NAS JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two members of the Blue Angels visited Naval Air Station Jacksonville on Wednesday morning, 10 months ahead of the next Air Show Spectacular in Jacksonville.
The free shows, which will celebrate 84 years of the Blue Angels flight demonstration team, are scheduled for Oct. 19-20, 2024.
“Every show is unique,” said Lt. Cmdr. Brian Vaught. “We are very excited. Obviously, it is a huge Navy base. A lot of roots here.”
The October 2024 visit is among 32 different air show sites next year. The season tour starts in March.
“I had a chance to come out to the Jacksonville Beach show last year,” said Lt. Connor O’Donnell. “It was a really great experience. Coming back to this part of the world, there is such a Navy presence here that much of our team has spent a lot of time and it is a local area. It makes it that much more of a special and familiar experience for all of us.”
Vaught said the shows are always exhilarating in person.
“You can watch them on TV all day long. The feel of the thunder of the jets is pretty amazing. If you have not felt that, you absolutely need to come out,” Vaught said.
Currently, the Blue Angels are building trust with each other, practicing and are on the verge of bringing in their newest classes for 2025 and 2026.
“Perfection is always our pursuit,” Vaught said. “We will probably never get there, but we will try to get as close as possible.
O’Donnell said they always have to start at the very beginning.
“Just the basic building blocks of formation, flying, learning to turn our smoke on as a team all at the same time so that we can move eventually into the more complicated maneuvers before the show season,” O’Donnell said.
Vaught and O’Donnell said they will be on the ground for next year’s show as narrators instead of flying.
The Blue Angels say each show is unique, but being back in Jacksonville next year to commemorate a huge milestone has special significance.
“Not only are we representing the Navy-Marine Corps, but we also want to inspire the next generation,” O’Donnell said. “Whatever it is that you do, it could be serving in the military, becoming a pilot, we just want to inspire excellence. Hopefully, coming out to the flight demonstration and you see the team fly, it makes you go home and whatever you choose to do with your life to do a little bit better.”
The shows on Oct. 19-20, 2024, are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. both days with gates opening at 9 a.m. each day.
There will also be a practice day on Oct. 18 that is open to local school children and those who have access to NAS Jax.