Planners Bring F/A-18s, Meet Media To Set Mood For 2012

It's exciting to have your airshow selected for an appearance by the US Navy Blue Angels. And that excitement starts early, as the team sends advance planners to selected locations, often including one of its signature blue and gold F/A-18 Hornets.

The Navy has scheduled its famous jet team two years out, and makes use of the airshow off-season to run some of those advance missions. Especially in smaller markets, the visits grab lots of media attention.

On December 12, Lieutenant Commander Todd Royles met the media in Sioux Falls, SD, where the Blue Angels will perform as part of the Power on the Prairie Air Show in July. He told KDLT-TV, "No two show sites are the same, so most important thing for us is to come here meet with air show officials and go over the variables there are here in Sioux Falls, so when we go back to Pensacola and brief our team on the show site we got some good solid plan in place and we can come to town and we can fly an exciting but safe demonstration."

He gave KELO-TV viewers a preview. "We are going to do a pass that's just shy of the speed of sound. As well, we're going to demonstrate the slow speed hanging characteristics...as well as the multitude of technical demonstration maneuvers that the pilots are capable of."

FMI: www.blueangels.navy.mil