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The Blue Angel Creed!

4
00:00:50,416 --> 00:00:52,208
As a Blue Angel,

5
00:00:52,208 --> 00:00:57,208
I will dedicate all my efforts to pride,
professionalism and perfection.

6
00:00:57,208 --> 00:01:02,083
<i>I will strive to honor the crest I earned
and the flag I wear,</i>

7
00:01:02,083 --> 00:01:05,458
<i>but I will never forget from where I came.</i>

8
00:01:05,458 --> 00:01:08,708
<i>Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel.</i>

9
00:01:49,375 --> 00:01:52,000
<i>First day
that I drove up to the hangar</i>

10
00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,250
{\an8}<i>in El Centro and,</i>

11
00:01:54,250 --> 00:01:55,875
{\an8}you know, saw my name on a parking sign,

12
00:01:55,875 --> 00:01:58,708
{\an8}saw my name on the door,
saw my name on the side of a jet already,

13
00:01:58,708 --> 00:02:01,583
{\an8}and it was like, "Man, this is...
this is real."

14
00:02:10,125 --> 00:02:11,958
<i>I have
the blessing, the privilege,</i>

15
00:02:11,958 --> 00:02:13,250
<i>the honor to be</i>

16
00:02:13,250 --> 00:02:17,041
boss of the Blue Angels right now,
and I've been so for a couple years.

17
00:02:18,291 --> 00:02:20,708
<i>But this is my last year.</i>

18
00:02:22,250 --> 00:02:24,250
<i>Had a chance to be part
of seven deployments,</i>

19
00:02:24,250 --> 00:02:27,041
<i>served in a lot of different conflicts
around the world throughout the years.</i>

20
00:02:27,041 --> 00:02:30,541
<i>And... and naval aviation was a home
and was something that</i>

21
00:02:30,541 --> 00:02:31,916
I feel like I was meant to do.

22
00:02:36,041 --> 00:02:38,875
<i>It was something that
I wanted to do since I was a kid.</i>

23
00:02:38,875 --> 00:02:42,208
Something that I never thought
was actually gonna happen.

24
00:02:44,333 --> 00:02:47,041
<i>Every year, about a third
of the entire squadron</i>

25
00:02:47,041 --> 00:02:48,833
<i>rotates back to the fleet.</i>

26
00:02:48,833 --> 00:02:51,916
<i>The challenge for every boss
is to get the newbies,</i>

27
00:02:51,916 --> 00:02:54,958
<i>their replacements,
up to speed for the coming season</i>

28
00:02:54,958 --> 00:02:57,708
<i>and integrated into
the Blue Angel way of life.</i>

29
00:02:59,583 --> 00:03:01,625
<i>All these thoughts
were going through my mind, like,</i>

30
00:03:01,625 --> 00:03:04,458
<i>"Oh, man, you know,
it's just... I don't...</i>

31
00:03:04,458 --> 00:03:07,208
<i>I don't know what I'm doing.
Do I even belong here?"</i>

32
00:03:08,625 --> 00:03:11,541
<i>But this is it. This is who I am
for the next two years,</i>

33
00:03:11,541 --> 00:03:14,541
<i>and this is my job for the next two years.</i>

34
00:03:14,541 --> 00:03:16,916
<i>I am now a Blue Angel.</i>

35
00:04:54,208 --> 00:04:56,125
All right, welcome back, everybody. Evan.

36
00:04:56,125 --> 00:04:57,666
Yes, Boss, we'll debrief
our practice over El Centro.

37
00:04:57,666 --> 00:04:59,041
- Fired up, ready to go.
- All right.

38
00:04:59,041 --> 00:05:02,125
I'll take a safety for rolling up
to low brake cross at 450.

39
00:05:03,875 --> 00:05:05,583
Pay Doc ten dollars
for a zipper and a collar.

40
00:05:05,583 --> 00:05:06,833
I'll fix it all. I'm glad to be here.

41
00:05:06,833 --> 00:05:08,291
- Cheese.
Yes, sir, Boss.

42
00:05:08,291 --> 00:05:13,000
I'll have it for safety, though,
but underline deep sag on the fan rollout.

43
00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,208
<i>Naval aviation is something
I fully dedicate myself,</i>

44
00:05:16,208 --> 00:05:17,875
<i>and I can look back in 20 years</i>

45
00:05:17,875 --> 00:05:21,791
and say I gave every fiber of my being
to getting better at it.

46
00:05:21,791 --> 00:05:23,458
But you come to the Blue Angels,

47
00:05:23,458 --> 00:05:25,500
<i>and that really happens
in that first season</i>

48
00:05:25,500 --> 00:05:28,291
<i>where you're trying
to figure this thing out.</i>

49
00:05:28,291 --> 00:05:29,958
<i>That can be scary.</i>

50
00:05:29,958 --> 00:05:31,708
I'll fix it all.
I'm glad to be here, Boss.

51
00:05:31,708 --> 00:05:32,875
- All right, Whiskers.
Yes, sir,
Boss,

52
00:05:32,875 --> 00:05:34,875
I'll take safeties for being 296 knots
out of the PUB.

53
00:05:34,875 --> 00:05:37,041
Pay Doc five dollars for pregame jitters.

54
00:05:37,041 --> 00:05:38,708
I'll fix it all. I'm glad to be here,
Boss.

55
00:05:38,708 --> 00:05:40,083
- Day taps, Boss.
Good jet.

56
00:05:40,083 --> 00:05:42,875
Good jet.

57
00:05:42,875 --> 00:05:44,708
All right, roll it!

58
00:05:44,708 --> 00:05:47,833
<i>There's a crucible
you have to go through together.</i>

59
00:05:54,208 --> 00:05:58,500
<i>It has to be six pilots
totally synced up, flying as one.</i>

60
00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:00,500
- Go! Let's go!

61
00:06:00,500 --> 00:06:03,000
<i>You are clear
to taxi via runway two-four-A.</i>

62
00:06:05,875 --> 00:06:07,875
<i>How's it going?</i>

63
00:06:11,083 --> 00:06:15,083
<i>And it can be frustrating at times
to train brand-new guys from the fleet.</i>

64
00:06:19,375 --> 00:06:22,833
<i>One of the first things we go out and do
is just do basic turns.</i>

65
00:06:22,833 --> 00:06:24,916
<i>We turn left, we turn right.</i>

66
00:06:24,916 --> 00:06:27,166
Three, two, nine, seven, four...

67
00:06:28,875 --> 00:06:31,208
<i>And just do that
over and over again,</i>

68
00:06:31,208 --> 00:06:35,166
<i>because if you don't have the right
foundation, it's just not gonna work.</i>

69
00:06:45,291 --> 00:06:46,583
Rip it.

70
00:06:51,166 --> 00:06:52,916
<i>As the boss,
you're the flight leader.</i>

71
00:06:52,916 --> 00:06:54,083
You're the conductor.

72
00:06:54,083 --> 00:06:55,500
You're the lead goose
in the formation, right?

73
00:06:58,958 --> 00:07:00,541
Ready? Hit it.

