The Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area is great for many reasons – beach, beautiful gulf waters, and other natural beauty. Another benefit of this location is the opportunity to watch the incredible U.S. Navy Blue Angels practice overhead.
The U.S. Navy Flight Exhibition Team, the Blue Angels, is made up of 16 officers who voluntarily apply for this honor. The officers typically serve for 3 years with the team. These pilots are career-oriented Navy and Marine Corp jet pilots with a minimum of 1,250 tactical jet-flight hours. The Commanding Officer, who flies the number 1 jet, is selected by the Chief of Naval Air Training. The “Boss”, the Blue Angels Commanding Officer, is required to have at least 3,000 tactical jet-flight hours and also have experience as a tactical jet squadron commander. You can read about each officer on the Blue Angels website.
The Blue Angels Support Team includes an events coordinator, maintenance officer, flight surgeon, administrative officer, public affairs officer, supply officer and about 100 enlisted sailors and marines. For each show, about 45 support team members travel to the show site. Members of the support team must be recommended by their commanding officer and go through a rigorous screening process. The fact that in the history of the Blue Angels, a show has never been cancelled due to maintenance problems attests to the excellence of this team.
The Blue Angels began in 1946 and is officially the oldest formal flying aerobatic team. Their mission is to “enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting, and credibly represent Navy and Marine Corps aviation to the United States and its Armed Forces to America and other countries as international ambassadors of good will.” Currently the Blue Angels use the F/A-18 Hornet for their 70 shows throughout the United States each year. Shows are performed from March through the end of October.
It is exciting to watch the Blue Angels practice whether in Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, and a schedule of practice times can be found on the Blue Angel’s website. The team’s home base is the U.S. Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida where they typically practice on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from March through October. Since Pensacola is “just across the state line”, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach have a great view of practice.
There are also many other “great views” in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach which draw residents and visitors from around the world. Let me help you find a Gulf Shores or Orange Beach location where you can enjoy the views for many years to come. Give me a call today. Lance Steffek, 251-981-2225.
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