'Blue Angels', a film about the brilliant United States Navy aerobatic squadron

@DefAviation ES 6·07·2024 · 19:01 0

When I was a kid, I saw a movie that left me excited: "The Final Countdown" (1980), based on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

The deafening takeoff of four Super Hornets fighters recorded from just a few meters away
A spectacular aerial exhibition by the Blue Angels in San Francisco Bay

It was then that I began to feel a love for aviation and, specifically, naval aviation. A few years later, a VHS video titled "Touch de sky" about the Blue Angels, the US Navy aerobatic team. It was a documentary film recorded by Christopher Reeve in 1985, ten years before the tragic accident that left him in a wheelchair. At that time, the Blue Angels were flying the Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II, a small and highly maneuverable aircraft, which in 1986 they changed for the larger and more modern F/A-18A Hornet.

That video fascinated me and it was then when I learned about the incredible skill of those naval aviators, whose show - unlike other acrobatic patrols - began on the ground with a very well synchronized choreography. Since 2020, the Blue Angels have been flying the F/A-18E Super Hornet and have the C-130J Super Hercules as a support aircraft, affectionately known as "Fat Albert".

A few days ago, Prime Video released a documentary film titled "Blue Angels", made by Amazon Studios and directed by Paul Crowder. The film shows us this acrobatic team at its NAF El Centro base, shows us what its training and selection of new members is like, as well as some scenes from the daily life of its aviators. One of the most striking details are the fabulous images of this film, so good that sometimes you wonder: where did they record that from? Will it be real or made by computer?

The film shows the extent to which these aviators seek excellence and try to honor the legacy of a team founded in 1946, making them the second oldest aerobatic patrol in the world (the oldest being the Patrouille de France). The Blue Angels, in addition, are unbeatable in maneuvers like their Diamond 360, in which four planes fly forming a rhombus with a separation of only 18 inches (45 centimeters) from each other and at a speed of about 400 miles per hour (643 km/h). No other aerobatic team is capable of doing that. I loved the film and I recommend it to you. Here I leave you with the official trailer:

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Images: Prime Video.