74
00:07:03,125 --> 00:07:05,625
<i>These jets are max performing.</i>

75
00:07:08,583 --> 00:07:13,416
<i>At low altitudes, at high air speeds,
in close proximity to other aircraft.</i>

76
00:07:13,416 --> 00:07:16,166
I have to be steady at the helm,
as they say.

77
00:07:16,166 --> 00:07:18,791
Ease in the power.

78
00:07:22,625 --> 00:07:25,500
<i>Chomps flies in the four position.</i>

79
00:07:25,500 --> 00:07:30,166
<i>He's back there watching
and making sure that we're good.</i>

80
00:07:30,166 --> 00:07:32,958
<i>The number four
pilot for the Blue Angels.</i>

81
00:07:32,958 --> 00:07:35,166
{\an8}It's the best seat in the house.

82
00:07:36,166 --> 00:07:38,041
{\an8}<i>You can see everything.
You can see what Boss is doing.</i>

83
00:07:38,041 --> 00:07:39,958
<i>You can see what
all the wingmen are doing.</i>

84
00:07:42,625 --> 00:07:44,625
<i>And you're kind of
the airborne safety observer</i>

85
00:07:44,625 --> 00:07:46,958
<i>because you have
that best seat in the house.</i>

86
00:07:48,916 --> 00:07:50,291
Yes.

87
00:07:50,291 --> 00:07:52,125
{\an8}<i>As the flight surgeon on the team,</i>

88
00:07:52,125 --> 00:07:55,833
{\an8}you're also the lead
ground safety officer.

89
00:07:55,833 --> 00:07:57,708
- Okay, rolling.
- Okay, rolling.

90
00:07:57,708 --> 00:08:03,291
<i>I study the demo
inside and out for every position.</i>

91
00:08:04,375 --> 00:08:08,875
<i>I know where they should be at all times:
their altitude, their air speeds.</i>

92
00:08:11,125 --> 00:08:15,250
<i>With two brand-new pilots
on the team this year,</i>

93
00:08:15,250 --> 00:08:18,875
<i>I am constantly watching them.</i>

94
00:08:23,250 --> 00:08:25,833
Chewy, you kind of start a little flat,
and you're trying to hold it in there,

95
00:08:25,833 --> 00:08:27,625
and Jamammy actually goes deep.

96
00:08:27,625 --> 00:08:29,583
Is that kind of what you're seeing?

97
00:08:29,583 --> 00:08:32,541
<i>Cheese and I
are 100% the newbies.</i>

98
00:08:32,541 --> 00:08:34,250
<i>Steep learning curve, for sure.</i>

99
00:08:34,250 --> 00:08:36,250
Just feel deflated

100
00:08:36,250 --> 00:08:37,666
and like you're the worst pilot ever.

101
00:08:37,666 --> 00:08:39,041
How did I get here?

102
00:08:39,041 --> 00:08:40,708
It just rippled through the formation.

103
00:08:40,708 --> 00:08:43,708
So, like, Jamammy was first,
I was second, then Cheese was third,

104
00:08:43,708 --> 00:08:47,250
and just, like, the whole formation
shifted, then had to shift back into set.

105
00:08:48,416 --> 00:08:52,000
<i>So, this year, we've had
a new two pilot, a new three pilot,</i>

106
00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:53,791
I'm filling a new role as the slot pilot,

107
00:08:53,791 --> 00:08:56,458
<i>a new six pilot in the demo,</i>

108
00:08:56,458 --> 00:08:59,875
<i>and then our number five pilot,
he was out half the year last year,</i>

109
00:08:59,875 --> 00:09:01,791
<i>not flying in the demo,
so we're getting him</i>

110
00:09:01,791 --> 00:09:03,875
learning how to fly in formation again.

111
00:09:05,500 --> 00:09:10,083
<i>We're bringing five new people
into this formation and making one demo.</i>

112
00:09:15,791 --> 00:09:17,333
Good work. See you in a little bit.

113
00:09:17,333 --> 00:09:19,708
- Yeah.
- Whoo!

114
00:09:23,375 --> 00:09:26,208
<i>It's one team, six jets.</i>

115
00:09:26,208 --> 00:09:28,833
{\an8}<i>We all do something
a little bit different.</i>

116
00:09:28,833 --> 00:09:30,708
{\an8}<i>We'll start the show with four jets,</i>

117
00:09:30,708 --> 00:09:32,875
{\an8}<i>the Diamond takeoff maneuver.</i>

118
00:09:35,541 --> 00:09:38,875
{\an8}<i>And then you'll have the two
solo individual takeoff maneuvers.</i>

119
00:09:49,583 --> 00:09:54,166
<i>Generally, our maneuvers alternate
between Diamond and solos.</i>

120
00:09:55,666 --> 00:09:59,458
And by the end of the show, we'll get
the Delta together, all six jets.

121
00:10:01,416 --> 00:10:05,333
{\an8}<i>The Delta Formation is the signature
formation of the Blue Angels.</i>

122
00:10:09,458 --> 00:10:11,333
<i>Early on in winter training,
both Chomps and I</i>

123
00:10:11,333 --> 00:10:14,958
<i>are heads on a swivel, making sure
our new guys are learning that</i>

124
00:10:14,958 --> 00:10:17,250
<i>we've got enough space
to get out of the way.</i>

125
00:10:20,375 --> 00:10:22,125
<i>Cheese is a guy who's an aggressive guy.</i>

126
00:10:22,125 --> 00:10:24,375
If you're riding a horse,
you got to pull back on the reins.

127
00:10:24,375 --> 00:10:27,166
He's a little more pull-back-on-the-reins
type of guy.

128
00:10:29,666 --> 00:10:31,583
<i>We had to use a term called
"knock it off" a couple times,</i>

129
00:10:31,583 --> 00:10:33,583
meaning we're stopping right now.

130
00:10:33,583 --> 00:10:35,875
Cheese was bringing in
a whole bag of knots.

131
00:10:35,875 --> 00:10:38,291
<i>Coming in way too hot.</i>

132
00:10:38,291 --> 00:10:40,916
I'm looking over my shoulder going,
"This ain't gonna work."

133
00:10:44,458 --> 00:10:46,833
<i>Three spot's
incredibly challenging.</i>

134
00:10:46,833 --> 00:10:50,000
<i>A big departure from what you do
in terms of fleet flying.</i>

135
00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,291
You're also on kind of
the more difficult side of the formation.

136
00:10:53,291 --> 00:10:56,291
<i>We're all very used to looking left
when we fly,</i>

137
00:10:56,291 --> 00:10:58,791
<i>which is what Cheese gets to do
in the two spot.</i>

138
00:10:58,791 --> 00:11:01,416
<i>On the left side, in that three spot,
you're looking right the whole time.</i>

139
00:11:01,416 --> 00:11:04,250
All your controls are
right in front of you or to the left.

