straight-wing [[Grumman F9F Panther|Grumman F9F-2B Panther]] between demonstration shows.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pensacolathenandnow.com/military-in-pensacola-2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325211249/http://www.pensacolathenandnow.com/military-in-pensacola-2.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=25 March 2016 |title=Blue Angels |website=Military in Pensacola |access-date=5 March 2019}}</ref> On 20 August, the team debuted the panther jets under Team Leader Lt. Commander Raleigh "Dusty" Rhodes<ref name="Blue Angels History"/> during an air show at [[Beaumont, Texas]] and added a sixth pilot.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/team-leader-lieutenant-commander-raleigh-dusty-rhodes-news-photo/50646271 |title=Raleigh Dusty Rhodes |website=Getty Images |access-date=18 March 2019 |archive-date=5 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805132228/https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/team-leader-lieutenant-commander-raleigh-dusty-rhodes-news-photo/50646271 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1949 |website=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The F8F-1 "Beetle Bomb" was relegated to solo aerobatics before the main show, until it crashed on takeoff at a training show in Pensacola on 24 April 1950, killing "Blues" pilot Lt. Robert Longworth. Team headquarters shifted from [[NAS Corpus Christi]], Texas, to [[Naval Air Station Whiting Field|NAAS Whiting Field]], Florida, on 10 September 1949, announced 14 July 1949.<ref>"''{{'}}Blue Angels{{'}} To Pensacola – Navy Flight Exhibition Team Is Transferred''". ''Playground News''. 14 July 1949. Volume 4, Number 24, page 2.</ref>

===1950–1959===
[[File:Blues Support Crew watching Diamond Formation at Show.jpg|thumb|left|Support crew watches their team flying [[Grumman F9F-2 Panther]] jet fighters, 1952]]

The Blue Angels pilots continued to perform nationwide in 1950. On 25 June, the [[Korean War]] started, and all Blue Angels pilots<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1950 (Flight Leader John Magda, second from right) |website=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> volunteered for combat duty. The squadron (due to a shortage of pilots, and no available planes) and its members were ordered to "combat-ready status" after an exhibition at [[Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth|Naval Air Station, Dallas, Texas]] on 30 July.<ref name=aug55/> The Blue Angels were disbanded,<ref name="Blue Angels History"/> and its pilots were reassigned to a [[Aircraft carrier|carrier]]. Once aboard the aircraft carrier {{USS|Princeton|CV-37|6}} on 9 November, the group formed the core of [[VF-191|Fighter Squadron 191]] (VF-19), "Satan's Kittens", under the command of World War II fighter ace and 1950 Blue Angels Commander/Flight Leader, Lt. Commander John Magda; he was killed in action on 8 March 1951.<ref>{{cite web |title=A Blue Angel's First Combat Flight at Midway |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/museums/nnam/education/articles/history-up-close/a-blue-angel_s-first-combat-flight-at-midway.html |website=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=23 July 2022 |date=2015-06-03}}</ref>

On 25 October 1951, the Blues were ordered to re-activate as a flight demonstration team, and reported to [[Naval Air Station Corpus Christi|NAS Corpus Christi]], Texas. Lt. Cdr. Voris was again tasked with assembling the team (he was the first of only two commanding officers to lead them twice). In May 1952, the Blue Angels began performing again with F9F-5 Panthers<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1952 |website=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> at an airshow in [[Memphis, Tennessee]].<ref name=aug55/> In 1953, the team traded its Sky Train for a [[Curtiss C-46 Commando|Curtiss R5C Commando]]. In August, "Blues" leader [[Arthur Ray Hawkins|LCDR Ray Hawkins]] became the first naval aviator to survive an ejection at supersonic speeds when a new F9F-6 he was piloting became uncontrollable on a cross-country flight.<ref name="ejection-history">{{cite web|url=http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/PROJECT/YEAR_Pages/1953.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527070814/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/PROJECT/YEAR_Pages/1953.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 May 2006|title=2005|publisher=ejection-history.org.uk|access-date=16 November 2014}}</ref><ref name="google2">{{cite book |title=First Blue: The Story of World War II Ace Butch Voris and the Creation of the Blue Angels |author=Wilcox, R.K. |year=2004 |publisher=St. Martin's Press |isbn=978-0-3123-2249-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2hFEhFCKGwAC |pages=2–237 |access-date=16 November 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Blue Angel Ejects at High Speed |newspaper=Naval Aviation News |date=October 1952 |via=Blue Angels Association |url=http://www.blueangels.org/NANews/Articles/Oct53/Oct53.htm}}</ref> After summer, the team began demonstrating with F9F-6 Cougar.

