Angels in the Field

The Blue Angels show off what sailors and marines in the fleet do every day.

You just can’t watch a Blue Angels show and not come away excited and maybe just a bit proud.

After all, from their signature diamond formation maneuvers, with 18 inches from wingtip to canopy, to high-speed solo passes that seem close enough to trade paint, the U.S. Navy’s aerial demonstration team pilots fly like the only thing they haven’t taught their Boeing F/A-18s to do is write "God Bless America" in the sky with their smoke trails.

Not to say that they couldn’t.

But as thrilling and awe-inspiring as each 40-minute show is, it is just the culmination of countless hours of behind-the-scenes work by a select and dedicated team of maintenance and support professionals.

"Unfortunately, it’s just the nature of what we do," said maintenance chief Chris Dahl, a senior chief air warfare aviation electronics technology. The better the maintenance team is, the less attention it receives, "and that’s okay with us. We’re all here to make the team better. It’s not about any one person or effort, it’s about being there when we’re needed and doing our jobs."

The team’s powerplants supervisor, U.S. Marine Corps staff sergeant Mark Thomas said activities on the ground at an air show are much like those on the flight deck of a Navy carrier.

"It looks like everybody’s running around, but everyone knows exactly what has to be done," Thomas said. "If someone can’t handle something, there are 20 people around ready to jump in and help."

The result is that the public gets to see an amazing show of high-performance aircraft flying in extremely close proximity. "The maintenance has to be unbelievable to do that," Thomas said, "and that’s where we get our sense of pride and accomplishment."

Teamwork, cooperation, and commitment are words that permeate discussions with members of the maintenance and support group. Everyone on the team seems dedicated to elevating the team concept to the highest possible level. That drive to be the best is often the reason a technician decides to apply to the team in the first place.

Derek Leone, an air warfare aviation electrician's mate second class, said he first wanted to join the team after members told him the Blue Angels had never failed to perform at a scheduled air show because of a maintenance problem.

"A lot of hard work has gone into that record, and we take it very seriously," Leone said. Many sailors and marines believe that they could never meet the Blue Angels’s standards, he added. "But once you’re here, you see that we’re doing the same things they do in the fleet. We just do it in a much more visible arena. When it comes time to launch our jets on a mission, it’s all the same. Our goal is to send them all out and get them all back safely."

Dahl, the maintenance chief, said he got the desire after a friend who had been selected to join the team began talking about the atmosphere within the squadron.

"Before then, it had never crossed my mind," he said. "I was all set to go back out to sea."

But after listening to his friend, "I decided I wanted to be part of it too. I found out it’s much more than being part of the team. It’s really about representing my buddies who are out at sea and putting themselves in harm’s way every day. It’s great to be able to bring that spirit and professionalism to the attention of the American public."

Commitment to teamwork is a prime trait Blue Angels bosses look for in selecting individuals for the maintenance and support group. "The first thing we look for is the right attitude," said crew coordinator Russ Wicker, an air warfare aviation maintenance administrationmen (that’s what the Navy calls these specialists) first class. "What we value is the attitude that will fit into the team concept that we portray." After that, he said, the team looks for technical skills that will make individuals an asset to the small team.

If a technician is fortunate enough to clear the in-depth, three-day interview process and be selected, he or she begins an extensive cross-training curriculum that complements their current specialty. Cross-training is important to the Blue Angels because of the small size of the maintenance team and the fact that when they’re on the road, everyone on the 25-person traveling team is expected to be able to pitch in and help when situations arise.

"I think we take cross-training further here than they do at the rest of the fleet," said Thomas, the powerplants supervisor. He said everyone on the team, including administration people, has to learn about the airplanes to help out on the road. "Everybody in this command gets trained on what everyone else does. A mechanical problem may have to be fixed by a specialist, but there are plenty of trained hands to help out."

The crew coordinator, Wicker, serves as the director of the team’s training program. He said each team member gets a set of personal qualification standards [PQS], with individual standards being signed off by a supervisor when that team member completes a required learning task.

"It’s a ‘what can happen if . . .’ type of training," he said, "that’s typically concentrated on all the various tasks of line servicing the aircraft, like tow tractor operations, fueling, checking systems, and things like that."