140
00:11:05,333 --> 00:11:08,333
<i>And it's just sort of
an unnatural position to be in.</i>

141
00:11:11,958 --> 00:11:16,458
<i>The very first time the Diamond
was practicing the Vertical Break...</i>

142
00:11:19,166 --> 00:11:21,333
<i>...Jamammy went the wrong way.</i>

143
00:11:30,916 --> 00:11:33,750
<i>You think to yourself,
okay, as a safety officer,</i>

144
00:11:33,750 --> 00:11:35,458
<i>is he safe? Number one.</i>

145
00:11:35,458 --> 00:11:39,375
<i>Two, do I speak up and get in his cockpit,
or do I stay silent right now</i>

146
00:11:39,375 --> 00:11:41,583
and watch what he does to recover?

147
00:11:46,875 --> 00:11:49,708
<i>You have to make that decision,
and I decided:</i>

148
00:11:49,708 --> 00:11:51,666
<i>Remain quiet. This is his first time.</i>

149
00:11:51,666 --> 00:11:53,125
<i>He looks safe.</i>

150
00:11:53,125 --> 00:11:55,500
<i>He may be going
the wrong direction. [laughs]</i>

151
00:11:55,500 --> 00:11:58,583
<i>It's not funny, but it doesn't look like
he's gonna hit anybody else.</i>

152
00:12:00,250 --> 00:12:02,250
<i>Kind of scared us.</i>

153
00:12:02,250 --> 00:12:05,791
<i>It was like, how is he gonna
respond to this, right?</i>

154
00:12:05,791 --> 00:12:09,541
Did he rattle himself to the point
where he's not able to compartmentalize,

155
00:12:09,541 --> 00:12:11,041
put that one in the past?

156
00:12:16,083 --> 00:12:18,916
<i>Two flat on the in.
Little mismatch, break the seal.</i>

157
00:12:18,916 --> 00:12:22,208
Apex ten left, two wide
and five tight in the up.

158
00:12:22,208 --> 00:12:24,208
Vertical up was three left.

159
00:12:24,208 --> 00:12:27,958
<i>It's an incredible amount of stress
going in on the newbies.</i>

160
00:12:28,958 --> 00:12:31,791
<i>You're constantly being told
what you did wrong.</i>

161
00:12:31,791 --> 00:12:34,000
So, Cheese, we actually overbanked,
it looked like.

162
00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:35,375
Did you feel good about that one today?

163
00:12:35,375 --> 00:12:36,708
Cheese, see how tight you look there?

164
00:12:36,708 --> 00:12:38,666
- And, Cheese, you just
drifted forward again.
Yep.

165
00:12:38,666 --> 00:12:40,708
All of us are way fast,
and we're all idle/boards

166
00:12:40,708 --> 00:12:43,625
trying to control everything
in close here.

167
00:12:43,625 --> 00:12:47,375
Everyone comes into this team
a relatively accomplished pilot, thinking,

168
00:12:47,375 --> 00:12:49,250
"I feel comfortable flying an F-18,

169
00:12:49,250 --> 00:12:52,041
I feel... I feel pretty good
about my abilities as a pilot,"

170
00:12:52,041 --> 00:12:55,333
but this place is the...
it's the great equalizer.

171
00:12:57,958 --> 00:12:59,750
<i>Time away from family is...</i>

172
00:12:59,750 --> 00:13:02,916
<i>is the most difficult part
of being on this team.</i>

173
00:13:02,916 --> 00:13:06,291
<i>Work in El Centro
for three months in a cocoon.</i>

174
00:13:06,291 --> 00:13:08,791
<i>Which we need to be--
you need that kind of safe place</i>

175
00:13:08,791 --> 00:13:12,166
<i>to get it to a point where
we can take it on the road.</i>

176
00:13:13,333 --> 00:13:15,750
<i>But it's just such a grind.</i>

177
00:13:15,750 --> 00:13:18,291
<i>It's monotonous. It's</i> Groundhog Day.

178
00:13:18,291 --> 00:13:21,583
<i>You're waking up in the desert
every day in the dark,</i>

179
00:13:21,583 --> 00:13:24,208
<i>going to work in the dark.</i>

180
00:13:25,291 --> 00:13:28,041
<i>Flying two or three times every day.</i>

181
00:13:29,958 --> 00:13:31,958
<i>Going home in the dark,</i>

182
00:13:31,958 --> 00:13:35,083
<i>and then you're studying
for your flight the next day.</i>

183
00:13:37,208 --> 00:13:39,750
<i>I'm not the most
academically sound person,</i>

184
00:13:39,750 --> 00:13:41,833
<i>and it's a struggle.</i>

185
00:13:43,208 --> 00:13:46,041
<i>So, flying two to three times a day,
that's what you need.</i>

186
00:13:46,041 --> 00:13:48,375
<i>I absolutely needed it.</i>

187
00:13:50,625 --> 00:13:52,500
<i>This is how I typically do it.</i>

188
00:13:52,500 --> 00:13:54,166
<i>Bring it inboard a little bit,</i>

189
00:13:54,166 --> 00:13:56,666
<i>and I'll extend a little bit here,
and then that'll make</i>

190
00:13:56,666 --> 00:13:58,666
the arc feel more normal
as we come in here.

191
00:13:58,666 --> 00:14:00,291
- Yes, sir, Boss.
- Questions?

192
00:14:00,291 --> 00:14:01,625
- None.
- All right, fired up, ready to go.

193
00:14:01,625 --> 00:14:03,541
Fired up, ready to go, Boss.

194
00:14:05,458 --> 00:14:10,083
<i>We're all responsible for our lives
with... in no uncertain terms.</i>

195
00:14:10,083 --> 00:14:12,625
<i>Everybody's lives are in
each other's hands,</i>

196
00:14:12,625 --> 00:14:16,541
<i>that they're not going to do something
that we don't expect.</i>

197
00:14:19,500 --> 00:14:21,583
<i>It's an unforgiving business.</i>

198
00:14:21,583 --> 00:14:23,666
Rip it.

199
00:14:32,333 --> 00:14:33,833
Great job today.

200
00:14:33,833 --> 00:14:36,041
Thanks, Boss. It was amazing.
See you back at the ranch.

201
00:14:36,041 --> 00:14:37,333
<i>You got it, Mo.</i>

202
00:14:41,500 --> 00:14:44,000
<i>You walk down the halls
in El Centro, and you see</i>

203
00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:47,166
<i>all the faces that have made up
the past of this organization.</i>

204
00:14:47,166 --> 00:14:49,375
<i>Legendary figures who you hear about,</i>

205
00:14:49,375 --> 00:14:51,250
<i>you hear whispers about
throughout the fleet.</i>

206
00:14:52,458 --> 00:14:54,291
<i>Boss Wooldridge--
he's one of the first people</i>

207
00:14:54,291 --> 00:14:55,958
I met after I made the team.

208
00:14:57,375 --> 00:14:59,375
<i>He's a legend.</i>

209
00:14:59,375 --> 00:15:01,291
<i>One of
the unique things about him is</i>

210
00:15:01,291 --> 00:15:02,541
<i>he got called back</i>

211
00:15:02,541 --> 00:15:04,875
to be the boss of the Blue Angels
three total times.

212
00:15:04,875 --> 00:15:06,875
He's the only guy
that's done it three times.