[[File:F9F-8 Blue Angles1 NAN1-57.jpg|thumb|right|[[Grumman F-9 Cougar|Grumman F9F-8 Cougar]] formation in 1956]]
In 1954, the first [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps]] pilot, Captain Chuck Hiett, joined the Navy flight demonstration team.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1954, 1955 |website=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The Blue Angels also received special colored flight suits.<ref name="Blue Angels History"/> In May, the Blue Angels performed at [[Bolling Air Force Base]] in Washington, D.C., with the [[United States Air Force Thunderbirds|Air Force Thunderbirds]] (activated 25 May 1953).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/the-blue-angels/ |title=The Blue Angels: A 65 Year History |first=Robert F. |date=11 October 2011 |last=Dorr |work=DefenseMediaNetwork |access-date=8 March 2019}}</ref> The Blue Angels began relocating to their current home at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida that winter,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gall |first1=Sandy |title=How well do you know the Blue Angels? |url=https://www.doncio.navy.mil/chips/ArticleDetails.aspx?ID=7797 |website=CHIPS: the Department of the Navy's Information Technology Magazine |access-date=14 December 2016 |archive-date=21 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221082146/http://www.doncio.navy.mil/chips/ArticleDetails.aspx?ID=7797 |url-status=live}}</ref> and it was here they progressed to the swept-wing [[Grumman F-9 Cougar|Grumman F9F-8 Cougar]]. In December, the team left its home base for its first winter training facility at [[Naval Air Facility El Centro]], California<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/history/ |title=History of the Blue Angels, 1950s |website=Blue Angels |access-date=15 March 2019}}</ref>

In September 1956, the team added a sixth aircraft to the flight demonstration in the Opposing Solo position,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1956 |publisher=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> and gave its first performance outside the United States at the International Air Exposition in [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada. It also upgraded its logistics aircraft to the [[Douglas C-54 Skymaster|Douglas R5D Skymaster]].<ref name=":0" />

In 1957, the Blue Angels transitioned from the F9F-8 Cougar to the supersonic [[Grumman F11F Tiger|Grumman F11F-1 Tiger]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1957 |website=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> The first demonstration was flying the short-nosed version on 23 March, at [[Naval Outlying Landing Field Barin|Barin Field]], Pensacola, and then the long-nosed versions. The demonstration team (with added Angel 6) wore gold flight suits during the first air show that season.

In 1958, the first Six-Plane Delta Maneuvers were added that season.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

===1960–1969===
[[File:Grumman F11F-1 Tiger Blue Angels.jpg|thumb|[[Grumman F11F Tiger|Grumman F11F-1 Tiger]], 1957–69]]

In July 1964, the Blue Angels participated in the Aeronaves de Mexico Anniversary Air Show over [[Mexico City]], Mexico, before an estimated crowd of 1.5&nbsp;million people.

In 1965, the Blue Angels conducted a [[Caribbean]] island tour, flying at five sites. Later that year, they embarked on a European tour to a dozen sites, including the [[Paris Air Show]], where they were the only team to receive a standing ovation.

In 1967, the Blues toured Europe again, at six sites.

In 1968, the C-54 Skymaster transport aircraft was replaced with a [[Lockheed C-121 Constellation|Lockheed VC-121J Constellation]]. The Blues transitioned to the two-seat [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II]] in 1969, nearly always keeping the back seat empty for flight demonstrations. The Phantom was the only plane to be flown by both the "Blues" and the [[United States Air Force Thunderbirds]] (the "Birds"). That year they also upgraded to the [[Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation|Lockheed C-121 Super Constellation]] for logistics.

