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The Blue Angel Creed!
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As a Blue Angel,
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I will dedicate all my efforts to pride,
professionalism and perfection.
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I will strive to honor the crest I earned
and the flag I wear,
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but I will never forget from where I came.
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Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel.
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First day
that I drove up to the hangar
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{\an8}in El Centro and,
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{\an8}you know, saw my name on a parking sign,
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{\an8}saw my name on the door,
saw my name on the side of a jet already,
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{\an8}and it was like, "Man, this is...
this is real."
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I have
the blessing, the privilege,
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the honor to be
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boss of the Blue Angels right now,
and I've been so for a couple years.
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But this is my last year.
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Had a chance to be part
of seven deployments,
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served in a lot of different conflicts
around the world throughout the years.
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And... and naval aviation was a home
and was something that
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I feel like I was meant to do.
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It was something that
I wanted to do since I was a kid.
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Something that I never thought
was actually gonna happen.
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Every year, about a third
of the entire squadron
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rotates back to the fleet.
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The challenge for every boss
is to get the newbies,
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their replacements,
up to speed for the coming season
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and integrated into
the Blue Angel way of life.
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All these thoughts
were going through my mind, like,
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"Oh, man, you know,
it's just... I don't...
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I don't know what I'm doing.
Do I even belong here?"
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But this is it. This is who I am
for the next two years,
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and this is my job for the next two years.
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I am now a Blue Angel.
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All right, welcome back, everybody. Evan.
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Yes, Boss, we'll debrief
our practice over El Centro.
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- Fired up, ready to go.
- All right.
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I'll take a safety for rolling up
to low brake cross at 450.
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Pay Doc ten dollars
for a zipper and a collar.
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I'll fix it all. I'm glad to be here.
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- Cheese.
Yes, sir, Boss.
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I'll have it for safety, though,
but underline deep sag on the fan rollout.
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Naval aviation is something
I fully dedicate myself,
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and I can look back in 20 years
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and say I gave every fiber of my being
to getting better at it.
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But you come to the Blue Angels,
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and that really happens
in that first season
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where you're trying
to figure this thing out.
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That can be scary.
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I'll fix it all.
I'm glad to be here, Boss.
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- All right, Whiskers.
Yes, sir,
Boss,
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I'll take safeties for being 296 knots
out of the PUB.
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Pay Doc five dollars for pregame jitters.
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I'll fix it all. I'm glad to be here,
Boss.
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- Day taps, Boss.
Good jet.
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Good jet.
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All right, roll it!
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There's a crucible
you have to go through together.
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It has to be six pilots
totally synced up, flying as one.
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- Go! Let's go!
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You are clear
to taxi via runway two-four-A.
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How's it going?
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And it can be frustrating at times
to train brand-new guys from the fleet.
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One of the first things we go out and do
is just do basic turns.
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We turn left, we turn right.
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Three, two, nine, seven, four...
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And just do that
over and over again,
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because if you don't have the right
foundation, it's just not gonna work.
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Rip it.
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As the boss,
you're the flight leader.
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You're the conductor.
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You're the lead goose
in the formation, right?
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Ready? Hit it.
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These jets are max performing.
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At low altitudes, at high air speeds,
in close proximity to other aircraft.
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I have to be steady at the helm,
as they say.
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Ease in the power.
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Chomps flies in the four position.
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He's back there watching
and making sure that we're good.
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The number four
pilot for the Blue Angels.
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{\an8}It's the best seat in the house.
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{\an8}You can see everything.
You can see what Boss is doing.
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You can see what
all the wingmen are doing.
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And you're kind of
the airborne safety observer
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because you have
that best seat in the house.
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Yes.
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{\an8}As the flight surgeon on the team,
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{\an8}you're also the lead
ground safety officer.
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- Okay, rolling.
- Okay, rolling.
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I study the demo
inside and out for every position.
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I know where they should be at all times:
their altitude, their air speeds.
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With two brand-new pilots
on the team this year,
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I am constantly watching them.
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Chewy, you kind of start a little flat,
and you're trying to hold it in there,
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and Jamammy actually goes deep.
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Is that kind of what you're seeing?
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Cheese and I
are 100% the newbies.
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Steep learning curve, for sure.
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Just feel deflated
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and like you're the worst pilot ever.
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How did I get here?
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It just rippled through the formation.
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So, like, Jamammy was first,
I was second, then Cheese was third,
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and just, like, the whole formation
shifted, then had to shift back into set.
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So, this year, we've had
a new two pilot, a new three pilot,
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I'm filling a new role as the slot pilot,
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a new six pilot in the demo,
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and then our number five pilot,
he was out half the year last year,
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not flying in the demo,
so we're getting him
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learning how to fly in formation again.
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We're bringing five new people
into this formation and making one demo.
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Good work. See you in a little bit.
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- Yeah.
- Whoo!
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It's one team, six jets.
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{\an8}We all do something
a little bit different.
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{\an8}We'll start the show with four jets,
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{\an8}the Diamond takeoff maneuver.
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{\an8}And then you'll have the two
solo individual takeoff maneuvers.
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Generally, our maneuvers alternate
between Diamond and solos.
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And by the end of the show, we'll get
the Delta together, all six jets.
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{\an8}The Delta Formation is the signature
formation of the Blue Angels.
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Early on in winter training,
both Chomps and I
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are heads on a swivel, making sure
our new guys are learning that
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we've got enough space
to get out of the way.
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Cheese is a guy who's an aggressive guy.
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If you're riding a horse,
you got to pull back on the reins.
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He's a little more pull-back-on-the-reins
type of guy.
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We had to use a term called
"knock it off" a couple times,
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meaning we're stopping right now.
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Cheese was bringing in
a whole bag of knots.
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Coming in way too hot.
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I'm looking over my shoulder going,
"This ain't gonna work."
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Three spot's
incredibly challenging.
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A big departure from what you do
in terms of fleet flying.
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You're also on kind of
the more difficult side of the formation.
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We're all very used to looking left
when we fly,
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which is what Cheese gets to do
in the two spot.
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On the left side, in that three spot,
you're looking right the whole time.
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All your controls are
right in front of you or to the left.
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And it's just sort of
an unnatural position to be in.
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The very first time the Diamond
was practicing the Vertical Break...
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...Jamammy went the wrong way.
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You think to yourself,
okay, as a safety officer,
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is he safe? Number one.
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Two, do I speak up and get in his cockpit,
or do I stay silent right now
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and watch what he does to recover?
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You have to make that decision,
and I decided:
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Remain quiet. This is his first time.
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He looks safe.
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He may be going
the wrong direction. [laughs]
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It's not funny, but it doesn't look like
he's gonna hit anybody else.
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Kind of scared us.
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It was like, how is he gonna
respond to this, right?
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Did he rattle himself to the point
where he's not able to compartmentalize,
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put that one in the past?
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Two flat on the in.
Little mismatch, break the seal.
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Apex ten left, two wide
and five tight in the up.
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Vertical up was three left.
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It's an incredible amount of stress
going in on the newbies.
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You're constantly being told
what you did wrong.
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So, Cheese, we actually overbanked,
it looked like.
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Did you feel good about that one today?
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Cheese, see how tight you look there?
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- And, Cheese, you just
drifted forward again.
Yep.
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All of us are way fast,
and we're all idle/boards
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trying to control everything
in close here.
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Everyone comes into this team
a relatively accomplished pilot, thinking,
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"I feel comfortable flying an F-18,
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I feel... I feel pretty good
about my abilities as a pilot,"
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but this place is the...
it's the great equalizer.
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Time away from family is...
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is the most difficult part
of being on this team.
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Work in El Centro
for three months in a cocoon.
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Which we need to be--
you need that kind of safe place
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to get it to a point where
we can take it on the road.
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But it's just such a grind.
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It's monotonous. It's Groundhog Day.
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You're waking up in the desert
every day in the dark,
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going to work in the dark.
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Flying two or three times every day.
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Going home in the dark,
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and then you're studying
for your flight the next day.
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I'm not the most
academically sound person,
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and it's a struggle.
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So, flying two to three times a day,
that's what you need.
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I absolutely needed it.
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This is how I typically do it.
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Bring it inboard a little bit,
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and I'll extend a little bit here,
and then that'll make
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the arc feel more normal
as we come in here.
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- Yes, sir, Boss.
- Questions?
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00:14:00,334 --> 00:14:01,668
- None.
- All right, fired up, ready to go.
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Fired up, ready to go, Boss.
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We're all responsible for our lives
with... in no uncertain terms.
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Everybody's lives are in
each other's hands,
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that they're not going to do something
that we don't expect.
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It's an unforgiving business.
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Rip it.
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Great job today.
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00:14:33,876 --> 00:14:36,084
Thanks, Boss. It was amazing.
See you back at the ranch.
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You got it, Mo.
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You walk down the halls
in El Centro, and you see
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all the faces that have made up
the past of this organization.
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Legendary figures who you hear about,
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you hear whispers about
throughout the fleet.
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Boss Wooldridge--
he's one of the first people
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I met after I made the team.
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He's a legend.
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00:14:59,418 --> 00:15:01,334
One of
the unique things about him is
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he got called back
209
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to be the boss of the Blue Angels
three total times.
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He's the only guy
that's done it three times.
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He has spent so much time.
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{\an8}He's intimately familiar
with what goes on.
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00:15:14,251 --> 00:15:17,001
When I came
to the Blue Angels, I was amazed
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at how close the formations were
and-and the maneuvers.
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How can you do that?
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But as Vince Lombardi said,
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we're gonna go out there today,
and we're gonna "chase perfection."
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We'll never get perfection,
but along the way,
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we're going to realize excellence.
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...accelerate to
300 miles per hour.
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The markers toward
getting to excellence
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is when you're able to, as a formation,
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feel like you can move it in closer.
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We define our season
by what we call our sets,
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which is how close we fly together.
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At the beginning of the season,
we'll start in our furthest-out set,
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which we call the Fleet Parade.
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As close as you would ever fly
in the Navy.
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{\an8}And then as we start to progress,
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{\an8}we'll start to bring those sets in
a little bit tighter to Blue Gold.
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When we say Blue Gold set,
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{\an8}it's where the line of the blue paint
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{\an8}and the gold paint actually meet.
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{\an8}That's where Jamammy's gonna
put in his head, is underneath that.
235
00:16:20,084 --> 00:16:22,584
{\an8}And that's about 18 inches apart.
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00:16:22,584 --> 00:16:24,543
If you raise your hands
above your head,
237
00:16:24,543 --> 00:16:27,168
it'd be from the top of your fingertips
to your top of your head
238
00:16:27,168 --> 00:16:29,626
is 18 inches away from each other.
239
00:16:29,626 --> 00:16:31,001
22-ton jets,
240
00:16:31,001 --> 00:16:33,293
400 miles an hour.
241
00:16:35,709 --> 00:16:38,376
The next step would be
our closest set, which is Yankee,
242
00:16:38,376 --> 00:16:40,376
meaning that he's
going to put his aircraft
243
00:16:40,376 --> 00:16:42,876
underneath the "Y" on my left wing.
244
00:16:42,876 --> 00:16:46,334
{\an8}So, Jamammy, he's actually gonna
slide up underneath like that.
245
00:16:47,418 --> 00:16:50,876
{\an8}That creates that parallax that we're all
in that perfect Diamond Formation
246
00:16:50,876 --> 00:16:54,293
{\an8}and almost have our wingtips overlapping.
247
00:16:59,126 --> 00:17:02,251
As the new number two,
I set the formation.
248
00:17:03,293 --> 00:17:07,418
I need to be perfect in every way
because everybody looks at me
249
00:17:07,418 --> 00:17:09,043
to set the distance.
250
00:17:10,418 --> 00:17:12,126
If I'm off by a letter,
251
00:17:12,126 --> 00:17:14,334
Jamammy then looks at that
and he sets it off of me,
252
00:17:14,334 --> 00:17:16,918
and then Chomps sets that distance
off of both of us.
253
00:17:16,918 --> 00:17:20,418
So, if there's any mismatch down the line,
254
00:17:20,418 --> 00:17:22,626
essentially, it's probably caused by me.
255
00:17:30,626 --> 00:17:34,126
People just don't realize
how physically demanding the flight is.
256
00:17:38,084 --> 00:17:39,584
I mean, the demo is
257
00:17:39,584 --> 00:17:43,001
45 minutes of, as Blue Angel eight
calls it, pure violence.
258
00:17:48,334 --> 00:17:51,543
We had, first of all,
a 45-pound spring
259
00:17:51,543 --> 00:17:53,543
pulling the stick away from us.
260
00:17:53,543 --> 00:17:57,043
You couldn't get a good feel for it
unless it was pulling away from you
261
00:17:57,043 --> 00:17:59,126
at about 45 pounds.
262
00:18:01,959 --> 00:18:05,834
It is a full-body workout
when these aviators fly,
263
00:18:05,834 --> 00:18:08,126
from their feet to their hands
to their head.
264
00:18:10,126 --> 00:18:12,376
They use their entire body
265
00:18:12,376 --> 00:18:14,751
to combat g-forces.
266
00:18:19,209 --> 00:18:21,751
When you're pulling g's
in the aircraft, all your blood
267
00:18:21,751 --> 00:18:24,959
{\an8}is rushing down to your legs,
to your lower extremities.
268
00:18:24,959 --> 00:18:27,459
{\an8}And once that blood leaves your head,
269
00:18:27,459 --> 00:18:30,293
you're then at risk
of loss of consciousness.
270
00:18:33,084 --> 00:18:35,126
First sign is
you're gonna lose your vision
271
00:18:35,126 --> 00:18:38,959
and start graying out-- tunnel vision.
272
00:18:38,959 --> 00:18:44,043
In order to combat that, we're gonna push
that blood back up with our muscles.
273
00:18:44,043 --> 00:18:47,376
Squeezing the legs,
the butt, the abs.
274
00:18:47,376 --> 00:18:51,001
And if it's a real heavy g pull,
then making sure I lock down
275
00:18:51,001 --> 00:18:52,584
a three-quarter-lung-capacity breath.
276
00:19:06,334 --> 00:19:10,751
As a pilot, you understand the risk.
