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How Well Do You Know the Blue Angels?

April 24, 2016 | By Sandy Gall, Naval History and Heritage Command Communication and Outreach Division
It's true, the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, are pretty famous (they have performed for more than 450 million people) but how well do you know their history? Like most things Navy, the Blues, as they are affectionately called, are rooted in a proud and lasting heritage. Take a look back on how they became the fixture in the sky we all know today!
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Photo By: NHHC
VIRIN: 210624-N-ZY259-5524
  Test your Blue Angel knowledge below. Share the post if you learn something new!
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Photo By: NHHC
VIRIN: 210624-N-ZY259-5535

Q: Who established 'the Blue Angels'?

A: The Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, ordered the establishment of the team on April 24, 1946. Admiral Nimitz had the vision to create a flight exhibition team in order to raise the public's interest in naval aviation and boost Navy morale.

Q: When did they perform their first flight?

A: The Navy Flight Exhibition Team, their formal title at the time, performed its first flight demonstration June 15, 1946, at their home base, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida. Lt. Cmdr. Roy 'Butch' Voris led the team and flew the Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat. The new Navy Flight Exhibition team was only the second formal flying demonstration team to have been created in the world, since the Patrouille de France formed in 1931.

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Photo By: NHHC
VIRIN: 210624-N-ZY259-5557

Q: Why is the flight exhibition team called the 'Blue Angels'?

A: The team was introduced as the "Blue Angels" at a show in Omaha, Nebraska, in July 1946. Right Wing Pilot Lt. Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll came across the name in the New Yorker Magazine in a column called Goings On About Town. Voris said, "That sounds great! The Blue Angels. Navy, Blue, and Flying!"


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Photo By: NHHC
VIRIN: 210624-N-ZY259-5990