===1970–1979===
[[File:Golden Crown and Blue Angles.jpg|thumb|left|Members from the Imperial Iranian Air Force [[Golden Crown]] and the Blue Angels during the joint airshow; [[Kushke Nosrat Airbase]], 1973]]
[[File:A-4Fs Blue Angels Fleur de Lis 1984.JPEG|thumb|right|All six Blue Angels [[Douglas A-4 Skyhawk|Douglas A-4F Skyhawk]]s executing a "fleur de lis" maneuver]]

In 1970, the Blues received their first U.S. Marine Corps [[Lockheed C-130 Hercules|Lockheed KC-130F Hercules]], manned by an all-Marine crew. That year, they went on their first South American tour.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Squadron History |url=https://blueangelsassociation.org/squadron-history/ |access-date=2025-03-09 |website=Blue Angels Association |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 1971, the team which wore the gold flight suits for the first show,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1971 |publisher=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> conducted its first Far East Tour, performing at a dozen locations in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Guam, and the Philippines.

In 1972, the Blue Angels were awarded the Navy's [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] for the two-year period from 1 March 1970 to 31 December 1971. Another European tour followed in 1973, including air shows in Iran, England, France, Spain, Turkey, Greece, and Italy.

On 10 December 1973, the Navy Flight Exhibition Team was reorganized and commissioned the ''United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron''.<ref name="History">{{cite web |url=https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/history/ |title=History of the Blue Angels |publisher=United States Navy Blue Angels |access-date=November 17, 2020}}</ref><ref name=demonstration>{{cite web |url=http://a4skyhawk.org/3e/blues/blues.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326154653/http://a4skyhawk.org/3e/blues/blues.htm |archive-date=26 March 2012|url-status=dead |access-date=3 March 2012 |title=Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team}}</ref> The Blues mission was more on Navy recruiting.

In 1974, the Blue Angels transitioned to the new [[Douglas A-4 Skyhawk|Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II]]. Navy Commander [[Anthony A. Less|Anthony Less]] became the squadron's first "commanding officer" and "flight leader". A permanent flight surgeon position and administration officer was added to the team.<ref name="History"/><ref name=demonstration/> The squadron's mission was redefined by Less to further improve the recruiting effort.

Beginning in 1975, "Bert" was used for [[JATO|Jet Assisted Take Off]] (JATO) and short aerial demonstrations just prior to the main event at selected venues, but the JATO demonstration ended in 2009 due to dwindling supplies of rockets.<ref name="FA JATO">{{cite news |last=McCullough |first=Amy |date=9 November 2009 |title=Abort Launch: Air shows to do without Fat Albert's famed JATO |page=6 |work=[[Marine Corps Times]]}}</ref> "Fat Albert Airlines" flies with an all-Marine crew of three officers and five enlisted personnel.

===1980–1989===
[[File:Blue Angels Newton-John Travolta.jpg|thumb|right|A-4F of Blue Angels in 1983 (with [[John Travolta]] and [[Olivia Newton-John]]).]]
In 1986, LCDR [[Donnie Cochran]], joined the Blue Angels as the first [[Black people|African-American]] Naval Aviator to be selected.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.albanyherald.com/news/local/military/former-blue-angels-pilot-tells-what-inspired-him-to-fly/article_ef0da23e-1b75-53bd-815d-dcea07523f2f.html |title=Former Blue Angels pilot tells what inspired him to fly |first=Jon |last=Gosa |work=Albany Herald |access-date=30 September 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1986–1888 |publisher=Blue Angels Association |access-date=16 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> He served for two more years with the squadron flying the left wing-man position in the No.{{nbsp}}3 A-4F fighter, and returned to command the Blue Angels in 1995 and 1996.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |title=Flight Teams, 1995, 1996 |publisher=Blue Angels Association |access-date=17 March 2019 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323145156/http://blueangelsassociation.org/flight-teams/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 8 November 1986, the Blue Angels completed their 40th anniversary year during ceremonies unveiling what would be their aircraft through their 75th anniversary year, the [[McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet]]. The power and aerodynamics of the Hornet allows them to perform a slow, high [[angle of attack]] "tail sitting" maneuver, and to fly a "dirty" (landing gear down) formation loop.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BdG1AwAAQBAJ |title=Hornet: The Inside Story of the F/A-18 |last=Kelly |first=Orr |year=2014 |publisher=Open Road Media |isbn=978-1-49764-5677 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chakraborty |first1=Abhijit |last2=Seiler |first2=Peter |last3=Balas |first3=Gary |date=10 August 2009 |title=Applications of Linear and Nonlinear Robustness Analysis Techniques to the F/A-18 Flight Control Laws |journal=AIAA Guidance, Navigation, and Control Conference |location=Reston, Virginia |publisher=American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |doi=10.2514/6.2009-5675|isbn=9781600869785}}</ref>

