The thrills, history and dedication that showcase the technical drive, guts and glory of “The Blue Angels” offers an apt celebration of this American military institution.
Officially, the Blue Angels is the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, an ace, all volunteer unit dedicated to showcasing the pride and professionalism of America’s Navy and Marine Corps. Director Paul Crowder’s documentary chronicles a squadron’s intense training and subsequent season of heart-stopping aerial performances.
Founded in 1946, the aerobatic team is comprised of six Navy and one Marine pilot. The Hornet jets soar at 400 mph while the solos can speed along at 700 mph. “We will not break the sound barrier,” noted “Boss” Alexander Armatas, the Blues’ commander, in a Zoom interview.
These daredevil aerial formations are not without peril. Although all pilots are limited to two-year assignments, there have been 28 fatalities.
The Angels now have in Lt. Amanda Lee the first woman pilot on the team in what had been, for nearly 75 years, an all-male universe.
What, they were asked, do you get out of being a Blue Angel you wouldn’t get anywhere else in the Navy?
“The best way I would couch this,” Armatas began, “is the same thing we asked people that apply for the team, which is: Why do you want to be a Blue Angel?
“Because every single person on this team applied to be here, through a pretty rigorous application process. That’s not just the officers but the entire 160 member team.
“I bet all 160 of those people would give you a different answer to the question of why they applied. For me personally, this was an opportunity. I’ve been in the Navy almost 22 years this month. And my career has been extremely rewarding.
“For me the opportunity to apply for the Blue Angels and to carry out this mission for a couple of years was a great opportunity to give a little bit of that back and to share that with the general public who may or may not know a whole lot about what the Navy and the Marine Corps are doing on a daily basis.”
“I think,” Lee said, “everybody joins for just a little bit different reason but ultimately to carry out the mission of the Blue Angels.
“I’ve been in for 17 years, from a completely different background” – an aviation electronics technician – “prior to getting my commission as a pilot.
“And it’s really cool to talk to each individual, whether it’s our maintainers or ground crew or inter pilots. It’s a melting pot of backgrounds and it shows that if you put your mind to it, you can achieve some really cool things.
“That’s what we’re trying to demonstrate to the public in our demonstrations.”
“The Blue Angels” is in IMAX theaters May 17 and streams on Prime Video May 23