213
00:15:09,083 --> 00:15:10,375
<i>He has spent so much time.</i>

214
00:15:10,375 --> 00:15:14,208
{\an8}<i>He's intimately familiar
with what goes on.</i>

215
00:15:14,208 --> 00:15:16,958
<i>When I came
to the Blue Angels, I was amazed</i>

216
00:15:16,958 --> 00:15:20,875
at how close the formations were
and-and the maneuvers.

217
00:15:22,333 --> 00:15:25,250
<i>How can you do that?</i>

218
00:15:25,250 --> 00:15:27,583
<i>But as Vince Lombardi said,</i>

219
00:15:27,583 --> 00:15:31,625
<i>we're gonna go out there today,
and we're gonna "chase perfection."</i>

220
00:15:31,625 --> 00:15:34,208
<i>We'll never get perfection,
but along the way,</i>

221
00:15:34,208 --> 00:15:36,791
<i>we're going to realize excellence.</i>

222
00:15:36,791 --> 00:15:39,833
<i>...accelerate to
300 miles per hour.</i>

223
00:15:39,833 --> 00:15:41,708
<i>The markers toward
getting to excellence</i>

224
00:15:41,708 --> 00:15:43,916
<i>is when you're able to, as a formation,</i>

225
00:15:43,916 --> 00:15:45,916
feel like you can move it in closer.

226
00:15:48,000 --> 00:15:50,833
<i>We define our season
by what we call our sets,</i>

227
00:15:50,833 --> 00:15:53,083
<i>which is how close we fly together.</i>

228
00:15:55,291 --> 00:15:58,041
<i>At the beginning of the season,
we'll start in our furthest-out set,</i>

229
00:15:58,041 --> 00:15:59,708
<i>which we call the Fleet Parade.</i>

230
00:15:59,708 --> 00:16:02,458
<i>As close as you would ever fly
in the Navy.</i>

231
00:16:02,458 --> 00:16:04,583
{\an8}<i>And then as we start to progress,</i>

232
00:16:04,583 --> 00:16:08,458
{\an8}<i>we'll start to bring those sets in
a little bit tighter to Blue Gold.</i>

233
00:16:08,458 --> 00:16:10,166
<i>When we say Blue Gold set,</i>

234
00:16:10,166 --> 00:16:12,625
{\an8}it's where the line of the blue paint

235
00:16:12,625 --> 00:16:15,375
{\an8}and the gold paint actually meet.

236
00:16:15,375 --> 00:16:20,041
{\an8}<i>That's where Jamammy's gonna
put in his head, is underneath that.</i>

237
00:16:20,041 --> 00:16:22,541
{\an8}<i>And that's about 18 inches apart.</i>

238
00:16:22,541 --> 00:16:24,500
<i>If you raise your hands
above your head,</i>

239
00:16:24,500 --> 00:16:27,125
it'd be from the top of your fingertips
to your top of your head

240
00:16:27,125 --> 00:16:29,583
is 18 inches away from each other.

241
00:16:29,583 --> 00:16:30,958
22-ton jets,

242
00:16:30,958 --> 00:16:33,250
<i>400 miles an hour.</i>

243
00:16:35,666 --> 00:16:38,333
The next step would be
our closest set, which is Yankee,

244
00:16:38,333 --> 00:16:40,333
meaning that he's
going to put his aircraft

245
00:16:40,333 --> 00:16:42,833
<i>underneath the "Y" on my left wing.</i>

246
00:16:42,833 --> 00:16:46,291
{\an8}So, Jamammy, he's actually gonna
slide up underneath like that.

247
00:16:47,375 --> 00:16:50,833
{\an8}<i>That creates that parallax that we're all
in that perfect Diamond Formation</i>

248
00:16:50,833 --> 00:16:54,250
{\an8}<i>and almost have our wingtips overlapping.</i>

249
00:16:59,083 --> 00:17:02,208
<i>As the new number two,
I set the formation.</i>

250
00:17:03,250 --> 00:17:07,375
<i>I need to be perfect in every way
because everybody looks at me</i>

251
00:17:07,375 --> 00:17:09,000
to set the distance.

252
00:17:10,375 --> 00:17:12,083
<i>If I'm off by a letter,</i>

253
00:17:12,083 --> 00:17:14,291
<i>Jamammy then looks at that
and he sets it off of me,</i>

254
00:17:14,291 --> 00:17:16,875
<i>and then Chomps sets that distance
off of both of us.</i>

255
00:17:16,875 --> 00:17:20,375
<i>So, if there's any mismatch down the line,</i>

256
00:17:20,375 --> 00:17:22,583
essentially, it's probably caused by me.

257
00:17:30,583 --> 00:17:34,083
<i>People just don't realize
how physically demanding the flight is.</i>

258
00:17:38,041 --> 00:17:39,541
<i>I mean, the demo is</i>

259
00:17:39,541 --> 00:17:42,958
45 minutes of, as Blue Angel eight
calls it, pure violence.

260
00:17:48,291 --> 00:17:51,500
<i>We had, first of all,
a 45-pound spring</i>

261
00:17:51,500 --> 00:17:53,500
<i>pulling the stick away from us.</i>

262
00:17:53,500 --> 00:17:57,000
<i>You couldn't get a good feel for it
unless it was pulling away from you</i>

263
00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,083
at about 45 pounds.

264
00:18:01,916 --> 00:18:05,791
<i>It is a full-body workout
when these aviators fly,</i>

265
00:18:05,791 --> 00:18:08,083
<i>from their feet to their hands
to their head.</i>

266
00:18:10,083 --> 00:18:12,333
They use their entire body

267
00:18:12,333 --> 00:18:14,708
to combat g-forces.

268
00:18:19,166 --> 00:18:21,708
<i>When you're pulling g's
in the aircraft, all your blood</i>

269
00:18:21,708 --> 00:18:24,916
{\an8}<i>is rushing down to your legs,
to your lower extremities.</i>

270
00:18:24,916 --> 00:18:27,416
{\an8}And once that blood leaves your head,

271
00:18:27,416 --> 00:18:30,250
you're then at risk
of loss of consciousness.

272
00:18:33,041 --> 00:18:35,083
<i>First sign is
you're gonna lose your vision</i>

273
00:18:35,083 --> 00:18:38,916
<i>and start graying out-- tunnel vision.</i>

274
00:18:38,916 --> 00:18:44,000
<i>In order to combat that, we're gonna push
that blood back up with our muscles.</i>

275
00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:47,333
<i>Squeezing the legs,
the butt, the abs.</i>

276
00:18:47,333 --> 00:18:50,958
<i>And if it's a real heavy g pull,
then making sure I lock down</i>

277
00:18:50,958 --> 00:18:52,541
a three-quarter-lung-capacity breath.

278
00:19:06,291 --> 00:19:10,708
<i>As a pilot, you understand the risk.</i>

279
00:19:10,708 --> 00:19:13,250
<i>You do a job where,
at practice, in training,</i>

280
00:19:13,250 --> 00:19:15,375
<i>you can end it all in an accident.</i>

281
00:19:18,250 --> 00:19:20,458
So it's just... it's a mix of emotions.

