While crowds love hearing the thunderous roar as the Blue Angels’ jets speed by and some even enjoy the slow-moving jumbo-sized Fat Albert support aircraft, there are countless hours of work and preparation that go on before each show. Those who work behind the scenes said from top to bottom, being a part of the Blue Angels team is an honor and a joy.
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels Demonstration Team is back to headline the 2021 Owensboro Air Show this weekend, and they’ll be showing off two new aircrafts. (Click here for more information and a schedule of the Air Show.)
To celebrate their 75th show season as a demonstration team, the Blue Angels will incorporate the C-130J Super Hercules (a transport aircraft) and F/A-18E Super Hornet (tactical fighter jet).
Adam Wilbert is an avionics technician for the team, and he’s confident the Blue Angels are the best in the business.
“We bring a good showcase of what the best that the Navy in the Marine Corps has to offer,” he said. “The precision that the pilots fly these aircrafts with and the maneuvers that they do is, in my opinion, it’s unmatched in the world.”
As an avionics technician, Wilbert performs scheduled and unscheduled maintenance on the F-18 Super Hornet on numerous systems on the aircraft — such as flight controls, mission computers, navigation, and radar.
“We just make sure that we’re doing our job as safely and as by the book as possible so these pilots have a good aircraft, safe aircraft to fly and hopefully make some people smile,” he said.
Wilbert said everyone on the team has to trust each other, but that’s never an issue because they are a small squadron and they spend so much time together.
“It’s a family, it really is,” he said. “The hours that we put in together, the winter training … we all live together, we leave our families and it’s our second family. You need that level of trust for everything that we do here at the Blue Angels.”
Katlin Forster, who is also called Blue Angel No. 8 and serves as the team’ events coordinator, said it takes every person to put on a successful show.
“The Blue Angels really revolves around teamwork, and everyone on this team has a role to play,” she said. “No matter who you are, you’re needed, and there’s always so much work to be done behind the scenes to make our demonstration what it is for the public to see and have that safe demonstration overhead.”
Forster joined the Blue Angels last September. She ultimately plans all of the air shows, working behind the scenes to make it all happen. Starting near the end of November each year, she travels with Blue Angel No. 7, a pilot, for site visits to make sure everything will be set up for the following season.
“I’ve been flying for 8 years, and getting to be a part of this team has been a dream come true,” she said. “Throughout flight school, we shared the hangar with the Blue Angels. Now being part of the team is really just one-of-a-kind, and an experience that has been an adventure and so much fun.”
The Blue Angels represent the “finest” from the Navy and Marine Corps, according to their website. Each member, whether officer or enlisted, is hand-picked from the fleet to be part of the Blue Angels team. Every year, this select group begins a 2- or 3-year rotation traveling across the country and around the world to perform for millions of spectators.
Every year, a total of 17 officers and nearly 100 enlisted men and women volunteer for duty with the Blue Angels. Team members are well-rounded representatives of fleet counterparts and selection is extremely competitive. Each squadron member is individually selected. There are certain requirements that the squadron looks for in hiring a team member, and applicants must be career-oriented Sailors or Marines recommended for Blue Angels duty by their current Commanding Officer.