277
00:19:10,751 --> 00:19:13,293
You do a job where,
at practice, in training,
278
00:19:13,293 --> 00:19:15,418
you can end it all in an accident.
279
00:19:18,293 --> 00:19:20,501
So it's just... it's a mix of emotions.
280
00:19:28,043 --> 00:19:30,043
What we do
is very dangerous.
281
00:19:30,043 --> 00:19:34,084
First couple times you take off,
you got to push the "I believe" button.
282
00:19:34,084 --> 00:19:36,376
{\an8}But one of the things we learn
in flight school
283
00:19:36,376 --> 00:19:38,459
{\an8}very early on is it's a team sport.
284
00:19:38,459 --> 00:19:40,584
{\an8}We're all the same,
cut from the same cloth.
285
00:19:42,751 --> 00:19:47,168
The risk is never any lower
when we go out and practice
286
00:19:47,168 --> 00:19:50,168
as it is when we're doing the actual show,
so we take
287
00:19:50,168 --> 00:19:51,876
a fine-tooth comb to everything.
288
00:20:07,376 --> 00:20:08,918
It looked like
we were good, and--
289
00:20:08,918 --> 00:20:10,876
We were good until a half mile.
290
00:20:10,876 --> 00:20:13,168
That's gonna be your focus
for tomorrow, is that arc.
291
00:20:13,168 --> 00:20:15,209
So let's take a hammer down
to that one tomorrow.
292
00:20:15,209 --> 00:20:16,751
Really try to fine-tune that.
293
00:20:18,543 --> 00:20:21,209
During the debrief,
we dissect everything.
294
00:20:21,209 --> 00:20:23,501
There's definitely times
at the end of days
295
00:20:23,501 --> 00:20:25,918
where you're frustrated
'cause you can't get a maneuver right.
296
00:20:25,918 --> 00:20:29,376
And not only do you know
that you did it incorrectly in the air,
297
00:20:29,376 --> 00:20:32,793
but now you get to watch it
frame by frame on a TV screen,
298
00:20:32,793 --> 00:20:34,876
like, zoomed in with an HD camera,
299
00:20:34,876 --> 00:20:37,751
so you can really see
how bad you were, you know.
300
00:20:37,751 --> 00:20:41,251
But that's-that's part of it.
That's how we... that's how we get better.
301
00:20:41,251 --> 00:20:44,876
Every single person does that,
including Boss.
302
00:20:44,876 --> 00:20:47,459
That's, like... that's a tendency for me,
probably a tendency for somebody else,
303
00:20:47,459 --> 00:20:49,001
is you're trying to get down this much...
304
00:20:49,001 --> 00:20:51,501
You should be your own worst critic.
305
00:20:51,501 --> 00:20:52,959
That's a commitment we have.
306
00:20:52,959 --> 00:20:55,043
It's easy to say, tough to do.
307
00:20:55,043 --> 00:20:56,834
Be a better version of yourself.
Be a better teammate.
308
00:20:56,834 --> 00:20:58,459
Help the team get better every day.
309
00:21:00,876 --> 00:21:03,959
- Let's go, let's go, let's go.
310
00:21:03,959 --> 00:21:06,709
-"Diamond" on three. One, two, three.
Diamond!
311
00:21:08,709 --> 00:21:11,084
Failing together.
312
00:21:11,084 --> 00:21:13,001
The "failing together" mindset
313
00:21:13,001 --> 00:21:14,501
really gets people close.
314
00:21:17,209 --> 00:21:19,918
Everything is trust,
315
00:21:19,918 --> 00:21:22,918
and so far, over El Centro,
that's where we really build that trust.
316
00:21:27,501 --> 00:21:30,043
What you're seeing now
in this final week is this teamwork,
317
00:21:30,043 --> 00:21:31,709
this focus point, this foundation
318
00:21:31,709 --> 00:21:35,126
to try to reach for that perfection
every single day.
319
00:21:35,126 --> 00:21:37,209
But the closer you get to that pinnacle,
320
00:21:37,209 --> 00:21:39,209
the further away
you realize you actually are.
321
00:21:39,209 --> 00:21:42,668
♪ Well, it seems so real ♪
322
00:21:42,668 --> 00:21:45,376
♪ I can see it ♪
323
00:21:45,376 --> 00:21:48,251
♪ And it seems so real ♪
324
00:21:48,251 --> 00:21:50,959
♪ I can feel it ♪
325
00:21:50,959 --> 00:21:53,959
♪ And it seems so real ♪
326
00:21:53,959 --> 00:21:56,918
♪ I can taste it ♪
327
00:21:56,918 --> 00:21:59,709
♪ And it seems so real ♪
328
00:21:59,709 --> 00:22:02,501
♪ I can hear it ♪
329
00:22:02,501 --> 00:22:07,751
♪ So why ♪
330
00:22:07,751 --> 00:22:10,668
♪ Can't I touch it? ♪
331
00:22:14,293 --> 00:22:18,584
♪ So why ♪
332
00:22:18,584 --> 00:22:21,584
♪ Can't I touch it? ♪
333
00:22:49,251 --> 00:22:52,334
All right. It's Friday, March 11, 2022
334
00:22:52,334 --> 00:22:54,418
over Naval Air Facility El Centro,
California,
335
00:22:54,418 --> 00:22:57,626
where the winds are three-three-zero
at nine, ten miles vis, sky clear.
336
00:22:57,626 --> 00:23:01,668
Forecast for the winds: three-four-zero
at six, unlimited vis, sky clear.
337
00:23:01,668 --> 00:23:04,209
When we're cleared for takeoff, we'll put
four on the runway with a wind check.
338
00:23:04,209 --> 00:23:08,001
Check your parking brake off.
Diamond Half Squirrel Cage.
339
00:23:08,001 --> 00:23:09,876
Left turnout
followed by the solo section...
340
00:23:09,876 --> 00:23:13,751
During the briefs,
we will follow around our ground track
341
00:23:13,751 --> 00:23:16,126
with our pens
as Boss is talking through the sequence.
342
00:23:16,126 --> 00:23:19,376
Whiskers will be in from behind
the crowd to Sneak to Vertical Rolls,
343
00:23:19,376 --> 00:23:22,543
and the five ship will be in from
the right for the Line Abreast Loop.
344
00:23:22,543 --> 00:23:25,209
Once we get
to a certain maneuver,
345
00:23:25,209 --> 00:23:26,626
we will chair-fly.
346
00:23:26,626 --> 00:23:28,168
Around the crowd for the Delta Roll.
347
00:23:28,168 --> 00:23:29,334
- Ball, say five.
Cheese.
348
00:23:29,334 --> 00:23:30,418
Jamammy.
Chomps.
349
00:23:30,418 --> 00:23:31,501
Chewy.
Whiskers.
350
00:23:31,501 --> 00:23:33,584
After you do it so much,
351
00:23:33,584 --> 00:23:36,668
you know exactly where you're going,
what you're doing, how it's gonna feel,
352
00:23:36,668 --> 00:23:39,418
and you can actually, like,
visualize yourself doing it,
353
00:23:39,418 --> 00:23:44,459
getting a-a practice in on that maneuver
before you go out and do it.
354
00:23:44,459 --> 00:23:46,959
Airspeed call. Come left.
355
00:23:46,959 --> 00:23:48,209
Got six, Boss.
356
00:23:48,209 --> 00:23:50,209
Boss.
357
00:23:50,209 --> 00:23:51,709
Come in for left.
358
00:23:53,709 --> 00:23:55,334
We're left turn for the Delta Roll.
359
00:23:55,334 --> 00:23:58,709
A little more pull.
360
00:23:58,709 --> 00:24:01,543
Horizon seven-five, easing power idle.
361
00:24:01,543 --> 00:24:03,334
Ready? Roll hat.
362
00:24:04,543 --> 00:24:06,209
- We're left turn for the Fleur De Lis.
Cheese.
363
00:24:06,209 --> 00:24:07,293
Jamammy.
Chomps.
364
00:24:07,293 --> 00:24:08,668
Chewy.
Whiskers.
365
00:24:12,376 --> 00:24:14,584
Distractions, we talked about it,
are gonna be here.
366
00:24:14,584 --> 00:24:15,959
It's game-on time.
367
00:24:15,959 --> 00:24:18,751
And just keep in mind
you're gonna have jitters.
368
00:24:18,751 --> 00:24:21,876
You're gonna go out there,
and even though it's at El Centro,
369
00:24:21,876 --> 00:24:24,376
there's-there's gonna be
a few thousand people there
370
00:24:24,376 --> 00:24:27,668
that'll be saying something
that's gonna be looking to distract you.
371
00:24:27,668 --> 00:24:29,876
Think about that tonight,
and think about when you get in there,
372
00:24:29,876 --> 00:24:32,751
just like we talked about,
everything from the walk down,
373
00:24:32,751 --> 00:24:36,168
start talking the cadence,
thinking about it, hop in the jet,
374
00:24:36,168 --> 00:24:39,001
do everything and don't get distracted
by looking around.
375
00:24:39,001 --> 00:24:40,709
Stay focused inside the canopy.
376
00:24:40,709 --> 00:24:43,584
And then once we're on the runway,
it's same as it ever was.
377
00:24:43,584 --> 00:24:45,001
So, with that, I'm glad to be here.
378
00:24:45,001 --> 00:24:46,668
Rip it!
379
00:25:16,293 --> 00:25:18,293
We're going to try to do
what we can to make the demo
380
00:25:18,293 --> 00:25:22,751
as tight, as low,
as entertaining as possible.
381
00:25:22,751 --> 00:25:24,459
But that's not my line.
382
00:25:24,459 --> 00:25:27,376
You know, this...
this-this tiger that I'm chasing.
383
00:25:28,543 --> 00:25:30,293
The most important thing is
384
00:25:30,293 --> 00:25:32,043
six jets up, six jets down.
385
00:25:44,001 --> 00:25:46,001
First day of the show season,
386
00:25:46,001 --> 00:25:49,168
and I can't tell you
what it's gonna feel like.
387
00:25:49,168 --> 00:25:51,626
I have no idea what to expect.
388
00:25:51,626 --> 00:25:53,126
You know, it's another
one of those things.
389
00:25:53,126 --> 00:25:56,543
Like, man, am I... am I ready to do this?
390
00:26:31,668 --> 00:26:34,584
Ladies
and gentlemen, your United States Navy
391
00:26:34,584 --> 00:26:37,418
takes pleasure in performing for you this,
392
00:26:37,418 --> 00:26:39,459
our first flight demonstration
of the season.
393
00:26:41,876 --> 00:26:44,834
Now, to the left,
Captain Kesselring calls:
394
00:26:44,834 --> 00:26:47,043
"Smoke on. Off brakes now.
395
00:26:47,043 --> 00:26:48,376
Burners ready now."
396
00:26:48,376 --> 00:26:50,084
And the Blue Angel Diamond is rolling.
397
00:26:51,084 --> 00:26:53,584
Burners ready now.
398
00:27:19,501 --> 00:27:21,834
The Diamond is
approaching for a maneuver that is likely
399
00:27:21,834 --> 00:27:25,501
familiar to those of you who have seen
the Blue Angels perform in the past.
400
00:27:25,501 --> 00:27:29,001
From the right, at 400 miles per hour,
the Diamond Roll.
401
00:27:31,876 --> 00:27:36,918
All four aircraft flying as one in this
graceful 360-degree rolling maneuver.
402
00:27:49,293 --> 00:27:51,334
The two solo pilots will next demonstrate
403
00:27:51,334 --> 00:27:55,293
the inverted flight capability
of the F-18.
404
00:27:55,293 --> 00:27:57,876
Approaching inverted from the left
and right, Lieutenant Commander Rickoff
405
00:27:57,876 --> 00:28:02,001
and Lieutenant Commander Bratton
will roll their aircraft 360 degrees.
406
00:28:02,001 --> 00:28:03,501
Bratty, hit it.
407
00:28:09,459 --> 00:28:14,126
Ladies and gentlemen,
the Opposing Inverted to Inverted Roll.
408
00:28:16,959 --> 00:28:20,001
As the four Diamond pilots approach,
you should notice
409
00:28:20,001 --> 00:28:23,626
the flight leader and slot pilot
are both in the inverted position.
410
00:28:23,626 --> 00:28:25,501
The Blue Angel Double Farvel.
411
00:28:25,501 --> 00:28:26,876
Ready? Hit it.
412
00:28:40,626 --> 00:28:42,084
Rip it.
413
00:28:43,168 --> 00:28:45,668
Pull. Pull it.
414
00:28:52,584 --> 00:28:55,084
The 2022 team
takes a great deal of pride
415
00:28:55,084 --> 00:28:57,668
in saluting Navy
and Marine Corps aviators,
416
00:28:57,668 --> 00:29:01,251
maintenance crews
and support personnel everywhere.
417
00:29:01,251 --> 00:29:04,584
From the left, your Blue Angels.
418
00:29:19,376 --> 00:29:22,418
It has been an honor and our pleasure
to perform for you
419
00:29:22,418 --> 00:29:25,626
our first flight demonstration
of the season.
420
00:29:29,168 --> 00:29:31,543
The Blue Angels aren't about
just jet performance.
421
00:29:31,543 --> 00:29:35,084
Anybody can go out there and learn
to do a lot of twirls and loops and rolls,
422
00:29:35,084 --> 00:29:36,584
but to do it together,
423
00:29:36,584 --> 00:29:39,918
to make six jets fly as one,
that's the magic.
424
00:29:39,918 --> 00:29:41,334
That's the Blue Angel magic.
425
00:29:41,334 --> 00:29:42,668
Ladies and gentlemen,
426
00:29:42,668 --> 00:29:45,709
representing your United States Navy
and Marine Corps,
427
00:29:45,709 --> 00:29:48,209
the Blue Angels 2022.
428
00:29:51,001 --> 00:29:54,251
It was a little bumpy road,
but I made it.
429
00:29:54,251 --> 00:29:56,918
Once we finished crowd-lining,
you know, Chomps came up and said,
430
00:29:56,918 --> 00:29:59,876
"Hey, guys, congrats.
You're... you're demo pilots now."
431
00:30:00,876 --> 00:30:02,876
So it was pretty incredible.