Training is year round, but Wicker said most of the PQS material is covered during the team’s 10-week winter training program at the Naval Air Facility in El Centro, California. "We have a very short window to get all newly hired personnel online as to how we operate during the show season," he said. "Since we travel so much during the year, this is a very intensive training period. Some new hires think it’s going to be a vacation. It’s about as far from a vacation as they’re going to get."

Of course, being part of one of the most recognized aircraft demonstration teams in the world means your training doesn’t end with the airplanes you work on. "We also spend plenty of time learning the history of the Blue Angels," Leone said. "It really helps when you go out to a school or into the public and people ask you questions–not only about the ‘Blues,’ but also about life as a sailor or marine. It means a lot to be asked to represent every member of the U.S. military serving around the world."

Performance under pressure

One thing about the Blue Angels that most people never get to see is the planning and practice that goes into each show. The Navy views each demonstration more as a military exercise than a simple air show performance. Each part of the "mission" is scheduled to the minute and the people behind the scenes are committed to having the show go off on schedule. The concept of having to cancel a show due to mechanical problems wouldn’t just disappoint the throngs assembled to see the Blues Angels. As far as team members are concerned, it would discredit military readiness.

"Everybody here goes that extra mile to make sure these airplanes are maintained to exceptional levels," Thomas said. "We’re trying to complete each mission exactly as planned, and our mission is to showcase what the Navy and Marine Corps does for the American public on a daily basis in conflict areas around the globe."

That pride and commitment adds to the pressure on the people responsible for keeping the jets in the air and the shows going smoothly, especially when you consider that the jets are the "old dogs" in the fleet. The average airframe has more than 5,000 hours total time. "Here we’re working on the oldest F-18s in the inventory," Thomas said, "so a lot more care goes into going that extra mile preventative maintenance-wise."

"We see things you’d probably never see in the fleet," added Mario Delacruz, an aviation structural mechanic second class. "You really have to go deep to do effective troubleshooting. It takes up a lot of your time, but at the same time you’re learning so many new things. It’s rewarding and challenging at the same time.

"These may be old airframes," he added, "but as far as their reliability and care goes, they’re all gems. Our airplanes don’t take a back seat to anything in the fleet. We get really personal with the maintenance on each of them. You get a real feeling of accomplishment when you see the excitement on the faces in the crowd at a show, knowing you helped make it all happen."

"It’s really a challenge to keep these airplanes flying on the very demanding schedule we have," said Chris Green, who as an aviation structural mechanic-equipment, first class is a life support specialist on the team. "But it’s no more or less challenging than what’s being accomplished on the decks of our ships on a daily basis."

During the average, eight-month-long show season, the Blue Angels will perform 70 shows in 35 cities across the U.S. and Canada. That schedule subjects the maintenance team to unusual circumstances and operational pressures.

The squadron’s home base in Pensacola, Florida has full support capabilities. But on the road, whether it’s at a military or civilian facility, the Blue Angels may not have the full facilities for support. "Sometimes these remote operations really test the mettle of our technicians to be able to work out repairs to our standards and maintain the operational safety of the aircraft while at the same time meeting the demands of the show demonstration schedule," Dahl said. "That is a real testament to the guys who do the work week in and week out."

Green said being on the road can challenge your devotion. "Most times I absolutely love what I’m doing," he said. "You’re representing all of your friends who are out there in the fleet. You love having all the kids come up and hug you after a show. They think you’re a celebrity. It’s still amazing what the uniform means to the public."

"On the other side are those times that absolutely drive you crazy," he said. "The long hours of travel and everything that goes with it. Sometimes we may only get a couple of hours of sleep every night for three or four nights in a row because of the time it takes to troubleshoot these very old systems."

"Being away from the family so much is very tough too," Thomas said. "But when the little kids in the crowd want your picture or a little old lady comes up and gives you a hug and just says ‘Thank you,’ well, that makes it all worth while. Your thoughts of all the extra work you’ve put in to get the show airplanes in the air just goes out the window because someone from the crowd pats you on the back."

"Nobody here would ever say that we’re the best of the best," he concluded, "because we’re not. We’re just the lucky ones who get to showcase the capabilities and talents of the Navy and Marines to the public. Everybody on the team understands that, and that thought keeps us all humble and appreciative of where we are."