The Blue Angels want YOU for the U.S. Navy

by Jeffery Racheff

Screaming across the sky at over 1,000 miles an hour, the Blue Angels are the world’s oldest and most famous flying aerobatic team. Since their debut in 1946 they have performed for almost half a billion people all over the world, thrilling ground folk with their death-defying tricks. But what most spectators don’t realize is they’re also one of the United States military’s oldest recruiting tools.

As a wee little boy I can remember staring with jaw agape at the awesome splendor of fighter pilots blazing overhead. At that age, especially with jingoistic movies like Top Gun fresh in your imagination, there is nothing cooler than loop de loops set to the riffs of  “Rock You Like A Hurricane.” If there were no age restrictions on military enrollment, lines outside Navy and Marines offices would stretch for miles after Blue Angels shows with eight year-olds eager to learn barrel rolls.

Many fans don’t know or care that the Angels are part of the Navy, let alone tools to impress upon young minds the intrigue of military service. Just like Tom Cruise’s infamous war weapon orgy, the Blue Angels exist solely to boost the image of the Navy. According to the Angels’ website (warning: loud testosterone ahead), their purpose is to enhance recruiting for the Navy and keep the public interested in Naval aviation. In other words, the Blue Angels brand is not designed to sell fancy air shows — it’s designed to sell the Navy.

All the way back in 1946, the name was coined when one of the original pilots saw an ad for the Blue Angel nightclub in New York City. Since then the Blue Angels name has triggered feelings of respect, awe and patriotism (personally, I prefer the squadron name they flew under during the Korean War — if it had stuck we’d all be watching shows performed by Satan’s Kittens).

More recently however, the name has suffered mechanical failure. Many see the show’s spectacle as a complete waste of resources and as a hold-out from the Cold War days when we had pissing contests with Russian tank parades. It’s also in questionable taste to show off military might while the same equipment is being used to annihilate villages on the other side of the world.

Blue Angels air shows are also incredibly dangerous. Out of the 262 pilots in the squad’s history, 26 have died in show-related accidents. That means if you fly for the Blue Angels there’s a 10% chance you’ll perish in their service. And this risk has dampened their image in recent years. After a tragic accident in 2007, some in San Francisco wanted to ban the team from performing during the annual Fleet Week celebrations, which they’ve been a part of for 25 years.

But fans protested and the show remained. Risk is a part of the thrill, they say. And as for the political aspect, it’s not like we’re watching a bunch of maniacal fighter pilots gun down balloons in the shape of Iraqi children. That would be a different story. They’re just doing coordinated spins and tandem maneuvers, with lots of smoke and sonic booms. Going to a Blue Angels show, or watching from your roof, is like watching trapeze artists. Except these daredevils have Navy patches on their shoulders.

So, like most things nowadays, the effectiveness with which the Blue Angels sell the Navy is based mostly on your political leanings and whether or not you think fast objects and loud noises are amusing. Considering the state of American entertainment, they seem to be doing a pretty good job.