Fri, Nov 01, 2024
Provides a Sneak-Peak Into the Rare Upcoming Conjoined Airshow
The US Navy’s Blue Angels executed a conjoined flyover with the US Air Force’s Thunderbirds on October 30. This was a glimpse into the upcoming 2024 Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show at Naval Air Station Pensacola, hosted November 1 and 2.
The Blue Angels team departed from NAS Pensacola before meeting up with the Thunderbirds mid-air. The flyby featured all twelve jets, six F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Blue Angels and six F-16C Fighting Falcons from the Thunderbirds, assuming a “Super Delta” formation along Florida’s Gulf Coast. They traveled from Perdido Key through Oriole Beach.
The “Super Delta” configuration was unveiled in 2020 over Memorial Day weekend. Six Hornets form a tight triangle, with three Fighting Falcons falling into place on both sides. This formation has only been seen in action a few times since its debut.
The Homecoming show will be the two demonstration teams’ first joint performance since the Point Mugu Air Show in March 2023.
Pensacola-ns are likely already very familiar with the Blue Angels, seeing as the group typically executes two performances yearly and weekly practice sessions in the area. The Thunderbirds will be a nice refresher, since the two have not been together in Pensacola, the Blue Angel’s home, since the early 2000s. The Thunderbirds are based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
This type of performance is strategically rare. The teams are typically kept at least 150 miles apart during air show season to extend their reach. This allows them to more effectively serve as recruitment tools for their respective branches.
The Blue Angels perform an average of 60 aerial displays at 30 US locations annually, while the Thunderbirds typically host around 75 demonstrations per year.
Gates for the 2024 Pensacola Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show will open at 8 am on Friday, November 1.
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