432
00:30:05,793 --> 00:30:07,626
You finish
that show in El Centro,
433
00:30:07,626 --> 00:30:10,501
that drop of salute happens,
you head back to your room,
434
00:30:10,501 --> 00:30:12,209
and you start packing it up.
435
00:30:12,209 --> 00:30:14,626
Then you see Fat Albert
getting loaded up with all of our gear,
436
00:30:14,626 --> 00:30:17,168
all of our personnel,
and you realize that,
437
00:30:17,168 --> 00:30:21,209
"Hey, I've got an eight-month season
staring me in the face right now."
438
00:30:22,876 --> 00:30:24,709
So it's daunting, to say the least.
439
00:30:24,709 --> 00:30:28,334
Not just that first week
but every week after that.
440
00:30:28,334 --> 00:30:31,751
Bert's rolling, and so are we,
to a... to a town near you.
441
00:30:33,668 --> 00:30:37,126
Fat Albert is
our C-130J Super Hercules asset,
442
00:30:37,126 --> 00:30:39,376
affectionately known as Bert.
443
00:30:39,376 --> 00:30:42,043
Those are our Marines, an all-Marine crew.
444
00:30:42,043 --> 00:30:44,126
They also provide logistics support.
445
00:30:45,834 --> 00:30:48,668
{\an8}Fat Albert is key in essentially
supporting the team
446
00:30:48,668 --> 00:30:50,584
{\an8}to and from every single air show site.
447
00:30:51,668 --> 00:30:55,793
It's about 30,000 pounds of cargo,
45 personnel.
448
00:30:57,084 --> 00:31:00,043
- Okay, you got all the newbies?
- Maybe.
449
00:31:00,043 --> 00:31:01,376
- Yeah.
450
00:31:01,376 --> 00:31:03,876
We have
six pallets worth of gear.
451
00:31:03,876 --> 00:31:06,334
{\an8}All of our friends are sitting
on the red seats or blue seats
452
00:31:06,334 --> 00:31:10,584
{\an8}on the sides, crammed in tight,
almost knee to pallet.
453
00:31:10,584 --> 00:31:13,668
- And about this close to your buddy.
454
00:31:20,834 --> 00:31:23,084
We've just done
that first air show.
455
00:31:23,084 --> 00:31:25,293
Now we're off to New Orleans.
456
00:31:25,293 --> 00:31:27,543
We're gonna roll into town like a...
457
00:31:27,543 --> 00:31:28,751
like a circus, I guess.
458
00:31:32,251 --> 00:31:34,459
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels
returned to town this weekend.
459
00:31:34,459 --> 00:31:35,876
The Blue Angels
came into town,
460
00:31:35,876 --> 00:31:38,209
{\an8}landing at the Naval Air Station
in Belle Chasse.
461
00:31:42,918 --> 00:31:44,876
Right when
we get there with Fat Albert,
462
00:31:44,876 --> 00:31:47,376
you know, we kind of, like, set the tone.
463
00:31:48,959 --> 00:31:53,376
When that crew entrance door opens,
everything is set up perfectly
464
00:31:53,376 --> 00:31:55,168
so that we're able to put on a great show.
465
00:31:56,751 --> 00:31:59,918
It's definitely similar
to being on a sports team.
466
00:32:01,168 --> 00:32:03,001
The schedule is relentless.
467
00:32:04,293 --> 00:32:07,126
You are constantly on the road.
You're constantly traveling.
468
00:32:08,251 --> 00:32:10,876
Exact mesh of a sports team
469
00:32:10,876 --> 00:32:13,834
with the schedule of a touring
rock and roll band.
470
00:32:18,793 --> 00:32:21,376
{\an8}I always say it's like
planning 30 weddings.
471
00:32:21,376 --> 00:32:24,918
{\an8}Thirty weddings and 30 places
you've never been to
472
00:32:24,918 --> 00:32:26,709
{\an8}with 30 families you've just met.
473
00:32:44,751 --> 00:32:46,918
Great job today.
474
00:32:49,584 --> 00:32:51,418
Pitch-Up Break. Cheese, upper deck.
475
00:32:51,418 --> 00:32:52,584
And down.
476
00:33:25,043 --> 00:33:27,251
Coming back home
at the end of those three months
477
00:33:27,251 --> 00:33:29,501
and-and seeing our families
on the flight line
478
00:33:29,501 --> 00:33:32,001
for the first time was incredible.
479
00:33:38,793 --> 00:33:41,084
It's so special to have this home base.
480
00:33:43,084 --> 00:33:45,751
This place that just loves us so much.
481
00:33:47,793 --> 00:33:49,209
Our families are here.
482
00:33:49,209 --> 00:33:51,668
Our families live here all the time.
483
00:33:59,668 --> 00:34:05,293
For me, when I found out
I made the team, that was on July 11th.
484
00:34:05,293 --> 00:34:06,584
One month later, Jo was born.
485
00:34:06,584 --> 00:34:09,709
And a month after that,
I left to go join the team.
486
00:34:09,709 --> 00:34:13,501
So, the fact that they take care
of our families so well, I think,
487
00:34:13,501 --> 00:34:16,751
is what really, uh,
endears this place to us.
488
00:35:15,168 --> 00:35:17,918
I never had any thought
that I would be on the team.
489
00:35:17,918 --> 00:35:20,376
You know, joining a team
where I'm gonna be gone for,
490
00:35:20,376 --> 00:35:22,584
you know, nearly 300 days a year,
491
00:35:22,584 --> 00:35:25,668
uh, with a brand-new little daughter
and having some tough conversations
492
00:35:25,668 --> 00:35:28,084
with my wife about:
"Do we want to do this?"
493
00:35:28,084 --> 00:35:30,126
And for me, it was... it was:
494
00:35:30,126 --> 00:35:33,293
This is a way I can, you know,
in a sense, kind of give back.
495
00:35:36,751 --> 00:35:38,876
June 20, 1986.
496
00:35:38,876 --> 00:35:41,793
I'm, like, this nine-year-old boy
up in Fargo, North Dakota.
497
00:35:43,501 --> 00:35:47,584
My dream when I saw the Blue Angels
was to go serve my country.
498
00:35:50,418 --> 00:35:52,709
You know, I grew up
playing sports-- basketball--
499
00:35:52,709 --> 00:35:54,876
and finishing up college
and, you know, thinking like,
500
00:35:54,876 --> 00:35:57,584
"Boy, I'd love to fly for the Navy,
but I'm just... you know, I'm too big.
501
00:35:57,584 --> 00:35:59,376
I can't fit in the cockpit."
502
00:35:59,376 --> 00:36:02,876
And sure enough, it turns out I fit
and they-they would have me,
503
00:36:02,876 --> 00:36:05,876
and kind of the rest is history,
as far as joining the Navy.
504
00:36:10,251 --> 00:36:11,876
I'm currently
a major in the Marine Corps,
505
00:36:11,876 --> 00:36:14,334
managing aircraft maintenance.
506
00:36:15,418 --> 00:36:17,834
Brian told me, you know,
"One of the bucket things in my career
507
00:36:17,834 --> 00:36:19,626
is to maybe apply for the Blue Angels.
508
00:36:19,626 --> 00:36:21,709
It's one in a million.
One in a million, though.
509
00:36:21,709 --> 00:36:23,126
We're never gonna get it."
510
00:36:23,126 --> 00:36:28,668
And we were both in quite a bit of shock
when we found out that that was happening.
511
00:36:28,668 --> 00:36:31,459
We're just super fortunate
to have been stationed together.
512
00:36:32,834 --> 00:36:34,876
For the next duty station,
he's got his orders.
513
00:36:34,876 --> 00:36:37,709
I do not have my orders yet,
so I'm still kind of knocking on wood,
514
00:36:37,709 --> 00:36:40,793
hoping everything kind of
comes in alignment for it.
515
00:36:40,793 --> 00:36:42,418
But again, it's not...
516
00:36:42,418 --> 00:36:44,626
Don't stress about something
you don't have the control over.
517
00:36:46,626 --> 00:36:49,709
It's definitely a bit of a jigsaw,
as far as trying to, you know,
518
00:36:49,709 --> 00:36:52,168
plan a family in the military.
519
00:36:52,168 --> 00:36:53,918
It's doable. I mean, we've got two.
520
00:36:53,918 --> 00:36:55,834
It's definitely doable, so...
521
00:36:55,834 --> 00:36:59,543
it'll be just one of those things
that you... that you work through.
522
00:36:59,543 --> 00:37:01,084
Yeah, there you are.
523
00:37:01,084 --> 00:37:02,501
All right, Remy.
524
00:37:06,001 --> 00:37:08,834
There's not much flying tours left
for a guy like me.
525
00:37:08,834 --> 00:37:11,584
The mission was really what...
what I went back to.
526
00:37:13,501 --> 00:37:17,793
People's dreams, uh, dreams they never
thought they could possibly achieve,
527
00:37:17,793 --> 00:37:21,584
can come true, and that's the mentality
we want in the Blue Angels.
528
00:37:27,126 --> 00:37:28,918
What I never realized--
529
00:37:28,918 --> 00:37:32,293
and I've been on great teams before--
what I didn't realize is how attached
530
00:37:32,293 --> 00:37:33,584
I'd be to this team.
531
00:37:33,584 --> 00:37:35,918
Bye-bye, Remy.
532
00:37:47,793 --> 00:37:49,918
There isn't a family
like a Blue Angel family.
533
00:37:49,918 --> 00:37:51,251
And I'll miss that.
534
00:37:51,251 --> 00:37:54,334
I'll miss that and...
and all that goes along with it.
535
00:37:56,126 --> 00:37:58,543
Everything here is about
being a member of the team.
536
00:38:00,626 --> 00:38:05,043
It takes all 141 personnel
on our command doing their job,
537
00:38:05,043 --> 00:38:07,334
putting forth that maximum effort.
538
00:38:09,501 --> 00:38:10,959
It's constant.
539
00:38:10,959 --> 00:38:13,918
It's 18 hours a day
with the same people every day.
540
00:38:13,918 --> 00:38:16,126
So every single person in here--
every pilot,
541
00:38:16,126 --> 00:38:18,459
every officer, every teammate,
every enlisted maintainer--
542
00:38:18,459 --> 00:38:20,959
whatever position we have
on this team is family.
543
00:38:20,959 --> 00:38:23,334
♪ Through the hard times and the good...
544
00:38:23,334 --> 00:38:25,793
What's up? Mic check.
Hey!
545
00:38:25,793 --> 00:38:27,584
Like I said,
give it 100%.
546
00:38:27,584 --> 00:38:30,209
This is the time that I need y'all.
I'm glad to be here.
547
00:38:30,209 --> 00:38:32,209
Whoo!
548
00:38:41,168 --> 00:38:43,418
♪ I have to praise you ♪
549
00:38:45,418 --> 00:38:46,626
♪ I have to praise you...
550
00:38:46,626 --> 00:38:49,543
Chief Mass Communication Specialist
Paul Archer.
551
00:38:50,626 --> 00:38:53,126
My name
is Oyindamola Michael.
552
00:38:53,126 --> 00:38:55,001
I am the number six crew chief.
553
00:38:55,001 --> 00:38:57,251
My name is
Lieutenant Griffin Stangel.
554
00:38:57,251 --> 00:38:58,876
Uh, call sign "Push Pop."
555
00:38:58,876 --> 00:39:01,501
Lieutenant Brian Abe. Uh, I go by Mo here.
556
00:39:01,501 --> 00:39:03,543
Lieutenant Paul Kruger, call sign "Suppo."
557
00:39:03,543 --> 00:39:05,126
I'm Lieutenant Henry Cedeño
558
00:39:05,126 --> 00:39:06,709
from Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico.
559
00:39:06,709 --> 00:39:09,001
♪ I have to praise you...
560
00:39:12,209 --> 00:39:14,501
So, my role on the team
as Blue Angel number seven
561
00:39:14,501 --> 00:39:16,001
is I'm the narrator.
562
00:39:16,001 --> 00:39:17,501
♪ I have to praise you...
563
00:39:17,501 --> 00:39:20,126
My goal is to interact
with a crowd of tens of thousands,
564
00:39:20,126 --> 00:39:22,293
sometimes hundreds of thousands of people.
565
00:39:24,959 --> 00:39:27,293
I'm a mass
communication specialist.
566
00:39:27,293 --> 00:39:28,584
We're aerial photographers, right?
567
00:39:28,584 --> 00:39:30,126
We get to go up and fly in the jet
568
00:39:30,126 --> 00:39:32,834
and take all the pretty Blue Angel photos.
569
00:39:37,543 --> 00:39:39,918
I've got a female
front man right now.
570
00:39:39,918 --> 00:39:41,918
That's only happened,
I think, maybe once before.
571
00:39:41,918 --> 00:39:43,293
You know, running the entire crew.
572
00:39:43,293 --> 00:39:45,584
What's up,
guys?
Hey!
573
00:39:45,584 --> 00:39:47,834
All right, all hands
tomorrow is gonna be 0800.
574
00:39:47,834 --> 00:39:50,043
I got a lot of information
to put out, so pay attention.
575
00:39:50,043 --> 00:39:51,209
I need two volunteers.
576
00:39:51,209 --> 00:39:52,918
From '99 to 2000,
577
00:39:52,918 --> 00:39:55,251
Karen Marini was
the last female front man.
578
00:39:55,251 --> 00:39:56,668
They called her Frontchik.
579
00:39:56,668 --> 00:39:58,043
Now I go by Front Ma'am.
580
00:39:58,043 --> 00:40:00,668
And then my bravo is a front man.
581
00:40:00,668 --> 00:40:03,876
Hot seat, Front Ma'am.
Flight walk complete. We have ATAF...
582
00:40:03,876 --> 00:40:07,084
Essentially, I'm walking
every single jet on the line,
583
00:40:07,084 --> 00:40:09,668
along with our crew chiefs.
584
00:40:09,668 --> 00:40:13,709
We have 12 crew chiefs,
and it's two crew chiefs per pilot.
585
00:40:16,126 --> 00:40:20,334
I'm the number one crew chief,
Boss Kesselring's crew chief.
586
00:40:20,334 --> 00:40:22,084
We go in the cockpit,
just check everything
587
00:40:22,084 --> 00:40:24,043
that the pilot would check
before they take off.
