Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show: Exciting 2019 Season Closes in Style

On November 8 and 9, Naval Air Station Pensacola will welcome the Blue Angels back to the base for their homecoming air shows. The Friday and Saturday shows will mark the Angels’ 73rd anniversary. Since 1946, they have been traveling the country, wowing audiences with their precision flight formations (sometimes bringing them as close to each other as 18 inches), speed (up to 700 miles per hour), and aerobatics. To date, they have flown for more than 260 million spectators.

Things To Know About the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show

Gates at Naval Air Station Pensacola open at 8 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, and there are day and night shows on both days. The day shows start at 9:30 a.m. The Blue Angels will fly on Friday and Saturday around 2 p.m. General admission, blanket seating, and parking are free. Preferred seating areas (bleachers, boxes, and the Flightline Club Chalet) are available with paid admission.

In addition to the air shows, there will be plenty of activities to keep the whole family entertained, including a collection of aircraft to view, virtual games, food booths, souvenir stands, and a Kids Zone. Among the Kids Zone attractions are bounce houses, an inflatable obstacle course, Spider Mountain, and the popular spinning gyro ride. The National Naval Aviation Museum, located next to the airfield, will also be open, and admission is free.

Other Air Show Acts

Fat Albert, the cargo plane that carries all of the Blue Angels’ show equipment, flies over the iconic beach ball water tower at Pensacola Beach.

• U. S. Navy Parachute Team. “The Leap Frogs” is the official Navy parachute demonstration team.
• F-16 Viper Demonstration Team. In addition to performing precision aerial maneuvers, the team works with the Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation to demonstrate the professional qualities the Air Forced develops in the people who fly and maintain these aircraft.
• Adam Baker Extra 330 Aerobatics. Baker’s outgoing personality and progressive flying style have made him an industry leader, marketable to all generations.
• Matt Chapman – Embry Riddle. Since 1984, Chapman has worked his way up the the highest level of competition aerobatics and won one of only five slots on the U.S. Unlimited Men’s Aerobatic Team in 1988 and 1996.
• GEICO Skytypers Air Show Team. This flight squadron performs precision flight maneuvers using six vintage World War II aircraft.
• AeroShell Aerobatic Team. This four-ship team performs tight, awe-inspiring formation aerial maneuvers.
• Rob Holland Ultimate Airshows. Earning his pilot’s license as a teenager, Holland is now in his 18th year as a full-time airshow pilot and is known for his innovation, developing aerobatics never before seen at airshows.
• John Klatt Airshows – Screamin’ Sasquatch. Since 1999, Klatt has brought breath-taking airshow aerobatics to audiences all over the world.
• Stearman Flight Team. Dedicated to safety and proficiency in formation flying, the team provides FAA-authorized training.
• Doc Serrato – T-28C Trojan. Owner and operator of the 1954-built T-28C Trojan, he was the first to land on the carrier USS Tarawa in 1955.
• Paul McCowan Airshows and Skydiving Team. McCowan formed his team in 1971, after leaving the Army, where he started jumping in 1967 as a Green Beret.
• Vertigo Airshows – Bob Carlton. Specializing in sailplane aerobatics, Carlton’s innovative performances include night shows with strobes and pyrotechnics.
• Twin Tigers Aerobatic Team. Both team members, whose goal is to inspire audiences and future aviators with safe, top-quality, family-friendly entertainment, are also B737 pilots for Southwest Airlines.
• Shockwave Jet Truck – Chris Darnell. As driver/pilot of the world’s fastest jet-powered truck – in 2005, it set an air show speed record of 375 mph – Darnell has been performing at air shows for more than 10 years.

This year’s air show announcer is Rob Reider, the award-winning voice of the country’s most prestigious aerial events. Air boss is Wayne Boggs, a former marine and Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controller. One of the top air bosses in the country, Boggs helps produce 18 to 25 air shows per year.

For paid admission tickets and more information about the homecoming air show, visit NAS Pensacola Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show and check out the links.

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