===1990–1999===
{{quote box |source= |align= right |width= 33%
| quote = Today is a very special and memorable day in your military career that will remain with you throughout your lifetime. You have survived the ultimate test of your peers and have proven to be completely deserving to wear the crest of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. The prestige of wearing the Blue Angels uniform carries with it an extraordinary honor{{snd}}one that reflects not only on you as an individual, but on your teammates and the entire squadron. To the crowds at the air shows and to the public at hospitals and schools nationwide, you are a symbol of the Navy and Marine Corps' finest. You bring pride, hope and a promise for tomorrow's Navy and Marine Corps in the smiles and handshakes of today's youth. Remember today as the day you became a Blue Angel; look around at your teammates and commit this special bond to memory. "Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel," rings true for all those who wear the crest of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. Welcome to the team. |author = The Blue Angels Creed, written by JO1 Cathy Konn 1991–1993<ref name="Beare 2007 p. ">{{cite book |last=Beare |first=Scott |title=The power of teamwork: inspired by the Blue Angels| publisher=Simple Truths |location=Naperville, Ill |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-60810-037-8}}</ref>
}}

In 1992, the Blue Angels deployed for a month-long European tour, their first in 19 years, conducting shows in Sweden, Finland, Russia (first foreign flight demonstration team to perform there), Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain.

In November 1998, CDR Patrick Driscoll made the first "Blue Jet" landing on a "[[haze gray and underway]]" aircraft carrier, [[USS Harry S. Truman|USS ''Harry S. Truman'']] (CVN-75).

On 8 October 1999, the Blue Angels lost two pilots. [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|LCDR]] Kieron O'Connor and [[Lieutenant (United States)|LT]] Kevin Colling were returning from a practice flight before an air show when their [[McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet#A/B|F/A-18B]] crashed in a wooded area of south Georgia.<ref>{{cite web |last1=McIntyre |first1=Jamie |title=Blue Angel crash victims identified |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9910/28/missing.angel.04/ |work=CNN |access-date=11 May 2019}}</ref>

===2000–2009===
In 2000, the Navy was conducting investigations in regard and connected to the loss of two Blue Angels pilots in October 1999. The pilots of the F/A-18 Hornet were not required to wear and do not wear [[g-suit]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blue Angels |first=United States Navy |date=March 24, 2024 |title=United States Navy Blue Angels FAQ |url=https://www.blueangels.navy.mil/faq/default.htm |access-date=March 24, 2024 |website=Blue Angels Navy}}</ref>

In 2006, the Blue Angels marked their 60th year of performing.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.com/about/navylife/onduty/blueangels/history/ |title=Blue Angels Monumental Moments |publisher=Navy.com |access-date=3 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328010809/http://www.navy.com/about/navylife/onduty/blueangels/history/ |archive-date=28 March 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> On 30 October 2008, a spokesman for the team announced that the team would complete its last three performances of the year with five jets instead of six. The change was because one pilot and another officer in the organization had been removed from duty for engaging in an "inappropriate relationship". The Navy said one of the individuals was a man and the other a woman, one a Marine and the other from the Navy, and that Rear Admiral Mark Guadagnini, chief of Naval air training, was reviewing the situation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pnj.com/article/20081031/SPORTS1001/810310363 |title=Blues Angels Pilot, Other Grounded |last=Moon |first=Troy |date=31 October 2008 |work=[[Pensacola News Journal]] |access-date=4 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081204073915/http://pnj.com/article/20081031/SPORTS1001/810310363 |archive-date=4 December 2008}}</ref> At the next performance at [[Lackland Air Force Base]] following the announcement the No.{{nbsp}}4 or slot pilot, was absent from the formation. A spokesman for the team would not confirm the identity of the pilot removed from the team.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.pnj.com/article/20081102/NEWS01/811020335/1006/NEWS01 |title=No. 4 jet missing from Blue Angels |last=Griggs |first=Travis |date=2 November 2008 |work=Pensacola News Journal |access-date=4 November 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427012255/http://www.pnj.com/article/20081102/NEWS01/811020335/1006/NEWS01 |archive-date=27 April 2014}}</ref> On 6 November 2008, both officers were found guilty at an [[Nonjudicial punishment|admiral's mast]] on unspecified charges but the resulting punishment was not disclosed.<ref>Scutro, Andrew, "[http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2008/11/navy_blueangels_110708/ 2 Blue Angels found guilty, await punishment] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521185337/http://www.militarytimes.com/news/2008/11/navy_blueangels_110708/ |date=21 May 2011}}", ''[[Military Times]]'', 8 November 2008.</ref>