588
00:40:24,043 --> 00:40:27,584
Flight controls, you know,
the displays, everything.
589
00:40:27,584 --> 00:40:30,501
And then I'm just
double-verifying, triple-verifying
590
00:40:30,501 --> 00:40:33,209
everything's good for that pilot to get
in the cockpit and go out and fly.
591
00:40:34,459 --> 00:40:37,376
As a pilot, I never
pre-flighted an airplane.
592
00:40:37,376 --> 00:40:40,959
I had so much trust in my crew chief.
593
00:40:40,959 --> 00:40:44,876
All I do is get
in my aircraft and strap in.
594
00:40:44,876 --> 00:40:47,376
He'd tell me it's good to go,
and it's good to go.
595
00:40:47,376 --> 00:40:51,043
When the jet's good to go,
we do a signature handshake.
596
00:40:51,043 --> 00:40:53,876
- We do it and go, "Whoo!"
Whoo!
597
00:40:53,876 --> 00:40:56,376
♪ Praise you like I should ♪
598
00:40:56,376 --> 00:40:59,043
♪ I have to praise you ♪
599
00:40:59,043 --> 00:41:00,751
Uh, prepare to take off.
600
00:41:07,584 --> 00:41:10,209
When I was four years old,
my dad took me to an air show
601
00:41:10,209 --> 00:41:12,126
in Fort Worth, Texas,
602
00:41:12,126 --> 00:41:15,126
and I got to watch the Blue Angels fly
for the very first time.
603
00:41:15,126 --> 00:41:17,084
I thought that they were awesome.
604
00:41:17,084 --> 00:41:18,918
To the point where I, like,
ran away from my parents
605
00:41:18,918 --> 00:41:20,834
to go try to find the jets,
wherever they were parked.
606
00:41:20,834 --> 00:41:22,376
And they had to come up
over the loudspeaker:
607
00:41:22,376 --> 00:41:23,959
"If you've lost a little
four-year-old son,
608
00:41:23,959 --> 00:41:25,751
can you come to the announcer booth
609
00:41:25,751 --> 00:41:28,459
and we'll give your son
back to you" type of thing.
610
00:41:28,459 --> 00:41:32,251
I found 'em. I fell in love
with aviation at four years old.
611
00:41:36,334 --> 00:41:38,626
I wanted to do something like that.
612
00:41:38,626 --> 00:41:41,043
Right when Cheese's jet
kind of drifted deep,
613
00:41:41,043 --> 00:41:44,751
your jet looked like it just twitched
and kind of almost did the same thing.
614
00:41:44,751 --> 00:41:46,751
So we just need to focus on that set
down the line, especially...
615
00:41:46,751 --> 00:41:48,459
Chomps is a big softie.
616
00:41:48,459 --> 00:41:50,668
He just understands the stakes at play.
617
00:41:50,668 --> 00:41:53,543
I mean, he's the guy
that has the best vantage point
618
00:41:53,543 --> 00:41:57,209
of the entire formation
every second, every day.
619
00:41:58,793 --> 00:42:03,668
That's a heavy weight, and Boss kind of
owns that as the commanding officer.
620
00:42:03,668 --> 00:42:05,459
But there are things I just can't see.
621
00:42:06,543 --> 00:42:08,293
And back there, we had some depth...
622
00:42:08,293 --> 00:42:12,293
Chomps is, uh,
our lone Marine Corps pilot.
623
00:42:12,293 --> 00:42:14,209
We make fun of him,
call him General Zastoupil,
624
00:42:14,209 --> 00:42:16,709
because he kind of gives off that persona
625
00:42:16,709 --> 00:42:19,168
when he... when he goes
and talks to people.
626
00:42:19,168 --> 00:42:21,084
All right, so big take away
is now gonna be reducing
627
00:42:21,084 --> 00:42:23,584
the overreaction for the flat there.
628
00:42:24,459 --> 00:42:25,709
Yeah, I was trying not to hit him.
629
00:42:25,709 --> 00:42:29,834
I know, but that's a huge, huge
dump on the nose.
630
00:42:29,834 --> 00:42:33,126
That's correct. It's also the closest
I've ever been to a jet.
631
00:42:33,126 --> 00:42:35,709
So...
- I can freeze it and hold it, but...
632
00:42:37,334 --> 00:42:39,001
There's gotta be some sort of compromise.
633
00:42:39,001 --> 00:42:42,126
Like you just have to keep driving more
to just kinda get away,
634
00:42:42,126 --> 00:42:45,209
but not that huge just dumping
of the nose away from the formation.
635
00:42:45,209 --> 00:42:46,876
Looked pretty gross up there.
636
00:42:46,876 --> 00:42:49,251
Uh, Delta Roll will be a focus
into tomorrow as well.
637
00:42:49,251 --> 00:42:51,084
Bearing lines, matching of the rate.
638
00:42:52,626 --> 00:42:55,501
There's one Marine option
in the Blue Angels
639
00:42:55,501 --> 00:42:57,668
at any given time, so we can only have one
640
00:42:57,668 --> 00:43:01,084
jet demonstration pilot
on any particular year.
641
00:43:01,084 --> 00:43:02,543
So this year is my final year.
642
00:43:04,334 --> 00:43:07,918
My job is to try to bring everyone
together on the same page
643
00:43:07,918 --> 00:43:10,793
so there's never any, like,
lingering questions between the elements.
644
00:43:10,793 --> 00:43:13,334
And so that's why it kind of rests
on the number four spot,
645
00:43:13,334 --> 00:43:16,251
always a second-year guy,
to do the debrief.
646
00:43:21,418 --> 00:43:23,501
We're gonna be on the road
quite a bit coming up.
647
00:43:23,501 --> 00:43:26,793
Quite a... quite a bit.
And it's a lot of time away from family.
648
00:43:26,793 --> 00:43:31,376
That's something that we also don't get
that much of, is time with our families.
649
00:43:32,501 --> 00:43:36,209
So, when we come here,
we try to spend as much time as we can.
650
00:43:36,209 --> 00:43:38,293
And when I walked out
of the house this morning,
651
00:43:38,293 --> 00:43:40,376
I had one daughter attached
to my left leg, saying,
652
00:43:40,376 --> 00:43:42,626
"Daddy, don't go.
Just stay here this weekend."
653
00:43:44,334 --> 00:43:48,126
And my little son is just literally,
like, rock climbing up my right leg
654
00:43:48,126 --> 00:43:50,709
as I'm walking to the truck this morning.
655
00:44:10,668 --> 00:44:13,543
It is so cool to see
the reactions of the public.
656
00:44:13,543 --> 00:44:18,001
They think, you know, oh, you're a
rock star with this high-paced lifestyle.
657
00:44:18,001 --> 00:44:20,709
Yeah? Uh, a lot of practice.
658
00:44:20,709 --> 00:44:23,584
And then in the evenings,
we attend commits
659
00:44:23,584 --> 00:44:26,168
where we'll go to a local outreach event.
660
00:44:26,168 --> 00:44:29,084
- The pilots will go to schools.
661
00:44:29,084 --> 00:44:33,834
So, our mission is to showcase
the teamwork and professionalism
662
00:44:33,834 --> 00:44:35,918
of the United States Navy
and Marine Corps.
663
00:44:35,918 --> 00:44:39,918
I was with Boss
at the Blue Angel Foundation.
664
00:44:39,918 --> 00:44:42,168
{\an8}- Thanks so much for coming out today.
- Awesome to meet you.
665
00:44:42,168 --> 00:44:43,501
The Blue Angel Foundation
666
00:44:43,501 --> 00:44:46,876
{\an8}is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization
667
00:44:46,876 --> 00:44:50,126
{\an8}to help wounded veterans,
668
00:44:50,126 --> 00:44:53,209
{\an8}and Freedom Station is part of that.
669
00:44:53,209 --> 00:44:57,084
It was truly special to spend
some time with those wounded warriors.
670
00:44:58,459 --> 00:45:01,668
{\an8}We also get to go to the hospitals.
671
00:45:01,668 --> 00:45:04,834
I'm Monica.
I am the doctor for the Blue Angels.
672
00:45:04,834 --> 00:45:07,209
We get to interact with each child
673
00:45:07,209 --> 00:45:09,459
and just spend a little time with them.
674
00:45:13,793 --> 00:45:15,918
All right!
675
00:45:18,668 --> 00:45:24,043
The first time you put this suit on,
you feel kind of like an imposter.
676
00:45:24,043 --> 00:45:27,043
And I remember that
every time I wear the uniform.
677
00:45:28,251 --> 00:45:30,043
I think a good feeling to have is
678
00:45:30,043 --> 00:45:32,668
you should never feel
too comfortable in this suit.
679
00:45:34,709 --> 00:45:37,126
You're representing
a whole bunch of folks.
680
00:45:37,126 --> 00:45:39,168
You're not just representing yourself.
681
00:45:45,793 --> 00:45:50,209
For me, that's... that's looking
at the 28 faces on the wall every day.
682
00:45:53,293 --> 00:45:56,751
The 28 men that we've lost in this job.
683
00:45:59,876 --> 00:46:01,501
Breaking news tonight:
684
00:46:01,501 --> 00:46:04,334
{\an8}A Blue Angels jet went down
in Smyrna, Tennessee,
685
00:46:04,334 --> 00:46:06,001
{\an8}which is just outside of Nashville.
686
00:46:06,001 --> 00:46:08,793
We were right there
when it happened.
687
00:46:08,793 --> 00:46:11,168
Several of the guys, you know,
saw it happening in real time.
688
00:46:13,959 --> 00:46:16,793
Captain Jeff Kuss
was killed when he went down in Smyrna
689
00:46:16,793 --> 00:46:20,126
{\an8}practicing at the Great American Air Show.
690
00:46:21,293 --> 00:46:26,126
He was just one of the most upbeat
and professional guys you've ever met.
691
00:46:27,251 --> 00:46:31,168
I mean, you get into this mindset
on this team
692
00:46:31,168 --> 00:46:33,959
that every day is gonna be the exact same.
693
00:46:33,959 --> 00:46:36,876
Right? We get into the routine,
and the routine is kind of set.
694
00:46:38,251 --> 00:46:40,168
{\an8}And then, when a massive event
like that happens,
695
00:46:40,168 --> 00:46:43,959
{\an8}everybody's just like,
"What are we gonna do right now?"
696
00:46:49,751 --> 00:46:52,334
It's a different type of flying.
697
00:46:52,334 --> 00:46:54,751
Those maneuvers are low
and fast to the ground.
698
00:46:54,751 --> 00:46:57,543
Right?
There's very little room for mistakes.
699
00:47:04,251 --> 00:47:06,834
We owe it to them
to think about their memory.
700
00:47:08,459 --> 00:47:10,876
And I ask myself every day, "Who am I?"
701
00:47:20,418 --> 00:47:23,209
Who am I, right, to sit here?
702
00:47:25,043 --> 00:47:27,459
Tough to have an ego
when you look at those guys up there
703
00:47:27,459 --> 00:47:28,959
and go, "Okay, who am I?"
704
00:47:33,709 --> 00:47:35,918
It's a humbling experience.
It's still humbling.
705
00:47:43,543 --> 00:47:48,209
I'm in my last year,
and I'm turning it over.
706
00:47:48,209 --> 00:47:52,001
It's a unique process,
picking my replacement.
707
00:48:05,084 --> 00:48:08,084
There's only a handful of people
who ever experience this.
708
00:48:11,001 --> 00:48:13,751
The boss application--
there is no other time that you can apply
709
00:48:13,751 --> 00:48:15,293
for the Blue Angels, right?
710
00:48:15,293 --> 00:48:17,626
So it's a very final thing.
711
00:48:18,626 --> 00:48:22,168
They've flown down here
from all corners of the world.
712
00:48:23,251 --> 00:48:25,043
And this is some life-changing news.
713
00:48:25,043 --> 00:48:26,501
Maybe a lifelong dream.
714
00:48:30,668 --> 00:48:32,918
For me, back in the '90s,
715
00:48:32,918 --> 00:48:36,418
I was just an average
squadron commanding officer.
716
00:48:36,418 --> 00:48:38,709
You know, they would never pick me.
717
00:48:38,709 --> 00:48:40,918
Why even try?
718
00:48:40,918 --> 00:48:43,334
So I was relaxed and honest.
719
00:48:43,334 --> 00:48:45,793
You know, "I'm just gonna be me."
720
00:48:45,793 --> 00:48:49,709
And I was shocked when they pulled me out,
721
00:48:49,709 --> 00:48:52,376
outside the room, said, "You're the guy."
722
00:48:52,376 --> 00:48:54,584
Oh, boy. Whew.
723
00:49:06,001 --> 00:49:08,834
And that was a life changer.
I was real surprised.
724
00:49:13,459 --> 00:49:17,209
It's a tough decision.
I mean, these folks are all Olympians.
725
00:49:18,293 --> 00:49:21,084
These folks work their entire life.
726
00:49:21,084 --> 00:49:24,751
You've heard of the gold medalist,
maybe the silver or even the bronze,
727
00:49:24,751 --> 00:49:29,126
but someone comes in fourth
and no one knows their name.
728
00:49:32,709 --> 00:49:35,793
First off, thank you,
everyone. Very, very well done.
729
00:49:35,793 --> 00:49:37,376
- Please hold your heads high.
730
00:49:37,376 --> 00:49:39,084
- Very well done. Very well done.
Thank you.
731
00:49:39,084 --> 00:49:40,376
Very well done.
732
00:49:40,376 --> 00:49:41,918
- Okay.
We'll come on out here.
733
00:49:41,918 --> 00:49:43,168
Awesome.
734
00:49:44,876 --> 00:49:46,376
All right.
735
00:49:47,668 --> 00:49:49,626
You won't start getting
your PAO training right away,
736
00:49:49,626 --> 00:49:52,084
but you'll be expected to say
a few things, uh, to the press.
737
00:49:52,084 --> 00:49:55,043
Right, your-your most important thing
to do right now is
738
00:49:55,043 --> 00:49:56,376
- you're gonna call your wife.
- Mm-hmm.
739
00:49:56,376 --> 00:49:57,959
Give her a call-- make it a quick one--
740
00:49:57,959 --> 00:49:59,751
- and call your... call your mom and dad.
- Yeah. Yeah.
