Number 7 F/A-18F Blows a Tire During Airshow Practice

As the 51st annual SUN ‘n FUN aerospace expo comes to a close, it seems that the airshow had an impressively clear incident record. The only even minorly stand-out event was a tire blowing out while the Blue Angels narrator landed, putting a little more on the group’s plate as they prepared for their demonstration.

While the primary six Blue Angels flew in at around 11:00 am on Thursday, April 3, much of the supporting crew arrived at Lakeland Linder International Airport (LAL) a day earlier. This included Blue Angel number 7, piloted by 2025 narrator and VIP pilot Major Scott Laux.

Though no one knows exactly what happened just yet, many airshow-goers witnessed the right main tire on Blue Angel 7 blowing out as the aircraft landed. One bystander posted photos of the jet, commenting, “Apparently even the Blue Angles ride the brakes sometimes too. Think he came in a little hot at the end of the runway heard a pop.” It was towed down the taxiway of shame and went in for maintenance.

Other than that, the airshow seemed to be an incident-free zone for the week… besides the unexpected Florida heat wave that left many dehydrated, overheated, and tragically sunburnt.

The Blue Angels F/A-18 Super Hornets hosted several public practices on April 3 and 4 after their arrival before performing their final routines over the weekend, closing out SUN ‘n FUN with a bang on April 5 and 6. They will now be making their way out to South Carolina to headline the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Airshow on April 12 and 13, then the Air Dot Show Augusta in Georgia on April 26 and 27.

"Our mission is to display the teamwork and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps through flight demonstrations and community outreach," CDR Adam Bryan, pilot of Blue Angel #1, stated. "One of the biggest things we do is try to inspire when we come to an airshow. So today, and the next couple of days at SUN 'n FUN, specifically Saturday and Sunday, our job is to inspire those that are watching us to reach their highest potential."

FMI: www.blueangels.navy.mil