On 21 April 2007, pilot Kevin "Kojak" Davis was killed and eight people on the ground were injured when Davis lost control of the No.{{nbsp}}6 jet and [[2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash|crashed]] during an air show at the [[Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort]] in [[Beaufort, South Carolina]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Heimer |first=Cathy |date=2007-04-26 |title=Angels pilot dies during South Carolina air show |url=https://www.militarynews.com/norfolk-navy-flagship/news/top_stories/angels-pilot-dies-during-south-carolina-air-show/article_4ae1c6f8-9f60-527e-8755-940dce46288e.html |access-date=2023-10-17 |website=Military News |language=en}}</ref>

The Fat Albert performed its final JATO demonstration at the 2009 Pensacola Homecoming show, expending their eight remaining JATO bottles. This demonstration not only was the last JATO performance of the squadron, but also the final JATO use of the U.S. Marine Corps.<ref>[http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/docs/pr_20090909.pdf "End of JATO for Blue Angels!"], United States Navy, November 2009 {{dead link|date=May 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

In 2009, the Blue Angels were inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the [[San Diego Air & Space Museum]].<ref>[http://sandiegoairandspace.org/exhibits/online-exhibit-page/international-air-space-hall-of-fame International Air & Space Hall of Fame] San Diego Air & Space Museum</ref>

===2010–2019===
[[File:Blue Angels flying in formation1.jpg|thumb|F/A-18 Hornets performing in San Francisco]]

On 22 May 2011, the Blue Angels were performing at the Lynchburg Regional Airshow in [[Lynchburg, Virginia|Lynchburg]], Virginia, when the Diamond formation flew the Barrel Roll Break maneuver at an altitude lower than the required minimum.<ref name="Blue_Angels_Comparison">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlUWQlXQB20 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211103/dlUWQlXQB20 |archive-date=2021-11-03 |url-status=live|title=Blue Angels Lynchburg Va. 2011 was this the problem formation?|last=horsemoney|date=25 May 2011|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The maneuver was aborted, the remainder of the demonstration canceled and all aircraft landed safely. The next day, the Blue Angels announced that they were initiating a safety stand-down, canceling their upcoming Naval Academy Airshow and returning to their home base in [[Pensacola]], [[Florida]], for additional training and airshow practice.<ref>[http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/media/news/20110523_001.pdf Blue Angels Cancel Naval Academy Airshow] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716094617/http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/media/news/20110523_001.pdf |date=16 July 2011}}. United States Navy.</ref> On 26 May, the Blue Angels announced they would not be flying their traditional fly-over of the [[Naval Academy Graduation Ceremony]] and that they were canceling their 28–29 May 2011 performances at the Millville Wings and Wheels Airshow in [[Millville, New Jersey|Millville]], New Jersey.

[[File:Stephen Foley_CO_Blue_Angels.jpg|thumb|Legion of Merit awarded to Flight Leader Stephen Foley]]
On 27 May 2011, the Blue Angels announced that Commander Dave Koss, the squadron's commanding officer, would be stepping down. He was replaced by Captain Greg McWherter, the team's previous commanding officer.<ref name="cnn2011">{{cite news |title= Blue Angels commander steps down after subpar performance |url= http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/27/virginia.blue.angels/ |date= 27 May 2011 |publisher=CNN |access-date=28 May 2011}}</ref> The squadron canceled performances at the [[Rockford, Illinois|Rockford]], Illinois Airfest 4–5 June and the [[Evansville, Indiana|Evansville]], Indiana Freedom Festival Air Show 11–12 June to allow additional practice and demonstration training under McWherter's leadership.<ref name="cnn2011" />