741
00:49:59,751 --> 00:50:02,209
Okay, then let me know.
Just give them a couple of minutes...
742
00:50:02,209 --> 00:50:04,251
That was, uh,
extremely emotional, for sure.
743
00:50:04,251 --> 00:50:06,876
Uh, surprising to start,
and then a... and then a...
744
00:50:06,876 --> 00:50:08,709
just a flood of different emotions.
745
00:50:09,959 --> 00:50:12,751
My name's Commander Alex Armatas.
Call sign is "Scribe."
746
00:50:12,751 --> 00:50:16,584
I grew up in Central New York, and, uh,
very young I knew I wanted to fly.
747
00:50:16,584 --> 00:50:18,001
Press conference one.
748
00:50:18,001 --> 00:50:19,959
I've been in the Navy
for quite a while now.
749
00:50:19,959 --> 00:50:22,084
A little over 20 years.
750
00:50:23,084 --> 00:50:24,959
I kind of prepared myself
to not be the one,
751
00:50:24,959 --> 00:50:27,251
so now I'm very quickly
having to come to terms
752
00:50:27,251 --> 00:50:29,918
with the fact that this will be, uh...
this will be my role next, and, uh...
753
00:50:29,918 --> 00:50:31,584
and I need to get ready for that, so...
754
00:50:31,584 --> 00:50:34,001
So, what do you think?
Shock? Shock and awe?
755
00:50:34,001 --> 00:50:36,126
- Yeah, big-time.
- Yeah. Yeah, me, too.
756
00:50:36,126 --> 00:50:37,918
I think, uh...
757
00:50:37,918 --> 00:50:40,709
- Job's gonna be different than you think.
Yeah?
758
00:50:40,709 --> 00:50:43,543
It's gonna be challenging
in aspects you don't know.
759
00:50:43,543 --> 00:50:45,084
- I wouldn't trade it for the world.
- Yeah.
760
00:50:45,084 --> 00:50:46,834
It's been fantastic.
761
00:50:50,251 --> 00:50:51,751
I appreciate it. Thank you.
762
00:50:55,001 --> 00:50:56,418
Uh, good afternoon, everyone.
763
00:50:56,418 --> 00:50:58,084
As mentioned, my name's
Commander Alex Armatas.
764
00:50:58,084 --> 00:50:59,959
Uh, it is an absolute honor to be here.
765
00:50:59,959 --> 00:51:03,209
It's, uh, very humbling, very emotional,
as Captain Kesselring mentioned.
766
00:51:03,209 --> 00:51:04,793
Admiral, thank you as well, sir.
767
00:51:04,793 --> 00:51:06,543
Uh, and, uh, just...
768
00:51:06,543 --> 00:51:08,209
Even though
he's a very skilled leader
769
00:51:08,209 --> 00:51:09,668
and very skilled aviator,
770
00:51:09,668 --> 00:51:12,543
he's gonna go through that same crucible,
that same learning curve.
771
00:51:12,543 --> 00:51:15,501
As I look back, oh, boy.
772
00:51:15,501 --> 00:51:17,459
There's just... he doesn't know
what he doesn't know yet.
773
00:51:18,543 --> 00:51:20,376
- Does this get easier with time? This--
- Yeah.
774
00:51:20,376 --> 00:51:21,626
Does it get easier? I hope so.
775
00:51:21,626 --> 00:51:23,334
- How you doing? Outstanding job. Yeah.
- Thanks, Admiral. I appreciate it.
776
00:51:23,334 --> 00:51:25,043
- Outstanding.
- Yeah, this is, uh...
777
00:51:25,043 --> 00:51:27,376
I hope it gets easier the more you do it.
778
00:51:29,418 --> 00:51:33,709
The Blue Angels were
the brainchild of Admiral Chester Nimitz.
779
00:51:33,709 --> 00:51:35,626
{\an8}In 1946,
780
00:51:35,626 --> 00:51:38,001
Admiral Nimitz said,
"We've got to make sure
781
00:51:38,001 --> 00:51:40,876
the American public doesn't forget
about Navy planes."
782
00:51:44,543 --> 00:51:49,043
{\an8}He pulled a fellow that had
five aerial victories during the war,
783
00:51:49,043 --> 00:51:52,626
{\an8}a young 26-year-old lieutenant commander
named Butch Voris.
784
00:51:53,709 --> 00:51:58,043
And so, Butch grabbed
about four of his best friends, they...
785
00:51:58,043 --> 00:52:02,043
created a team, created a few maneuvers
786
00:52:02,043 --> 00:52:04,668
and took it right to the American public.
787
00:52:20,293 --> 00:52:22,168
The Blue Angels fly
788
00:52:22,168 --> 00:52:26,668
the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II,
a single-seat light attack jet,
789
00:52:26,668 --> 00:52:30,918
versions of which have been operational
in the fleet since 1956.
790
00:52:45,543 --> 00:52:49,418
Over the years, the team has
gone through many different airplanes--
791
00:52:49,418 --> 00:52:53,709
propeller-driven airplanes,
and then into the jet era.
792
00:52:56,459 --> 00:52:57,501
Ready?
793
00:52:57,501 --> 00:52:59,459
Hit it.
794
00:52:59,459 --> 00:53:00,793
Take it in!
795
00:53:00,793 --> 00:53:02,418
We didn't see it as a risk.
796
00:53:02,418 --> 00:53:05,751
We saw taking this job
as a Blue Angel as a privilege.
797
00:53:37,751 --> 00:53:41,709
It's so highly sought-after
to be part of the Blue Angels.
798
00:53:42,793 --> 00:53:47,501
And it's a...
it's a very distinct privilege
799
00:53:47,501 --> 00:53:49,668
to be selected to the Blues.
800
00:53:51,293 --> 00:53:53,751
And we got to pick our own.
How about that?
801
00:53:53,751 --> 00:53:56,834
Nobody from above was saying,
"You're gonna take this person,
802
00:53:56,834 --> 00:54:00,126
teach him how to fly,
teach him how to be a Blue Angel."
803
00:54:00,126 --> 00:54:03,418
Which was really unusual in the military.
804
00:54:11,043 --> 00:54:12,251
All right.
805
00:54:12,251 --> 00:54:15,418
This day is gonna be
very busy, very tight on timelines.
806
00:54:15,418 --> 00:54:18,084
If you're next, be on deck
outside the room.
807
00:54:18,084 --> 00:54:20,584
Everybody else can relax in here,
do your thing.
808
00:54:20,584 --> 00:54:21,751
Thanks.
809
00:54:21,751 --> 00:54:23,918
There's the robust
interview process.
810
00:54:23,918 --> 00:54:27,584
We get medical. We take a look
at the backgrounds and all that.
811
00:54:27,584 --> 00:54:30,043
But really, what it comes down to
is three things:
812
00:54:30,043 --> 00:54:31,876
talent, passion and personality.
813
00:54:31,876 --> 00:54:34,126
Questions for me? Awesome.
814
00:54:34,126 --> 00:54:36,709
- You stand right here.
- Oh.
815
00:54:36,709 --> 00:54:40,959
My first introduction
to aviation was when my dad took
816
00:54:40,959 --> 00:54:42,876
my family to Tuskegee,
817
00:54:42,876 --> 00:54:47,918
where we got to ride in a small,
single-engine aircraft.
818
00:54:47,918 --> 00:54:51,959
Up until that point, I wanted to be
a train conductor and a police officer.
819
00:54:51,959 --> 00:54:54,168
But after that flight,
I wanted to be a pilot.
820
00:54:57,918 --> 00:54:59,793
The interview matters.
821
00:54:59,793 --> 00:55:03,334
We are picking the best-fit person
for this job.
822
00:55:03,334 --> 00:55:05,126
And by "best-fit," I mean,
823
00:55:05,126 --> 00:55:06,293
that's hugely important.
824
00:55:06,293 --> 00:55:08,209
We're spending a lot of time
with each other.
825
00:55:08,209 --> 00:55:12,293
We know each other so well.
826
00:55:12,293 --> 00:55:14,501
They're certainly
a bit on the nervous side.
827
00:55:14,501 --> 00:55:15,709
Got the nerves going.
828
00:55:15,709 --> 00:55:18,334
You see their excitement.
You see the desire.
829
00:55:18,334 --> 00:55:20,668
They're so close
they can darn near taste it.
830
00:55:30,043 --> 00:55:32,043
We try to learn
everything about that individual
831
00:55:32,043 --> 00:55:34,126
before they get here
so that when they do get here
832
00:55:34,126 --> 00:55:36,126
we know exactly what
their personality is going to be
833
00:55:36,126 --> 00:55:38,751
and where they're going to fit in
in their part of this team.
834
00:55:43,584 --> 00:55:45,418
We'll start
during the interview process,
835
00:55:45,418 --> 00:55:49,959
you know, dig a little deeper,
but it literally is
836
00:55:49,959 --> 00:55:52,543
a unanimous decision
amongst 17 people in the room
837
00:55:52,543 --> 00:55:57,376
that requires hours of deliberation
and discussion to reach that consensus.
838
00:55:58,834 --> 00:56:00,501
Obviously,
you're gonna pick the people
839
00:56:00,501 --> 00:56:02,376
you think will be the absolute best.
840
00:56:02,376 --> 00:56:04,334
Sometimes that takes five minutes.
841
00:56:04,334 --> 00:56:06,834
Sometimes that takes four hours.
You never know.
842
00:56:08,459 --> 00:56:10,459
These are all
very personal conversations
843
00:56:10,459 --> 00:56:13,376
with personal details
about this individual's life
844
00:56:13,376 --> 00:56:16,126
that the general public
doesn't need to ever know.
845
00:56:16,126 --> 00:56:18,251
And it's certain things
that we'll talk about in there,
846
00:56:18,251 --> 00:56:21,418
and at the end of the night,
we all slap the table and say,
847
00:56:21,418 --> 00:56:23,626
"What happened here stays here."
848
00:56:23,626 --> 00:56:25,876
And then it's never
to be talked about again.
849
00:56:26,876 --> 00:56:29,543
'Cause at the end of the day, guess what--
those are your new people.
850
00:56:33,918 --> 00:56:35,834
There has to be a unanimous decision.
851
00:56:35,834 --> 00:56:38,543
But if we don't pick the right people
to carry on that legacy,
852
00:56:38,543 --> 00:56:40,251
then what we've done is just a failure.
853
00:56:42,209 --> 00:56:44,959
If you're a finalist, you're
kind of waiting on pins and needles.
854
00:56:46,043 --> 00:56:48,126
Saturday after
the Pensacola Beach Air Show,
855
00:56:48,126 --> 00:56:49,793
you call in, they tell you whether or not,
856
00:56:49,793 --> 00:56:52,168
you know, either "Welcome to the team,"
or, you know,
857
00:56:52,168 --> 00:56:53,668
"Hey, sorry. Try again next year."
858
00:56:56,459 --> 00:56:58,751
For me, took me three tries.
859
00:56:58,751 --> 00:57:00,959
I got... you know,
I got lucky along the way.
860
00:57:00,959 --> 00:57:04,418
Did a couple deployments,
and then I ended up here on the team.
861
00:57:07,251 --> 00:57:10,834
That was... that was a huge,
huge success... [chuckles]
862
00:57:10,834 --> 00:57:11,918
...in my book.
863
00:57:13,001 --> 00:57:14,418
Let's go.
864
00:57:17,168 --> 00:57:19,168
You know, we owe it to all those folks,
865
00:57:19,168 --> 00:57:23,834
the majority of folks who have rushed
the team that didn't make it.
866
00:57:23,834 --> 00:57:26,126
Some miss out by just one vote.
867
00:57:27,543 --> 00:57:32,834
We are four months, 16 shows away
from the end of the season,
868
00:57:32,834 --> 00:57:35,001
so make sure you appreciate it
while you're here.
869
00:58:01,751 --> 00:58:04,959
This city definitely has
a special place for us.
870
00:58:06,751 --> 00:58:12,293
These people who have been coming
to these shows, you know, since the '60s,
871
00:58:12,293 --> 00:58:15,834
they still welcome us as if we're family.
872
00:58:27,501 --> 00:58:29,543
We're moments in time on this team.
873
00:58:30,834 --> 00:58:33,376
I've been watching
the Blue Angels since 1982.
874
00:58:33,376 --> 00:58:34,959
It's my 40th summer.
875
00:58:34,959 --> 00:58:36,834
I've been around them my entire life.
876
00:58:36,834 --> 00:58:38,376
Twenty-plus.
877
00:58:38,376 --> 00:58:42,251
The adrenaline, the rush,
and honestly, like, seeing it in person
878
00:58:42,251 --> 00:58:44,293
just makes it that much more real.
879
00:58:48,334 --> 00:58:51,168
Okay, winds are two-zero-zero-eight.
We own the airspace.
880
00:58:51,168 --> 00:58:53,709
- Have a good one.
881
00:58:53,709 --> 00:58:55,251
We're cleared for takeoff.
882
00:59:27,626 --> 00:59:30,251
In relatively
slow speed flight, they will give you
883
00:59:30,251 --> 00:59:33,126
an opportunity to get a close look
at the precision flying
884
00:59:33,126 --> 00:59:36,126
that produces the 18-inch
wingtip-to-canopy separation
885
00:59:36,126 --> 00:59:38,168
between these four aircraft.
886
00:59:38,168 --> 00:59:41,209
From the right, the Blue Angel Diamond.
887
00:59:45,626 --> 00:59:48,001
Looking at it,
the start of the season,
888
00:59:48,001 --> 00:59:51,084
you know, I'd think, "Man, there's no way
I'm gonna get this close to a jet."
889
00:59:53,168 --> 00:59:55,543
Especially for the Diamond 360,
which is what we consider
890
00:59:55,543 --> 00:59:57,459
one of our hardest maneuvers.
891
00:59:57,459 --> 00:59:59,584
They're at 360.
892
01:00:05,001 --> 01:00:07,709
We just bumped it
into Blue Gold set.
893
01:00:08,793 --> 01:00:12,793
Scott-- Jamammy-- he's currently
up under, you know, Boss's wing.
894
01:00:13,793 --> 01:00:16,459
Now, me on the other side,
because of parallax,
895
01:00:16,459 --> 01:00:18,168
I'm not actually sliding myself
up underneath.