282
00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,000
<i>What we do
is very dangerous.</i>

283
00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:34,041
<i>First couple times you take off,
you got to push the "I believe" button.</i>

284
00:19:34,041 --> 00:19:36,333
{\an8}But one of the things we learn
in flight school

285
00:19:36,333 --> 00:19:38,416
{\an8}very early on is it's a team sport.

286
00:19:38,416 --> 00:19:40,541
{\an8}We're all the same,
cut from the same cloth.

287
00:19:42,708 --> 00:19:47,125
<i>The risk is never any lower
when we go out and practice</i>

288
00:19:47,125 --> 00:19:50,125
<i>as it is when we're doing the actual show,
so we take</i>

289
00:19:50,125 --> 00:19:51,833
a fine-tooth comb to everything.

290
00:20:07,333 --> 00:20:08,875
It looked like
we were good, and--

291
00:20:08,875 --> 00:20:10,833
We were good until a half mile.

292
00:20:10,833 --> 00:20:13,125
That's gonna be your focus
for tomorrow, is that arc.

293
00:20:13,125 --> 00:20:15,166
So let's take a hammer down
to that one tomorrow.

294
00:20:15,166 --> 00:20:16,708
Really try to fine-tune that.

295
00:20:18,500 --> 00:20:21,166
<i>During the debrief,
we dissect everything.</i>

296
00:20:21,166 --> 00:20:23,458
<i>There's definitely times
at the end of days</i>

297
00:20:23,458 --> 00:20:25,875
<i>where you're frustrated
'cause you can't get a maneuver right.</i>

298
00:20:25,875 --> 00:20:29,333
<i>And not only do you know
that you did it incorrectly in the air,</i>

299
00:20:29,333 --> 00:20:32,750
<i>but now you get to watch it
frame by frame on a TV screen,</i>

300
00:20:32,750 --> 00:20:34,833
<i>like, zoomed in with an HD camera,</i>

301
00:20:34,833 --> 00:20:37,708
so you can really see
how bad you were, you know.

302
00:20:37,708 --> 00:20:41,208
<i>But that's-that's part of it.
That's how we... that's how we get better.</i>

303
00:20:41,208 --> 00:20:44,833
<i>Every single person does that,
including Boss.</i>

304
00:20:44,833 --> 00:20:47,416
That's, like... that's a tendency for me,
probably a tendency for somebody else,

305
00:20:47,416 --> 00:20:48,958
is you're trying to get down this much...

306
00:20:48,958 --> 00:20:51,458
<i>You should be your own worst critic.</i>

307
00:20:51,458 --> 00:20:52,916
<i>That's a commitment we have.</i>

308
00:20:52,916 --> 00:20:55,000
<i>It's easy to say, tough to do.</i>

309
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:56,791
<i>Be a better version of yourself.
Be a better teammate.</i>

310
00:20:56,791 --> 00:20:58,416
Help the team get better every day.

311
00:21:00,833 --> 00:21:03,916
- Let's go, let's go, let's go.

312
00:21:03,916 --> 00:21:06,666
-"Diamond" on three. One, two, three.
Diamond!

313
00:21:08,666 --> 00:21:11,041
<i>Failing together.</i>

314
00:21:11,041 --> 00:21:12,958
<i>The "failing together" mindset</i>

315
00:21:12,958 --> 00:21:14,458
really gets people close.

316
00:21:17,166 --> 00:21:19,875
<i>Everything is trust,</i>

317
00:21:19,875 --> 00:21:22,875
<i>and so far, over El Centro,
that's where we really build that trust.</i>

318
00:21:27,458 --> 00:21:30,000
<i>What you're seeing now
in this final week is this teamwork,</i>

319
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:31,666
<i>this focus point, this foundation</i>

320
00:21:31,666 --> 00:21:35,083
<i>to try to reach for that perfection
every single day.</i>

321
00:21:35,083 --> 00:21:37,166
But the closer you get to that pinnacle,

322
00:21:37,166 --> 00:21:39,166
the further away
you realize you actually are.

323
00:21:39,166 --> 00:21:42,625
<i>♪ Well, it seems so real ♪</i>

324
00:21:42,625 --> 00:21:45,333
<i>♪ I can see it ♪</i>

325
00:21:45,333 --> 00:21:48,208
<i>♪ And it seems so real ♪</i>

326
00:21:48,208 --> 00:21:50,916
<i>♪ I can feel it ♪</i>

327
00:21:50,916 --> 00:21:53,916
<i>♪ And it seems so real ♪</i>

328
00:21:53,916 --> 00:21:56,875
<i>♪ I can taste it ♪</i>

329
00:21:56,875 --> 00:21:59,666
<i>♪ And it seems so real ♪</i>

330
00:21:59,666 --> 00:22:02,458
<i>♪ I can hear it ♪</i>

331
00:22:02,458 --> 00:22:07,708
<i>♪ So why ♪</i>

332
00:22:07,708 --> 00:22:10,625
<i>♪ Can't I touch it? ♪</i>

333
00:22:14,250 --> 00:22:18,541
<i>♪ So why ♪</i>

334
00:22:18,541 --> 00:22:21,541
<i>♪ Can't I touch it? ♪</i>

335
00:22:49,208 --> 00:22:52,291
All right. It's Friday, March 11, 2022

336
00:22:52,291 --> 00:22:54,375
over Naval Air Facility El Centro,
California,

337
00:22:54,375 --> 00:22:57,583
where the winds are three-three-zero
at nine, ten miles vis, sky clear.

338
00:22:57,583 --> 00:23:01,625
Forecast for the winds: three-four-zero
at six, unlimited vis, sky clear.

339
00:23:01,625 --> 00:23:04,166
When we're cleared for takeoff, we'll put
four on the runway with a wind check.

340
00:23:04,166 --> 00:23:07,958
Check your parking brake off.
Diamond Half Squirrel Cage.

341
00:23:07,958 --> 00:23:09,833
Left turnout
followed by the solo section...

342
00:23:09,833 --> 00:23:13,708
<i>During the briefs,
we will follow around our ground track</i>

343
00:23:13,708 --> 00:23:16,083
<i>with our pens
as Boss is talking through the sequence.</i>

344
00:23:16,083 --> 00:23:19,333
Whiskers will be in from behind
the crowd to Sneak to Vertical Rolls,

345
00:23:19,333 --> 00:23:22,500
and the five ship will be in from
the right for the Line Abreast Loop.

346
00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:25,166
<i>Once we get
to a certain maneuver,</i>

347
00:23:25,166 --> 00:23:26,583
we will chair-fly.

348
00:23:26,583 --> 00:23:28,125
Around the crowd for the Delta Roll.

349
00:23:28,125 --> 00:23:29,291
- Ball, say five.
Cheese.

350
00:23:29,291 --> 00:23:30,375
Jamammy.
Chomps.

351
00:23:30,375 --> 00:23:31,458
Chewy.
Whiskers.

352
00:23:31,458 --> 00:23:33,541
<i>After you do it so much,</i>

353
00:23:33,541 --> 00:23:36,625
<i>you know exactly where you're going,
what you're doing, how it's gonna feel,</i>

354
00:23:36,625 --> 00:23:39,375
<i>and you can actually, like,
visualize yourself doing it,</i>

355
00:23:39,375 --> 00:23:44,416
<i>getting a-a practice in on that maneuver
before you go out and do it.</i>

356
00:23:44,416 --> 00:23:46,916
Airspeed call. Come left.