On 29 July 2011, a new Blue Angels Mustang GT was auctioned off for $400,000 at the [[EAA AirVenture Oshkosh|Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Oshkosh (Oshkosh Air Show)]] annual summer gathering of aviation enthusiasts from 25 to 31 July in [[Oshkosh, Wisconsin]] which had an attendance of 541,000 persons and 2,522 show planes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aviationpros.com/home/press-release/10389551/eaa-airventure-oshkosh-2011-facts-and-figures |title=EAA Airventure Oshkosh 2011 Facts and Figures |publisher=AviationPros |date=2 August 2011 |access-date=12 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.carscoops.com/2011/08/one-off-blue-angels-ford-mustang/ |title=One-Off "Blue Angels" Ford Mustang Auctioned at Air Show |publisher=Carscoops |date=1 August 2011 |access-date=12 March 2019}}</ref>

Between 2 and 4 September 2011 on Labor Day weekend, the Blue Angels flew for the first time with a fifty-fifty blend of conventional JP-5 jet fuel and a [[camelina]]-based biofuel at [[Naval Air Station Patuxent River]], Maryland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=ea4cc087-409e-4c72-8e2c-78c3a42d491b |title=Blue Angels Use Biofuel at Patuxent Air Show |publisher=Aero-news.net |date=6 September 2011 |access-date=3 March 2012}}</ref> McWherter flew an F/A-18 test flight on 17 August and stated there were no noticeable differences in performance from inside the cockpit.<ref>{{cite web|last=Austell |first=Jason |url=http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/128900393.html |title=Blue Angels Go Green |work=[[KNSD]] News |date=1 September 2011 |access-date=3 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-news/blue-angels-use-biofuel-at-patuxent-air-show.html |title=Blue Angels Use Biofuel at Patuxent Air Show |publisher=Military.com |date=7 September 2011 |access-date=3 March 2012}}</ref>

On 1 March 2013, the U.S. Navy announced that it was cancelling remaining 2013 performances after 1 April 2013 due to [[Sequester (2013)|sequestration]] budget constraints.<ref>[http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73264 U.S. Navy Cancels Blue Angels 2013 Performances] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140311094216/http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=73264 |date=11 March 2014}} 10 April 2013, U.S. Navy</ref><ref name="Navy_Cancels">{{cite web |url=http://www.blueangels.navy.mil/media/news/20130409_001.pdf |title=U.S. Navy Cancels Blue Angels 2013 Performances |date=9 April 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130417231601/http://blueangels.navy.mil/media/news/20130409_001.pdf |archive-date=17 April 2013}}</ref> In October 2013, Secretary of Defense [[Chuck Hagel]], stating that "community and public outreach is a crucial Departmental activity", announced that the Blue Angels (along with the U.S. Air Force's [[United States Air Force Thunderbirds|Thunderbirds]]) would resume appearing at air shows starting in 2014, although the number of flyovers will continue to be severely reduced.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/10/thunderbirds-and-blue-angels-to-resume-air-shows-but-no-more-flyovers/|title=Thunderbirds, Blue Angels to Resume Air Shows|work=ABC News}}</ref>

On 15 March 2014, the demonstration pilots numbered 1–7 wore gold flight suits to celebrate the team's "return to the skies" during their first air show of the season;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northescambia.com/2014/03/wearing-gold-the-blue-angels-return-to-the-skies |title=Wearing Gold: The Blue Angels Return To The Skies (March 16, 2014) |publisher=NorthEscabia.com |access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref> there were only three air shows in 2013.

In July 2014, Marine Corps C-130 pilot Capt. [[Katie Higgins Cook|Katie Higgins]], 27, became the first female pilot to join the Blue Angels, flying the support aircraft Fat Albert for the 2015 and 2016 show seasons.<ref name="pope2014">{{cite news |url=http://www.flyingmag.com/news/jdK7LcHf6g0emiTC.99 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140727001740/http://www.flyingmag.com/news/jdK7LcHf6g0emiTC.99 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 July 2014 |title=First Female Pilot Joins Blue Angels |date=24 July 2014 |access-date=9 May 2015 |author=Pope, Stephen |work=Flying |via=flyingmag.com}}</ref>

In July 2015, Cmdr. Bob Flynn became the Blue Angels' first executive officer.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/military/sdut-blue-angels-mcwherter-groupme-texts-frosch-2014aug01-htmlstory.html |title=Porn, texts bring Blue Angels overhaul |newspaper=[[San Diego Union Tribune]] |date=2014-09-01 |access-date=2020-12-03}}</ref>