896
01:00:18,168 --> 01:00:21,626
{\an8}What I'm actually doing is I'm sliding
outboard and forward.
897
01:00:24,251 --> 01:00:26,001
You have Frank underneath my wing
898
01:00:26,001 --> 01:00:28,501
doing almost the exact same thing
that Scott is doing,
899
01:00:28,501 --> 01:00:30,709
just a little bit more aft.
900
01:00:31,709 --> 01:00:33,334
It's kind of getting
not so much comfortable,
901
01:00:33,334 --> 01:00:35,709
but it's getting familiar, uh,
to the point where it's like,
902
01:00:35,709 --> 01:00:37,251
"Man, we're actually really doing this."
903
01:00:37,251 --> 01:00:39,793
You know, this is...
this is the aspect of the Blue Angels
904
01:00:39,793 --> 01:00:43,209
that no other demonstration team
really reaches.
905
01:00:50,876 --> 01:00:53,251
But the Yankee set
at the start of the season
906
01:00:53,251 --> 01:00:55,668
is something you really want to get
907
01:00:55,668 --> 01:00:59,543
and you don't completely know
if maybe you'll actually get there, but...
908
01:00:59,543 --> 01:01:01,376
There's teams that have done this
in the past,
909
01:01:01,376 --> 01:01:02,959
and then there's teams that haven't.
910
01:01:04,668 --> 01:01:08,084
Now that we're starting to get
in that regime of flight,
911
01:01:08,084 --> 01:01:10,168
will we get there?
912
01:01:10,168 --> 01:01:11,626
Hopefully, yes.
913
01:02:04,834 --> 01:02:07,668
Of course, the crowd favorite
is the Sneak.
914
01:02:15,751 --> 01:02:17,584
The Diamond
will execute their maneuver,
915
01:02:17,584 --> 01:02:20,126
showcasing the precision flying,
uh, that is required
916
01:02:20,126 --> 01:02:22,168
of all Navy and Marine Corps pilots.
917
01:02:22,168 --> 01:02:26,126
And then as we're setting up for our
next maneuver, we get the solos in there,
918
01:02:26,126 --> 01:02:29,001
who just pull on the stick a lot
and provide the filler.
919
01:02:44,668 --> 01:02:45,959
The Diamond's
favorite maneuvers are when
920
01:02:45,959 --> 01:02:47,293
they get to break apart from Boss,
921
01:02:47,293 --> 01:02:49,793
act like a solo,
and then once that's over,
922
01:02:49,793 --> 01:02:51,876
they're back to being the Diamond.
923
01:02:51,876 --> 01:02:54,084
I mean, the Diamond, everybody knows
they're-they're the better pilots here.
924
01:02:54,084 --> 01:02:55,293
Every... Literally everybody knows.
925
01:02:55,293 --> 01:02:58,376
You know that you actually have to think
about those around you,
926
01:02:58,376 --> 01:02:59,834
like, be a team player.
927
01:02:59,834 --> 01:03:01,126
They just don't get that yet.
928
01:03:01,126 --> 01:03:03,168
So, maybe one day,
they'll understand that, but...
929
01:03:03,168 --> 01:03:04,334
Fun and excitement.
930
01:03:04,334 --> 01:03:06,918
Definitely, the solos use a lot more
than Diamond.
931
01:03:06,918 --> 01:03:08,876
They're all flying off of Boss, so...
932
01:03:08,876 --> 01:03:11,584
Healthy competition--
that's exactly what it is.
933
01:03:28,084 --> 01:03:31,043
After I left
Pensacola for finalist week,
934
01:03:31,043 --> 01:03:32,918
it was just me and my husband
at the house.
935
01:03:32,918 --> 01:03:35,084
We were kind of waiting
and anticipating this phone call.
936
01:03:36,251 --> 01:03:39,168
I was the very first person
to call in, uh, so I called in
937
01:03:39,168 --> 01:03:41,793
and, uh, they kind of joked around
with me and they said,
938
01:03:41,793 --> 01:03:44,459
"Hey, you have the wrong number.
Try calling this number back."
939
01:03:44,459 --> 01:03:47,376
So I am in panic mode immediately.
940
01:03:47,376 --> 01:03:49,626
We tend to mess with them a little bit...
941
01:03:49,626 --> 01:03:51,459
when they, uh...
when they call in for the selectees, so...
942
01:03:52,626 --> 01:03:54,959
We have a five-minute window to call in,
943
01:03:54,959 --> 01:03:56,543
so I'm-I'm going through my messages,
944
01:03:56,543 --> 01:03:59,084
making sure I have the right...
the right number.
945
01:03:59,084 --> 01:04:01,168
I call back. They're like,
"Still the wrong number."
946
01:04:01,168 --> 01:04:05,209
We're listening in as Cody has got some
rock music playing in the background.
947
01:04:05,209 --> 01:04:06,959
I get a call from Boss.
948
01:04:06,959 --> 01:04:10,084
- He's like...
- Amanda, weren't you supposed
to call in a couple minutes ago?
949
01:04:10,084 --> 01:04:12,543
I-I was like, "I have done
something terribly wrong.
950
01:04:12,543 --> 01:04:14,334
I'm in trouble."
951
01:04:14,334 --> 01:04:16,626
He's like, "Hey, next year, when you...
when you're on the team,
952
01:04:16,626 --> 01:04:18,501
maybe we'll get your timeline
a little bit better."
953
01:04:18,501 --> 01:04:20,626
And then everybody said,
"Welcome to the team."
954
01:04:20,626 --> 01:04:23,001
But they had me super frazzled.
955
01:04:23,001 --> 01:04:25,543
A history-making day
for the legendary Blue Angels.
956
01:04:25,543 --> 01:04:28,501
{\an8}The Navy's elite flight squadron
has selected its first
957
01:04:28,501 --> 01:04:31,334
{\an8}female fighter jet demonstration pilot,
958
01:04:31,334 --> 01:04:34,293
{\an8}Lieutenant Amanda Lee from Minnesota.
959
01:04:34,293 --> 01:04:37,668
{\an8}She is soon going to be flying high
with the Blue Angels.
960
01:04:37,668 --> 01:04:41,459
{\an8}She will need to complete an intensive
five-month training program
961
01:04:41,459 --> 01:04:44,543
{\an8}with other new members of the team
beginning in September.
962
01:04:46,876 --> 01:04:49,751
I enlisted in the Navy in 2007.
963
01:04:49,751 --> 01:04:52,709
I ended up enlisting as
an aviation electronics technician,
964
01:04:52,709 --> 01:04:54,626
and I started working on the F-18.
965
01:04:55,709 --> 01:04:58,668
I get to my first squadron,
and my division chief said,
966
01:04:58,668 --> 01:05:01,834
"You don't belong here. I don't feel like
you're challenged enough."
967
01:05:01,834 --> 01:05:03,751
And the only thing I knew in the Navy
968
01:05:03,751 --> 01:05:05,918
was aviation, so I was like,
"Let's try to fly."
969
01:05:05,918 --> 01:05:09,043
Once you wear this crest,
it's a life-changing journey
970
01:05:09,043 --> 01:05:12,751
and you have an opportunity to represent
those over 800,000 active duty reserve
971
01:05:12,751 --> 01:05:15,084
and civilian support personnel
by wearing it.
972
01:05:15,084 --> 01:05:19,084
Having the whole team there
greeting you, really excited for you,
973
01:05:19,084 --> 01:05:21,001
it was absolutely an unforgettable day.
974
01:05:21,001 --> 01:05:24,376
So remember today is the day
that you became a Blue Angel.
975
01:05:24,376 --> 01:05:26,251
Look around at your teammates.
976
01:05:26,251 --> 01:05:28,793
Commit this special bond to memory.
977
01:05:28,793 --> 01:05:31,501
Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel.
978
01:05:35,251 --> 01:05:37,043
Welcome to the team.
979
01:05:42,251 --> 01:05:45,793
I think the media likes
to make a big deal out of firsts,
980
01:05:45,793 --> 01:05:49,209
but, you know, I always feel
we give short shrift
981
01:05:49,209 --> 01:05:52,001
to why they actually made it, right?
982
01:05:53,834 --> 01:05:57,959
We have a fantastic officer
and a fantastic pilot.
983
01:05:59,043 --> 01:06:01,251
The end of the day,
when you're flying 12 inches apart,
984
01:06:01,251 --> 01:06:02,751
what really matters
985
01:06:02,751 --> 01:06:04,001
is that you can trust 'em.
986
01:06:27,584 --> 01:06:29,876
I think the progression
with the team is going really well,
987
01:06:29,876 --> 01:06:32,918
and I'm really, really excited to see
when we can bring this in
988
01:06:32,918 --> 01:06:34,918
and how tight we can actually
get that formation.
989
01:06:46,959 --> 01:06:50,126
In terms of being a newbie
on the Blue Angels,
990
01:06:50,126 --> 01:06:52,126
it feels like an eternity.
991
01:06:52,126 --> 01:06:56,084
We are entering a phase of the season
where a new team is selected
992
01:06:56,084 --> 01:06:58,834
and it's the official "you are no longer
a newbie on the team."
993
01:07:02,043 --> 01:07:04,709
You finally kind of know
what you're doing.
994
01:07:35,626 --> 01:07:37,501
Rip it.
995
01:07:39,959 --> 01:07:42,918
It's kind of fun watching
the folks who just learned.
996
01:07:44,001 --> 01:07:49,376
It's cool seeing Cheese go from
not knowing anything but fleet flying
997
01:07:49,376 --> 01:07:54,668
to feeling 110% confident.
998
01:07:54,668 --> 01:07:57,501
But he has another enormous role
that he's got to learn.
999
01:07:58,584 --> 01:08:00,251
Cheese next year in the two jet
1000
01:08:00,251 --> 01:08:02,084
is gonna have
the incredible responsibility
1001
01:08:02,084 --> 01:08:04,043
of training a new boss.
1002
01:08:14,584 --> 01:08:16,709
Good morning, Mike. How are you?
1003
01:08:16,709 --> 01:08:18,084
Thanks. Good. And yourself?
- Hi.
1004
01:08:18,084 --> 01:08:19,668
- Doc, nice to see you again.
- Good to be back.
1005
01:08:19,668 --> 01:08:21,001
- Hi. Mike.
- Alex Armatas.
1006
01:08:21,001 --> 01:08:26,668
We are in San Antonio, Texas,
at the Wyle KBR centrifuge center.
1007
01:08:26,668 --> 01:08:28,251
You guys ready for this?
1008
01:08:29,418 --> 01:08:32,918
This is the first day
for the incoming pilots
1009
01:08:32,918 --> 01:08:35,751
to be on the job as Blue Angels.
1010
01:08:37,209 --> 01:08:41,168
This is a g tolerance
improvement training program,
1011
01:08:41,168 --> 01:08:44,293
and it is a very demanding
and rigorous program.
1012
01:08:44,293 --> 01:08:48,418
People who've been flying F-18s
for 20 years go to the centrifuge
1013
01:08:48,418 --> 01:08:50,043
if they get selected.
1014
01:08:50,043 --> 01:08:54,168
And it can be challenging at times and
sometimes have to learn new techniques
1015
01:08:54,168 --> 01:08:56,168
to make sure they can perform
at the highest levels
1016
01:08:56,168 --> 01:08:58,334
before they can be on the team.
1017
01:08:59,834 --> 01:09:01,543
When you increase g-forces,
1018
01:09:01,543 --> 01:09:05,543
gravity is gonna pull
the blood in your head down to your feet,
1019
01:09:05,543 --> 01:09:07,501
so you're gonna pass out.
1020
01:09:07,501 --> 01:09:09,168
Go ahead and put your g-suits on.
1021
01:09:09,168 --> 01:09:11,293
I want to check them just to make sure.
1022
01:09:11,293 --> 01:09:14,918
The first day,
incoming aviators wear their g-suits,
1023
01:09:14,918 --> 01:09:16,459
which they're used to wearing
out in the fleet.
1024
01:09:16,459 --> 01:09:19,209
Go ahead and climb on in
and sit down as best
1025
01:09:19,209 --> 01:09:21,293
or as easy as possible.
1026
01:09:21,293 --> 01:09:25,126
A g-suit is something
that we strap on, and they will inflate
1027
01:09:25,126 --> 01:09:27,668
and deflate, depending on
the amount of g's you're pulling,
1028
01:09:27,668 --> 01:09:30,501
to help you sustain g's
so you don't have to strain as hard.
1029
01:09:30,501 --> 01:09:32,251
Harness.
1030
01:09:32,251 --> 01:09:34,209
Harness locked.
Zippers are up.
1031
01:09:34,209 --> 01:09:37,959
G-suit pressure
one-five-five.
1032
01:09:37,959 --> 01:09:39,418
There it is.
1033
01:09:48,293 --> 01:09:50,293
Okay, we're just gonna
get you up to idle speed.
1034
01:09:50,293 --> 01:09:52,834
In three, two, one. Engage.
1035
01:09:58,376 --> 01:10:01,459
All right, should feel like you're
going straight up in a rocket right now.
1036
01:10:01,459 --> 01:10:02,834
Yeah.
1037
01:10:02,834 --> 01:10:04,459
Pull back.
1038
01:10:06,001 --> 01:10:08,001
Up top. Breathe.
1039
01:10:08,001 --> 01:10:09,751
{\an8}Bring those knees in.
Dig with those heels.
1040
01:10:09,751 --> 01:10:11,709
{\an8}Breathe. Drop the shoulders.
1041
01:10:11,709 --> 01:10:13,584
{\an8}Plank the abs. Down to five and a half.
1042
01:10:13,584 --> 01:10:15,001
{\an8}Keep it going.
1043
01:10:15,001 --> 01:10:17,209
Squeeze that butt.
Get those abs tight.
1044
01:10:17,209 --> 01:10:18,334
{\an8}Keep them tight.
1045
01:10:18,334 --> 01:10:19,959
{\an8}You're letting these g's control you.
1046
01:10:19,959 --> 01:10:21,959
{\an8}Come on. I want you to control them.
1047
01:10:25,168 --> 01:10:26,501
{\an8}You're on top. Breathe.