357
00:23:46,916 --> 00:23:48,166
Got six, Boss.

358
00:23:48,166 --> 00:23:50,166
Boss.

359
00:23:50,166 --> 00:23:51,666
Come in for left.

360
00:23:53,666 --> 00:23:55,291
We're left turn for the Delta Roll.

361
00:23:55,291 --> 00:23:58,666
A little more pull.

362
00:23:58,666 --> 00:24:01,500
Horizon seven-five, easing power idle.

363
00:24:01,500 --> 00:24:03,291
Ready? Roll hat.

364
00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:06,166
- We're left turn for the Fleur De Lis.
Cheese.

365
00:24:06,166 --> 00:24:07,250
Jamammy.
Chomps.

366
00:24:07,250 --> 00:24:08,625
Chewy.
Whiskers.

367
00:24:12,333 --> 00:24:14,541
Distractions, we talked about it,
are gonna be here.

368
00:24:14,541 --> 00:24:15,916
It's game-on time.

369
00:24:15,916 --> 00:24:18,708
And just keep in mind
you're gonna have jitters.

370
00:24:18,708 --> 00:24:21,833
You're gonna go out there,
and even though it's at El Centro,

371
00:24:21,833 --> 00:24:24,333
there's-there's gonna be
a few thousand people there

372
00:24:24,333 --> 00:24:27,625
that'll be saying something
that's gonna be looking to distract you.

373
00:24:27,625 --> 00:24:29,833
Think about that tonight,
and think about when you get in there,

374
00:24:29,833 --> 00:24:32,708
just like we talked about,
everything from the walk down,

375
00:24:32,708 --> 00:24:36,125
start talking the cadence,
thinking about it, hop in the jet,

376
00:24:36,125 --> 00:24:38,958
do everything and don't get distracted
by looking around.

377
00:24:38,958 --> 00:24:40,666
Stay focused inside the canopy.

378
00:24:40,666 --> 00:24:43,541
And then once we're on the runway,
it's same as it ever was.

379
00:24:43,541 --> 00:24:44,958
So, with that, I'm glad to be here.

380
00:24:44,958 --> 00:24:46,625
Rip it!

381
00:25:16,250 --> 00:25:18,250
<i>We're going to try to do
what we can to make the demo</i>

382
00:25:18,250 --> 00:25:22,708
<i>as tight, as low,
as entertaining as possible.</i>

383
00:25:22,708 --> 00:25:24,416
<i>But that's not my line.</i>

384
00:25:24,416 --> 00:25:27,333
<i>You know, this...
this-this tiger that I'm chasing.</i>

385
00:25:28,500 --> 00:25:30,250
<i>The most important thing is</i>

386
00:25:30,250 --> 00:25:32,000
six jets up, six jets down.

387
00:25:43,958 --> 00:25:45,958
<i>First day of the show season,</i>

388
00:25:45,958 --> 00:25:49,125
<i>and I can't tell you
what it's gonna feel like.</i>

389
00:25:49,125 --> 00:25:51,583
<i>I have no idea what to expect.</i>

390
00:25:51,583 --> 00:25:53,083
<i>You know, it's another
one of those things.</i>

391
00:25:53,083 --> 00:25:56,500
<i>Like, man, am I... am I ready to do this?</i>

392
00:26:31,625 --> 00:26:34,541
<i>Ladies
and gentlemen, your United States Navy</i>

393
00:26:34,541 --> 00:26:37,375
<i>takes pleasure in performing for you this,</i>

394
00:26:37,375 --> 00:26:39,416
<i>our first flight demonstration
of the season.</i>

395
00:26:41,833 --> 00:26:44,791
<i>Now, to the left,
Captain Kesselring calls:</i>

396
00:26:44,791 --> 00:26:47,000
<i>"Smoke on. Off brakes now.</i>

397
00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:48,333
<i>Burners ready now."</i>

398
00:26:48,333 --> 00:26:50,041
<i>And the Blue Angel Diamond is rolling.</i>

399
00:26:51,041 --> 00:26:53,541
Burners ready now.

400
00:27:19,458 --> 00:27:21,791
<i>The Diamond is
approaching for a maneuver that is likely</i>

401
00:27:21,791 --> 00:27:25,458
<i>familiar to those of you who have seen
the Blue Angels perform in the past.</i>

402
00:27:25,458 --> 00:27:28,958
<i>From the right, at 400 miles per hour,
the Diamond Roll.</i>

403
00:27:31,833 --> 00:27:36,875
<i>All four aircraft flying as one in this
graceful 360-degree rolling maneuver.</i>

404
00:27:49,250 --> 00:27:51,291
<i>The two solo pilots will next demonstrate</i>

405
00:27:51,291 --> 00:27:55,250
<i>the inverted flight capability
of the F-18.</i>

406
00:27:55,250 --> 00:27:57,833
<i>Approaching inverted from the left
and right, Lieutenant Commander Rickoff</i>

407
00:27:57,833 --> 00:28:01,958
<i>and Lieutenant Commander Bratton
will roll their aircraft 360 degrees.</i>

408
00:28:01,958 --> 00:28:03,458
<i>Bratty, hit it.</i>

409
00:28:09,416 --> 00:28:14,083
<i>Ladies and gentlemen,
the Opposing Inverted to Inverted Roll.</i>

410
00:28:16,916 --> 00:28:19,958
As the four Diamond pilots approach,
you should notice

411
00:28:19,958 --> 00:28:23,583
<i>the flight leader and slot pilot
are both in the inverted position.</i>

412
00:28:23,583 --> 00:28:25,458
<i>The Blue Angel Double Farvel.</i>

413
00:28:25,458 --> 00:28:26,833
Ready? Hit it.

414
00:28:40,583 --> 00:28:42,041
<i>Rip it.</i>

415
00:28:43,125 --> 00:28:45,625
<i>Pull. Pull it.</i>

416
00:28:52,541 --> 00:28:55,041
<i>The 2022 team
takes a great deal of pride</i>

417
00:28:55,041 --> 00:28:57,625
<i>in saluting Navy
and Marine Corps aviators,</i>

418
00:28:57,625 --> 00:29:01,208
<i>maintenance crews
and support personnel everywhere.</i>

419
00:29:01,208 --> 00:29:04,541
<i>From the left, your Blue Angels.</i>

420
00:29:19,333 --> 00:29:22,375
<i>It has been an honor and our pleasure
to perform for you</i>

421
00:29:22,375 --> 00:29:25,583
<i>our first flight demonstration
of the season.</i>

422
00:29:29,125 --> 00:29:31,500
<i>The Blue Angels aren't about
just jet performance.</i>

423
00:29:31,500 --> 00:29:35,041
<i>Anybody can go out there and learn
to do a lot of twirls and loops and rolls,</i>

424
00:29:35,041 --> 00:29:36,541
<i>but to do it together,</i>

425
00:29:36,541 --> 00:29:39,875
to make six jets fly as one,
that's the magic.