[[File:Blue Angels at Miami Beach memorial day.jpg|thumb|Blue Angels perform at Miami Beach on Memorial Day, 2019]]
On 2 June 2016, Capt. Jeff Kuss, an Opposing Solo, died just after takeoff while performing the Split-S maneuver in his Hornet during a practice run for The Great Tennessee Air Show in [[Smyrna, Tennessee]]. The Navy's investigation found that Capt. Kuss had performed the maneuver too low while failing to retard the throttle out of afterburner, causing him to fall too fast and recover too low above the ground. Capt. Kuss ejected, but his parachute was immediately engulfed in flames, causing him to fall to his death. Kuss' body was recovered just yards away from the crash site. The cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. The investigation also cited weather and pilot fatigue as additional causes of the crash. In a strange twist, Captain Kuss' fatal crash happened hours after the Blue Angels' fellow pilots in the [[United States Air Force Thunderbirds]] suffered a crash of their own, following the [[United States Air Force Academy]] graduation ceremony earlier that day. Capt. Jeff Kuss was replaced by Cmdr. Frank Weisser to finish out the 2016 and 2017 seasons.{{citation needed|reason=Details in paragraph need cite(s)|date=July 2022}}

In July 2016, Boeing was awarded a $12 million contract to begin an engineering proposal for converting the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet for Blue Angels use, with the proposal to be completed by September 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/855424 |title=Contracts for July 25, 2016 |publisher= U.S. Department of Defense |date= 25 July 2016 |access-date=26 July 2016}}</ref>

The Fat Albert (BUNO 164763) was retired from service in May 2019 with 30,000 flight hours. The Blue Angels replaced it with a [[Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules|C-130J Super Hercules]] acquired from the [[Royal Air Force]] (BUNO 170000).<ref>{{Cite web|last=Tegler|first=Eric|title=The Blue Angels' New 'Fat Albert' C-130J Probably Has Dual Citizenship|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/erictegler/2020/08/16/the-blue-angels-new-fat-albert-c-130j-probably-has-dual-citizenship/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref>

=== 2020–present ===
[[File:Blue Angel Boeing Super Hornets Conducting Pitchup Break.jpg|thumb|F/A-18 Super Hornets conducting Pitch up Break at [[Naval Air Station Pensacola|NAS Pensacola]] in late 2020]]
[[File:Blue Angels over Jacksonville 8 5 2020.jpg|thumb|The Blue Angels Flying over the Jacksonville Florida City Center on May 8th, 2020 as a tribute flight to frontline healthcare workers.]]

In response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in the United States]], the Blue Angels flew over multiple US cities as a tribute to healthcare and front line workers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Get To Know the Blue Angels Pilots Flying Across Dallas-Fort Worth Wednesday |url=https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/coronavirus/get-to-know-the-blue-angels-pilots-flying-across-dallas-fort-worth-wednesday/2364347/ |first=Hannah |last=Jones |date=6 May 2020 |work=[[KXAS-TV|KXAS News]] |language=en-US |access-date=2021-08-25}}</ref>

The Blues officially transitioned to [[Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet]]s on 4 November 2020.<ref>{{cite web|last=Correll|first=Diana Stancy|date=2020-12-29|title=New in 2021: Blue Angels to start flying F/A-18 Super Hornets|url=https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/12/29/new-in-2021-blue-angels-to-start-flying-fa-18-super-hornets/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Navy Times|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Venhuizen|first=Harm|date=2020-11-03|title=Blue Angels to make final flight in the legacy F/A/-18 Hornet as they transition to Super Hornets|url=https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2020/11/03/blue-angels-to-make-final-flight-in-the-legacy-fa-18-hornet-as-they-transition-to-super-hornets/|access-date=2021-01-04|website=Military Times|language=en-US}}</ref>

In July 2022, Lt. Amanda Lee was announced as the first woman to serve as a demonstration pilot in the Blue Angels.<ref name="Lt.AmandaLee">{{Cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/07/18/blue-angels-first-woman-female-demonstration-pilot/10088861002/|title=Blue Angels name first woman to serve as demonstration pilot|website=USA Today|date=2022-07-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Martinez |first1=Luis |title=Navy's Blue Angels to get 1st female demonstration team pilot: Lt. Amanda Lee will soon train for the 2023 air show season |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/navys-blue-angels-1st-female-demonstration-team-pilot/story?id=87064771 |website=abcnews |access-date=2022-08-22 |date=2022-07-19}}</ref>