1048
01:10:26,501 --> 01:10:28,418
{\an8}Squeeze the knees. Squeeze that butt.
1049
01:10:28,418 --> 01:10:30,876
{\an8}Breathe. Keep those abs tight.
Keep them tight.
1050
01:10:30,876 --> 01:10:33,126
Work. Bring those knees in.
Squeeze that butt!
1051
01:10:33,126 --> 01:10:34,584
{\an8}Come on, breathe.
1052
01:10:34,584 --> 01:10:36,334
Come on, dig the heels.
You got this.
1053
01:10:36,334 --> 01:10:38,751
{\an8}Keep squeezing. Come on.
1054
01:10:38,751 --> 01:10:41,376
{\an8}Squeeze the knees. Nicely done.
1055
01:10:41,376 --> 01:10:43,084
I got to tell you, Alex, that may be
1056
01:10:43,084 --> 01:10:46,543
the best I've ever seen
anybody do on their first ride.
1057
01:10:46,543 --> 01:10:48,876
I'm sure. I'm not just blowing smoke, man.
1058
01:10:48,876 --> 01:10:51,251
I don't say that to people.
That was awesome.
1059
01:10:54,334 --> 01:10:56,793
Today, there are no g-suits.
1060
01:10:57,959 --> 01:11:00,293
And the reason we require that is because
1061
01:11:00,293 --> 01:11:03,501
we do not fly with g-suits
in the Blue Angels.
1062
01:11:05,418 --> 01:11:07,501
Welcome back.
- Yeah.
1063
01:11:07,501 --> 01:11:09,084
The g-suit fills up with air,
1064
01:11:09,084 --> 01:11:12,293
so the way we fulcrum
with our-our arm on our leg,
1065
01:11:12,293 --> 01:11:15,293
if that were to inflate,
it would move our arm
1066
01:11:15,293 --> 01:11:17,793
and inherently just move the aircraft,
so we don't do that.
1067
01:11:17,793 --> 01:11:21,293
Okay, we're gonna
start the profile now.
1068
01:11:21,293 --> 01:11:24,543
We have five profiles
that every Blue Angel aviator
1069
01:11:24,543 --> 01:11:27,834
will go through in the centrifuge
which represent
1070
01:11:27,834 --> 01:11:29,793
what they experience
when flying in the jet.
1071
01:11:38,043 --> 01:11:41,209
And those are the high-g profiles,
and one of which is
1072
01:11:41,209 --> 01:11:44,209
the PUB, the Pitch-Up Break,
which is our very last maneuver,
1073
01:11:44,209 --> 01:11:47,209
{\an8}where the pilots will pull
seven and a half g's
1074
01:11:47,209 --> 01:11:49,459
{\an8}to break around the airfield
before landing.
1075
01:11:51,084 --> 01:11:54,834
But it's critical that
they stay awake during that maneuver.
1076
01:11:56,751 --> 01:11:59,251
So we've taken that demonstration profile
1077
01:11:59,251 --> 01:12:01,668
and simulated it in the centrifuge
1078
01:12:01,668 --> 01:12:04,126
so that we can train to it
before getting into the jet.
1079
01:12:04,126 --> 01:12:05,459
All right, I have controls.
1080
01:12:05,459 --> 01:12:07,168
Going to seven g's, five seconds.
1081
01:12:11,293 --> 01:12:13,418
Okay, legs tight. Breath.
1082
01:12:14,459 --> 01:12:15,626
{\an8}On top. Breathe.
1083
01:12:15,626 --> 01:12:17,793
{\an8}Dig with the heels. Plank the abs.
1084
01:12:17,793 --> 01:12:20,293
{\an8}Breathe. We're-we're down
to five and a half. Keep it going.
1085
01:12:20,293 --> 01:12:23,126
{\an8}Stay with the strain. Come on.
1086
01:12:23,126 --> 01:12:25,668
{\an8}-Stay with it. Stay with it. Stay with it.
1087
01:12:29,626 --> 01:12:32,501
It gets people
when it drops off like that.
1088
01:12:33,584 --> 01:12:36,501
It's the weirdest thing
to have a g-induced loss of consciousness.
1089
01:12:36,501 --> 01:12:39,293
You don't even know
where you are or what you are.
1090
01:12:39,293 --> 01:12:44,251
I mean, it's just like
your whole conscious self is gone.
1091
01:12:44,251 --> 01:12:46,584
Alex, you okay?
1092
01:12:46,584 --> 01:12:48,584
- Yeah.
- All right.
1093
01:12:48,584 --> 01:12:53,043
I called Boss about this and said,
"Hey, Boss, the new boss just passed out."
1094
01:12:53,043 --> 01:12:54,501
And he said, "Good.
1095
01:12:54,501 --> 01:12:57,626
Good, because that's a wake-up call
that he needs."
1096
01:12:57,626 --> 01:13:01,001
You know, "Let's get to work.
This is not gonna be easy."
1097
01:13:04,626 --> 01:13:07,251
You're on top. Breathe.
1098
01:13:07,251 --> 01:13:09,918
{\an8}Come on, dig the heels.
You got this. Keep squeezing.
1099
01:13:09,918 --> 01:13:11,751
{\an8}Breathe. Squeeze those knees.
Get that butt tight.
1100
01:13:11,751 --> 01:13:13,293
{\an8}Yes. Abs tight. Hold them tight.
1101
01:13:13,293 --> 01:13:14,584
{\an8}Come on, legs.
1102
01:13:14,584 --> 01:13:17,293
{\an8}One, two. Breathe. You got this.
And you're coming down.
1103
01:13:17,293 --> 01:13:18,626
{\an8}You're coming all the way home.
1104
01:13:18,626 --> 01:13:20,418
{\an8}Keep the strain. Legs, butt, heels.
1105
01:13:20,418 --> 01:13:22,126
{\an8}Oh, you're coming down.
1106
01:13:24,918 --> 01:13:26,668
Yep, there we go.
1107
01:13:29,834 --> 01:13:31,251
I got you, Amanda.
1108
01:13:31,251 --> 01:13:33,751
Go ahead and put your head back. Amanda?
1109
01:13:33,751 --> 01:13:36,709
I had never g-LOC'd before.
1110
01:13:36,709 --> 01:13:39,751
And whatever your mind goes through
at that point, you know,
1111
01:13:39,751 --> 01:13:41,709
who knows, but I was in outer space.
1112
01:13:41,709 --> 01:13:44,668
Take a breath.
1113
01:13:44,668 --> 01:13:50,084
It's, like, a... an eye-opener
for how inherently dangerous this job is.
1114
01:13:50,084 --> 01:13:52,376
We're just getting everything
back to normal.
1115
01:13:52,376 --> 01:13:54,001
Okay.
- Head back in the headrest.
1116
01:13:54,001 --> 01:13:55,084
There you go.
1117
01:13:55,084 --> 01:13:56,709
There was certainly
a point today where I was...
1118
01:13:56,709 --> 01:13:59,168
I was frustrated, and it was a...
it was a difficult profile,
1119
01:13:59,168 --> 01:14:02,668
and I just kind of sat down and...
and just-just wanted to...
1120
01:14:02,668 --> 01:14:05,001
just wanted to relax
and do nothing for a few minutes.
1121
01:14:05,001 --> 01:14:06,626
But like most things in this business,
1122
01:14:06,626 --> 01:14:08,668
you-you get over it and you...
and you move on.
1123
01:14:08,668 --> 01:14:11,293
{\an8}Breath up.
1124
01:14:11,293 --> 01:14:13,376
{\an8}On top. Breathe. Drop those shoulders.
1125
01:14:13,376 --> 01:14:15,459
{\an8}Bring the knees in.
Squeeze the butt. Breathe.
1126
01:14:15,459 --> 01:14:19,043
A lot of today
is building confidence,
1127
01:14:19,043 --> 01:14:23,209
{\an8}knowing that you can physically do this.
1128
01:14:23,209 --> 01:14:26,168
Breathe. Good.
Terminate, terminate, terminate.
1129
01:14:27,459 --> 01:14:29,626
Got to get your mind right,
your body right.
1130
01:14:29,626 --> 01:14:33,418
But without that mind being 100% invested
that you can do this,
1131
01:14:33,418 --> 01:14:34,793
{\an8}you're not gonna be able to do it.
1132
01:14:34,793 --> 01:14:37,126
You're on top. Breathe here.
Squeeze those knees together.
1133
01:14:37,126 --> 01:14:39,876
{\an8}Squeeze that butt. Keep it tight.
Breathe. Good.
1134
01:14:39,876 --> 01:14:42,751
{\an8}Breathe. Squeeze those knees.
Get that butt tight. Breathe. Good.
1135
01:14:42,751 --> 01:14:45,084
{\an8}Come on, now. There you go.
Looking good. You got it.
1136
01:14:45,084 --> 01:14:48,293
{\an8}One, two, and you're coming down
all the way home.
1137
01:14:48,293 --> 01:14:50,001
{\an8}
1138
01:14:51,626 --> 01:14:53,584
Nicely done.
1139
01:14:57,501 --> 01:14:59,126
All right.
Hey!
1140
01:14:59,126 --> 01:15:00,376
Nice job.
1141
01:15:00,376 --> 01:15:04,543
That's what this whole training
is about-- to let them know
1142
01:15:04,543 --> 01:15:07,501
we are in the big leagues now
and it's time to step it up.
1143
01:15:07,501 --> 01:15:09,209
Nice job, man.
1144
01:15:09,209 --> 01:15:10,876
We've got a lot to learn.
1145
01:15:10,876 --> 01:15:14,626
Starting next month, we'll start traveling
with the team, and pretty much
1146
01:15:14,626 --> 01:15:17,918
from the moment we start traveling
until the change of command in November,
1147
01:15:17,918 --> 01:15:21,501
we are joined at the hip
with whoever we're replacing.
1148
01:15:21,501 --> 01:15:23,876
We'll all be doing that
all the way through the fall.
1149
01:15:23,876 --> 01:15:25,126
- Hey, Boss.
- New boss!
1150
01:15:25,126 --> 01:15:26,834
- Hey.
- All right, cheers.
1151
01:15:39,043 --> 01:15:41,418
Right now, it's the
khaki newbie phase, as we refer to it.
1152
01:15:41,418 --> 01:15:43,501
It's a good chance for all of us
to kind of feel
1153
01:15:43,501 --> 01:15:45,959
what it's like to be on the road.
1154
01:15:45,959 --> 01:15:49,126
The best way to describe it is "surreal."
1155
01:15:53,793 --> 01:15:55,751
First jumper.
1156
01:15:55,751 --> 01:15:58,043
First jumper. Two jumps away.
1157
01:15:59,126 --> 01:16:01,418
Not until
you live it, boy, do you understand
1158
01:16:01,418 --> 01:16:03,043
what it's like to be a Blue Angel.
1159
01:16:05,543 --> 01:16:08,376
It's actually a bit comical
at the start because you have a bunch
1160
01:16:08,376 --> 01:16:10,626
of highly trained, skilled folks who...
1161
01:16:10,626 --> 01:16:12,418
don't really know what to do anymore.
1162
01:16:12,418 --> 01:16:15,876
You can... But you can stand just--
yeah, either way.
1163
01:16:15,876 --> 01:16:17,876
You can dance around. Thanks.
1164
01:16:17,876 --> 01:16:22,126
Being a newbie,
there's a very delicate balance.
1165
01:16:22,126 --> 01:16:24,626
You're basically there to be a sponge.
1166
01:16:24,626 --> 01:16:26,251
That's crowd right. Intro to crowd.
1167
01:16:26,251 --> 01:16:29,209
We account for
every single minute of the day.
1168
01:16:29,209 --> 01:16:31,293
{\an8}By the time you get back to the hotel,
1169
01:16:31,293 --> 01:16:34,418
{\an8}boy, you can't even remember what you ate
for lunch or if you even ate lunch.
1170
01:16:36,293 --> 01:16:38,959
I wanted to start off
with the narrator spot,
1171
01:16:38,959 --> 01:16:41,043
and then when I found out
that I was gonna be
1172
01:16:41,043 --> 01:16:43,376
in the Diamond, it's just
one of those things where you're like,
1173
01:16:43,376 --> 01:16:44,793
"I'm just happy to be here."
1174
01:16:44,793 --> 01:16:46,834
Um, as we say, "I'm glad to be here."
1175
01:16:46,834 --> 01:16:49,001
Set your flaps.
1176
01:16:49,001 --> 01:16:51,126
"Glad to be here."
1177
01:16:51,126 --> 01:16:56,084
The perfect expression of the gratitude
we have from the top down, the bottom up.
1178
01:16:59,918 --> 01:17:03,626
Whoever is around you, and-and you say,
"I'm just glad to be here."
1179
01:17:04,626 --> 01:17:06,751
It's a reset.
1180
01:17:06,751 --> 01:17:09,793
It lets people know that
no matter what kind of day you had,
1181
01:17:09,793 --> 01:17:12,501
you're glad you are with
the people you're with,
1182
01:17:12,501 --> 01:17:16,001
because they'll understand
and they'll trust you
1183
01:17:16,001 --> 01:17:18,418
because you won't hold anything back.
1184
01:17:18,418 --> 01:17:20,084
And when you have that kind of effort,
1185
01:17:20,084 --> 01:17:22,501
it raises the outcomes
for each and every person.
1186
01:17:24,501 --> 01:17:27,168
"Glad to be here."
1187
01:17:27,168 --> 01:17:28,751
That was foundational.
1188
01:17:30,209 --> 01:17:31,293
All right!
1189
01:17:36,584 --> 01:17:40,084
Th-There's a kind of a saying
from deploying sailors
1190
01:17:40,084 --> 01:17:43,376
where the days are long
but the weeks are short.
1191
01:17:44,918 --> 01:17:47,709
Kind of living in the moment.
You're tired a lot of times.
1192
01:17:48,918 --> 01:17:52,001
All of a sudden, you wake up
and it's, you know, September,
1193
01:17:52,001 --> 01:17:53,543
and then it's end of season week.
1194
01:17:55,793 --> 01:17:57,459
Rip it.
1195
01:18:17,543 --> 01:18:20,626
You spend the entire 365 previous days
1196
01:18:20,626 --> 01:18:23,293
with your team, getting better
and better and better, and then...