426
00:29:39,875 --> 00:29:41,291
That's the Blue Angel magic.

427
00:29:41,291 --> 00:29:42,625
<i>Ladies and gentlemen,</i>

428
00:29:42,625 --> 00:29:45,666
<i>representing your United States Navy
and Marine Corps,</i>

429
00:29:45,666 --> 00:29:48,166
<i>the Blue Angels 2022.</i>

430
00:29:50,958 --> 00:29:54,208
<i>It was a little bumpy road,
but I made it.</i>

431
00:29:54,208 --> 00:29:56,875
<i>Once we finished crowd-lining,
you know, Chomps came up and said,</i>

432
00:29:56,875 --> 00:29:59,833
"Hey, guys, congrats.
You're... you're demo pilots now."

433
00:30:00,833 --> 00:30:02,833
<i>So it was pretty incredible.</i>

434
00:30:05,750 --> 00:30:07,583
<i>You finish
that show in El Centro,</i>

435
00:30:07,583 --> 00:30:10,458
<i>that drop of salute happens,
you head back to your room,</i>

436
00:30:10,458 --> 00:30:12,166
<i>and you start packing it up.</i>

437
00:30:12,166 --> 00:30:14,583
<i>Then you see Fat Albert
getting loaded up with all of our gear,</i>

438
00:30:14,583 --> 00:30:17,125
<i>all of our personnel,
and you realize that,</i>

439
00:30:17,125 --> 00:30:21,166
"Hey, I've got an eight-month season
staring me in the face right now."

440
00:30:22,833 --> 00:30:24,666
<i>So it's daunting, to say the least.</i>

441
00:30:24,666 --> 00:30:28,291
<i>Not just that first week
but every week after that.</i>

442
00:30:28,291 --> 00:30:31,708
<i>Bert's rolling, and so are we,
to a... to a town near you.</i>

443
00:30:33,625 --> 00:30:37,083
<i>Fat Albert is
our C-130J Super Hercules asset,</i>

444
00:30:37,083 --> 00:30:39,333
<i>affectionately known as Bert.</i>

445
00:30:39,333 --> 00:30:42,000
Those are our Marines, an all-Marine crew.

446
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,083
They also provide logistics support.

447
00:30:45,791 --> 00:30:48,625
{\an8}Fat Albert is key in essentially
supporting the team

448
00:30:48,625 --> 00:30:50,541
{\an8}to and from every single air show site.

449
00:30:51,625 --> 00:30:55,750
<i>It's about 30,000 pounds of cargo,
45 personnel.</i>

450
00:30:57,041 --> 00:31:00,000
- Okay, you got all the newbies?
- Maybe.

451
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:01,333
- Yeah.

452
00:31:01,333 --> 00:31:03,833
<i>We have
six pallets worth of gear.</i>

453
00:31:03,833 --> 00:31:06,291
{\an8}All of our friends are sitting
on the red seats or blue seats

454
00:31:06,291 --> 00:31:10,541
{\an8}<i>on the sides, crammed in tight,
almost knee to pallet.</i>

455
00:31:10,541 --> 00:31:13,625
- And about this close to your buddy.

456
00:31:20,791 --> 00:31:23,041
<i>We've just done
that first air show.</i>

457
00:31:23,041 --> 00:31:25,250
<i>Now we're off to New Orleans.</i>

458
00:31:25,250 --> 00:31:27,500
<i>We're gonna roll into town like a...</i>

459
00:31:27,500 --> 00:31:28,708
like a circus, I guess.

460
00:31:32,208 --> 00:31:34,416
<i>The U.S. Navy Blue Angels
returned to town this weekend.</i>

461
00:31:34,416 --> 00:31:35,833
<i>The Blue Angels
came into town,</i>

462
00:31:35,833 --> 00:31:38,166
{\an8}<i>landing at the Naval Air Station
in Belle Chasse.</i>

463
00:31:42,875 --> 00:31:44,833
<i>Right when
we get there with Fat Albert,</i>

464
00:31:44,833 --> 00:31:47,333
you know, we kind of, like, set the tone.

465
00:31:48,916 --> 00:31:53,333
<i>When that crew entrance door opens,
everything is set up perfectly</i>

466
00:31:53,333 --> 00:31:55,125
so that we're able to put on a great show.

467
00:31:56,708 --> 00:31:59,875
<i>It's definitely similar
to being on a sports team.</i>

468
00:32:01,125 --> 00:32:02,958
The schedule is relentless.

469
00:32:04,250 --> 00:32:07,083
<i>You are constantly on the road.
You're constantly traveling.</i>

470
00:32:08,208 --> 00:32:10,833
<i>Exact mesh of a sports team</i>

471
00:32:10,833 --> 00:32:13,791
with the schedule of a touring
rock and roll band.

472
00:32:18,750 --> 00:32:21,333
{\an8}I always say it's like
planning 30 weddings.

473
00:32:21,333 --> 00:32:24,875
{\an8}<i>Thirty weddings and 30 places
you've never been to</i>

474
00:32:24,875 --> 00:32:26,666
{\an8}with 30 families you've just met.

475
00:32:44,708 --> 00:32:46,875
<i>Great job today.</i>

476
00:32:49,541 --> 00:32:51,375
<i>Pitch-Up Break. Cheese, upper deck.</i>

477
00:32:51,375 --> 00:32:52,541
<i>And down.</i>

478
00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:27,208
<i>Coming back home
at the end of those three months</i>

479
00:33:27,208 --> 00:33:29,458
<i>and-and seeing our families
on the flight line</i>

480
00:33:29,458 --> 00:33:31,958
<i>for the first time was incredible.</i>

481
00:33:38,750 --> 00:33:41,041
<i>It's so special to have this home base.</i>

482
00:33:43,041 --> 00:33:45,708
<i>This place that just loves us so much.</i>

483
00:33:47,750 --> 00:33:49,166
<i>Our families are here.</i>

484
00:33:49,166 --> 00:33:51,625
<i>Our families live here all the time.</i>

485
00:33:59,625 --> 00:34:05,250
<i>For me, when I found out
I made the team, that was on July 11th.</i>

486
00:34:05,250 --> 00:34:06,541
<i>One month later, Jo was born.</i>

487
00:34:06,541 --> 00:34:09,666
<i>And a month after that,
I left to go join the team.</i>

488
00:34:09,666 --> 00:34:13,458
<i>So, the fact that they take care
of our families so well, I think,</i>

489
00:34:13,458 --> 00:34:16,708
<i>is what really, uh,
endears this place to us.</i>

490
00:35:15,125 --> 00:35:17,875
<i>I never had any thought
that I would be on the team.</i>

491
00:35:17,875 --> 00:35:20,333
<i>You know, joining a team
where I'm gonna be gone for,</i>

492
00:35:20,333 --> 00:35:22,541
<i>you know, nearly 300 days a year,</i>

493
00:35:22,541 --> 00:35:25,625
<i>uh, with a brand-new little daughter
and having some tough conversations</i>

494
00:35:25,625 --> 00:35:28,041
with my wife about:
"Do we want to do this?"

495
00:35:28,041 --> 00:35:30,083
And for me, it was... it was:

496
00:35:30,083 --> 00:35:33,250
This is a way I can, you know,
in a sense, kind of give back.