1197
01:18:23,293 --> 01:18:24,376
Let's get rolling.
1198
01:18:24,376 --> 01:18:25,876
Here it is.
1199
01:18:25,876 --> 01:18:28,043
I'll never do this again.
1200
01:18:28,043 --> 01:18:31,584
My replacement has been picked,
and this is our last ride.
1201
01:18:31,584 --> 01:18:33,709
It's definitely
an emotional moment, you know?
1202
01:18:33,709 --> 01:18:35,293
Yeah.
1203
01:18:46,751 --> 01:18:50,001
For the Diamond 360,
we've talked at length over the last...
1204
01:18:50,001 --> 01:18:53,209
I-I would say each one of us
has had hours conversations
1205
01:18:53,209 --> 01:18:57,668
with each other about the Diamond 360,
kind of preparing our fulcrum...
1206
01:18:57,668 --> 01:19:00,334
Our goal at the beginning
of the season is
1207
01:19:00,334 --> 01:19:02,084
the tireless pursuit of perfection.
1208
01:19:02,084 --> 01:19:05,793
And I think a lot of it comes down
to just not being satisfied,
1209
01:19:05,793 --> 01:19:07,834
knowing that there's a next level.
1210
01:19:15,584 --> 01:19:17,334
There's tension in it. There's, one,
1211
01:19:17,334 --> 01:19:20,084
you got to be safe,
you got to be professional.
1212
01:19:22,084 --> 01:19:24,084
But there's another side to that:
1213
01:19:24,084 --> 01:19:28,043
"Gosh, man, I want to make sure
that we get to the tightest sets."
1214
01:19:31,043 --> 01:19:33,626
The Blue Angel hallmark of precision.
1215
01:19:35,084 --> 01:19:38,126
That tension, it's good,
but you got to keep it in check.
1216
01:19:38,126 --> 01:19:40,001
All right, for the Diamond Roll.
1217
01:19:40,001 --> 01:19:42,001
Hold to deep. Hold to deep...
1218
01:19:42,001 --> 01:19:45,793
The way I chose to lead was
1219
01:19:45,793 --> 01:19:47,418
I wanted Chomps to be empowered.
1220
01:19:49,459 --> 01:19:52,376
'Cause I have that much trust in-in Frank.
1221
01:19:56,459 --> 01:19:59,168
During that final week,
Frank came into my office and said,
1222
01:19:59,168 --> 01:20:01,043
"We can do it."
1223
01:20:02,126 --> 01:20:04,543
The Diamond 360 and Yankee set.
1224
01:20:09,626 --> 01:20:12,834
From the right, the Blue Angel Diamond.
1225
01:20:48,168 --> 01:20:51,126
To be able to do that safely...
1226
01:20:52,626 --> 01:20:57,834
...flying just inches apart,
that's-that's a grand slam.
1227
01:20:57,834 --> 01:20:59,918
That's the Blue Angel magic.
1228
01:21:11,376 --> 01:21:14,251
Departing team members,
last three ranks, anyone want to talk?
1229
01:21:14,251 --> 01:21:16,418
- Destiny, you crying yet?
I'm not crying.
1230
01:21:16,418 --> 01:21:18,168
- You good?
Come on, Kev.
1231
01:21:18,168 --> 01:21:20,001
Come on, Kev!
This is it.
1232
01:21:20,001 --> 01:21:23,084
- Come on, Kev.
1233
01:21:23,084 --> 01:21:25,668
- Come on, Kev!
1234
01:21:31,709 --> 01:21:33,834
♪ Put your hands in the air
if you heard me ♪
1235
01:21:33,834 --> 01:21:35,709
- ♪ Wash your hands, wash your feet ♪
1236
01:21:35,709 --> 01:21:37,168
♪ Brush your teeth, wash your back...
1237
01:21:40,668 --> 01:21:43,501
♪ Put your arms in the air
if you heard me ♪
1238
01:21:43,501 --> 01:21:46,168
♪ Wash your hands, wash your feet,
wash your back, wash your back...
1239
01:21:47,876 --> 01:21:49,959
Good afternoon, Bert.
1240
01:21:55,793 --> 01:21:58,043
I've never been in
a command like this before,
1241
01:21:58,043 --> 01:22:02,293
and, uh, you guys treat me like family,
and I really appreciate that.
1242
01:22:02,293 --> 01:22:04,251
Thank you so much. I will miss it.
1243
01:22:04,251 --> 01:22:06,918
- I will miss it.
1244
01:22:09,251 --> 01:22:14,501
♪ When there's nowhere else to run ♪
1245
01:22:14,501 --> 01:22:19,084
♪ Is there room for one more son...
1246
01:22:19,084 --> 01:22:21,334
You know, to everyone leaving,
you will be missed.
1247
01:22:21,334 --> 01:22:23,001
We'll talk about it more tonight.
1248
01:22:23,001 --> 01:22:25,959
For the newbies in the back, soak it in.
1249
01:22:25,959 --> 01:22:27,793
Talk to these people
before they leave today.
1250
01:22:27,793 --> 01:22:29,209
Whoo!
1251
01:22:29,209 --> 01:22:30,668
♪ Hold on ♪
1252
01:22:32,834 --> 01:22:34,668
♪ If you can, hold on ♪
1253
01:22:34,668 --> 01:22:36,543
- All right!
1254
01:22:36,543 --> 01:22:38,209
- ♪ Hold on ♪
- Hit it.
1255
01:22:38,209 --> 01:22:41,418
- One more time.
- Three, four, five.
1256
01:22:55,876 --> 01:22:57,543
Expo is clear to taxi.
1257
01:22:57,543 --> 01:22:59,584
Line up on runway two-five-right.
1258
01:23:01,584 --> 01:23:02,584
Now.
1259
01:23:02,584 --> 01:23:05,793
♪ I wanna stand up, I wanna let go ♪
1260
01:23:05,793 --> 01:23:08,043
- ♪ You know, you know ♪
1261
01:23:08,043 --> 01:23:11,043
♪ No, you don't, you don't ♪
1262
01:23:11,043 --> 01:23:14,918
♪ I wanna shine on in the hearts of man ♪
1263
01:23:14,918 --> 01:23:18,251
♪ I want a meaning from the back
of my broken hand ♪
1264
01:23:18,251 --> 01:23:20,668
- ♪ Another head aches ♪
1265
01:23:20,668 --> 01:23:23,459
♪ Another heart breaks ♪
1266
01:23:23,459 --> 01:23:26,126
♪ I'm so much older than I can take ♪
1267
01:23:26,126 --> 01:23:31,209
♪ And my affection,
well, it comes and goes ♪
1268
01:23:31,209 --> 01:23:34,709
♪ I need direction to perfection,
no, no, no, no ♪
1269
01:23:34,709 --> 01:23:37,126
♪ Help me out, yeah ♪
1270
01:23:37,126 --> 01:23:41,293
♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪
1271
01:23:41,293 --> 01:23:44,834
♪ Oh, don't you put me
on the back burner ♪
1272
01:23:44,834 --> 01:23:49,168
♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪
1273
01:23:49,168 --> 01:23:51,918
♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1274
01:23:51,918 --> 01:23:53,334
♪ Yeah ♪
1275
01:23:53,334 --> 01:23:57,459
♪ You're gonna bring yourself down, yeah ♪
1276
01:23:57,459 --> 01:24:00,584
♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1277
01:24:00,584 --> 01:24:03,084
I don't think
you remember shows or weekends.
1278
01:24:05,584 --> 01:24:09,584
The level of perfection that we seek,
I see it in moments.
1279
01:24:11,251 --> 01:24:14,376
Every once in a while,
you're in a roll or a rollout,
1280
01:24:14,376 --> 01:24:16,793
the jets just kind of freeze,
1281
01:24:16,793 --> 01:24:19,543
and the world around you
seems to kind of spin, so...
1282
01:24:19,543 --> 01:24:21,668
And those are kind of the moments
that I'll remember
1283
01:24:21,668 --> 01:24:23,584
that kind of stick with me.
1284
01:24:23,584 --> 01:24:26,709
The four Diamond pilots
are rolling out in trail formation
1285
01:24:26,709 --> 01:24:29,251
for a dynamic separation maneuver.
1286
01:24:29,251 --> 01:24:31,584
The Blue Angel Vertical Break.
1287
01:24:31,584 --> 01:24:32,918
Rip it.
1288
01:24:32,918 --> 01:24:35,793
♪ I got soul, but I'm not a soldier ♪
1289
01:24:35,793 --> 01:24:42,709
♪ I got soul,
but I'm not a soldier ♪
1290
01:24:48,584 --> 01:24:50,584
♪ Yeah ♪
1291
01:24:50,584 --> 01:24:54,501
♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪
1292
01:24:54,501 --> 01:24:58,501
♪ Oh, don't you put me
on the back burner ♪
1293
01:24:58,501 --> 01:25:02,668
♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪
1294
01:25:02,668 --> 01:25:04,751
♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1295
01:25:04,751 --> 01:25:08,918
♪ Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1296
01:25:08,918 --> 01:25:10,626
♪ Yeah ♪
1297
01:25:10,626 --> 01:25:14,584
♪ Oh, don't you put me
on the back burner ♪
1298
01:25:14,584 --> 01:25:17,793
♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪
1299
01:25:17,793 --> 01:25:19,918
♪ Yeah, you're gonna
bring yourself down...
1300
01:25:19,918 --> 01:25:24,876
I walked away thinking, "This is
exactly what we worked for all year,"
1301
01:25:24,876 --> 01:25:26,918
and it was incredible to see.
1302
01:25:26,918 --> 01:25:28,876
♪ Last call for sin ♪
1303
01:25:28,876 --> 01:25:30,793
- ♪ While everyone's lost ♪
1304
01:25:30,793 --> 01:25:32,709
♪ The battle is won...
1305
01:25:32,709 --> 01:25:34,668
Great job. Great tour.
1306
01:25:34,668 --> 01:25:36,918
Ah, good deal, Boss.
Welcome back.
1307
01:25:36,918 --> 01:25:38,501
Great.
1308
01:25:38,501 --> 01:25:42,751
No kidding-- during the show,
the parking spots are all changed over,
1309
01:25:42,751 --> 01:25:44,251
and that is how the Blue Angels do it.
1310
01:25:44,251 --> 01:25:45,584
♪ Things that I've done ♪
1311
01:25:45,584 --> 01:25:47,543
♪ Time, truth and hearts ♪
1312
01:25:49,293 --> 01:25:52,543
All the old guys' names
have been scraped off.
1313
01:25:52,543 --> 01:25:54,334
♪ If you can, hold on ♪
1314
01:25:54,334 --> 01:25:56,793
You know, when you walk out
of this hangar that final time, that's it.
1315
01:25:56,793 --> 01:25:58,751
- ♪ If you can, hold on ♪
1316
01:25:58,751 --> 01:26:00,168
There's no coming back.
1317
01:26:10,376 --> 01:26:13,251
Just started prepping my cadence
for that final walk back,
1318
01:26:13,251 --> 01:26:15,168
when it's that final drop of salute.
1319
01:26:15,168 --> 01:26:17,459
That's right, and left.
1320
01:26:17,459 --> 01:26:19,543
Left, left.
1321
01:26:19,543 --> 01:26:21,834
How long I might wait
for that final drop of salute.
1322
01:26:21,834 --> 01:26:24,584
Left, left.
1323
01:26:24,584 --> 01:26:26,293
Left, right, left.
1324
01:26:26,293 --> 01:26:28,001
- Right, right.
- Hut!
1325
01:26:28,001 --> 01:26:31,376
We drop salute,
and we know that the next day,
1326
01:26:31,376 --> 01:26:34,668
personnel are gonna go
all across the world
1327
01:26:34,668 --> 01:26:37,418
to the next tour of duty.
1328
01:26:38,834 --> 01:26:42,751
That's the last moment
that our family's gonna be together.
1329
01:26:42,751 --> 01:26:44,251
You know?
1330
01:26:44,251 --> 01:26:46,543
Uh... yeah.
1331
01:26:49,209 --> 01:26:50,959
And salute.
1332
01:26:53,376 --> 01:26:54,876
Ready? Two.
1333
01:27:22,293 --> 01:27:24,584
The flying is cool,
but it's not the same
1334
01:27:24,584 --> 01:27:28,251
as being around Jamammy or Cheese
or Chewy or Whiskers or Boss
1335
01:27:28,251 --> 01:27:31,293
or any of the supply officers
to maintainers downstairs.
1336
01:27:31,293 --> 01:27:33,834
It's that one-on-one connection
you have with your crew chiefs--
1337
01:27:33,834 --> 01:27:36,168
Joe and Alan for me--
so that's gonna truly,
1338
01:27:36,168 --> 01:27:38,293
truly be the thing
that I'm gonna miss the most.
1339
01:27:58,793 --> 01:28:01,084
It's all the parts.
It's not just five people.
1340
01:28:01,084 --> 01:28:04,251
It's 141 personnel
that put this thing together.
1341
01:28:04,251 --> 01:28:06,501
Ready? One, two and three.
1342
01:28:06,501 --> 01:28:08,584
- All right!
1343
01:28:11,459 --> 01:28:13,918
The people change.
The suits stay the same.
1344
01:28:13,918 --> 01:28:16,584
What this team means stays the same.
1345
01:28:16,584 --> 01:28:19,668
And what this team means to the country
has stayed the same
1346
01:28:19,668 --> 01:28:21,793
and has lasted the test of time.
1347
01:28:24,001 --> 01:28:27,459
And then-- poof, you know?-- it's gone.
1348
01:28:32,251 --> 01:28:35,209
I pinch myself
I get a chance to be part of it.
1349
01:28:55,084 --> 01:28:58,376
The Blue Angel Creed!
1350
01:28:58,376 --> 01:29:00,001
As a Blue Angel,
1351
01:29:00,001 --> 01:29:05,043
I will dedicate all my efforts to pride,
professionalism and perfection.
1352
01:29:05,043 --> 01:29:08,001
I will strive to honor the crest I earned,
1353
01:29:08,001 --> 01:29:10,209
and I will never forget from where I came.
1354
01:29:10,209 --> 01:29:13,043
Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel.
1355
01:32:27,043 --> 01:32:29,126
Great job. Great tour.