497
00:35:36,708 --> 00:35:38,833
<i>June 20, 1986.</i>

498
00:35:38,833 --> 00:35:41,750
<i>I'm, like, this nine-year-old boy
up in Fargo, North Dakota.</i>

499
00:35:43,458 --> 00:35:47,541
<i>My dream when I saw the Blue Angels
was to go serve my country.</i>

500
00:35:50,375 --> 00:35:52,666
<i>You know, I grew up
playing sports-- basketball--</i>

501
00:35:52,666 --> 00:35:54,833
<i>and finishing up college
and, you know, thinking like,</i>

502
00:35:54,833 --> 00:35:57,541
<i>"Boy, I'd love to fly for the Navy,
but I'm just... you know, I'm too big.</i>

503
00:35:57,541 --> 00:35:59,333
I can't fit in the cockpit."

504
00:35:59,333 --> 00:36:02,833
And sure enough, it turns out I fit
and they-they would have me,

505
00:36:02,833 --> 00:36:05,833
and kind of the rest is history,
as far as joining the Navy.

506
00:36:10,208 --> 00:36:11,833
<i>I'm currently
a major in the Marine Corps,</i>

507
00:36:11,833 --> 00:36:14,291
<i>managing aircraft maintenance.</i>

508
00:36:15,375 --> 00:36:17,791
Brian told me, you know,
"One of the bucket things in my career

509
00:36:17,791 --> 00:36:19,583
is to maybe apply for the Blue Angels.

510
00:36:19,583 --> 00:36:21,666
It's one in a million.
One in a million, though.

511
00:36:21,666 --> 00:36:23,083
<i>We're never gonna get it."</i>

512
00:36:23,083 --> 00:36:28,625
<i>And we were both in quite a bit of shock
when we found out that that was happening.</i>

513
00:36:28,625 --> 00:36:31,416
We're just super fortunate
to have been stationed together.

514
00:36:32,791 --> 00:36:34,833
<i>For the next duty station,
he's got his orders.</i>

515
00:36:34,833 --> 00:36:37,666
<i>I do not have my orders yet,
so I'm still kind of knocking on wood,</i>

516
00:36:37,666 --> 00:36:40,750
hoping everything kind of
comes in alignment for it.

517
00:36:40,750 --> 00:36:42,375
But again, it's not...

518
00:36:42,375 --> 00:36:44,583
Don't stress about something
you don't have the control over.

519
00:36:46,583 --> 00:36:49,666
<i>It's definitely a bit of a jigsaw,
as far as trying to, you know,</i>

520
00:36:49,666 --> 00:36:52,125
<i>plan a family in the military.</i>

521
00:36:52,125 --> 00:36:53,875
<i>It's doable. I mean, we've got two.</i>

522
00:36:53,875 --> 00:36:55,791
<i>It's definitely doable, so...</i>

523
00:36:55,791 --> 00:36:59,500
it'll be just one of those things
that you... that you work through.

524
00:36:59,500 --> 00:37:01,041
Yeah, there you are.

525
00:37:01,041 --> 00:37:02,458
All right, Remy.

526
00:37:05,958 --> 00:37:08,791
<i>There's not much flying tours left
for a guy like me.</i>

527
00:37:08,791 --> 00:37:11,541
The mission was really what...
what I went back to.

528
00:37:13,458 --> 00:37:17,750
<i>People's dreams, uh, dreams they never
thought they could possibly achieve,</i>

529
00:37:17,750 --> 00:37:21,541
<i>can come true, and that's the mentality
we want in the Blue Angels.</i>

530
00:37:27,083 --> 00:37:28,875
<i>What I never realized--</i>

531
00:37:28,875 --> 00:37:32,250
and I've been on great teams before--
what I didn't realize is how attached

532
00:37:32,250 --> 00:37:33,541
<i>I'd be to this team.</i>

533
00:37:33,541 --> 00:37:35,875
Bye-bye, Remy.

534
00:37:47,750 --> 00:37:49,875
<i>There isn't a family
like a Blue Angel family.</i>

535
00:37:49,875 --> 00:37:51,208
And I'll miss that.

536
00:37:51,208 --> 00:37:54,291
I'll miss that and...
and all that goes along with it.

537
00:37:56,083 --> 00:37:58,500
<i>Everything here is about
being a member of the team.</i>

538
00:38:00,583 --> 00:38:05,000
<i>It takes all 141 personnel
on our command doing their job,</i>

539
00:38:05,000 --> 00:38:07,291
<i>putting forth that maximum effort.</i>

540
00:38:09,458 --> 00:38:10,916
<i>It's constant.</i>

541
00:38:10,916 --> 00:38:13,875
<i>It's 18 hours a day
with the same people every day.</i>

542
00:38:13,875 --> 00:38:16,083
<i>So every single person in here--
every pilot,</i>

543
00:38:16,083 --> 00:38:18,416
<i>every officer, every teammate,
every enlisted maintainer--</i>

544
00:38:18,416 --> 00:38:20,916
whatever position we have
on this team is family.

545
00:38:20,916 --> 00:38:23,291
<i>♪ Through the hard times and the good...</i>

546
00:38:23,291 --> 00:38:25,750
<i>What's up? Mic check.</i>
<i>Hey!</i>

547
00:38:25,750 --> 00:38:27,541
<i>Like I said,
give it 100%.</i>

548
00:38:27,541 --> 00:38:30,166
This is the time that I need y'all.
I'm glad to be here.

549
00:38:30,166 --> 00:38:32,166
Whoo!

550
00:38:41,125 --> 00:38:43,375
<i>♪ I have to praise you ♪</i>

551
00:38:45,375 --> 00:38:46,583
<i>♪ I have to praise you...</i>

552
00:38:46,583 --> 00:38:49,500
Chief Mass Communication Specialist
Paul Archer.

553
00:38:50,583 --> 00:38:53,083
<i>My name
is Oyindamola Michael.</i>

554
00:38:53,083 --> 00:38:54,958
I am the number six crew chief.

555
00:38:54,958 --> 00:38:57,208
<i>My name is
Lieutenant Griffin Stangel.</i>

556
00:38:57,208 --> 00:38:58,833
Uh, call sign "Push Pop."

557
00:38:58,833 --> 00:39:01,458
Lieutenant Brian Abe. Uh, I go by Mo here.

558
00:39:01,458 --> 00:39:03,500
Lieutenant Paul Kruger, call sign "Suppo."

559
00:39:03,500 --> 00:39:05,083
I'm Lieutenant Henry Cedeño

560
00:39:05,083 --> 00:39:06,666
from Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico.

561
00:39:06,666 --> 00:39:08,958
<i>♪ I have to praise you...</i>

562
00:39:12,166 --> 00:39:14,458
<i>So, my role on the team
as Blue Angel number seven</i>

563
00:39:14,458 --> 00:39:15,958
is I'm the narrator.

564
00:39:15,958 --> 00:39:17,458
<i>♪ I have to praise you...</i>

565
00:39:17,458 --> 00:39:20,083
<i>My goal is to interact
with a crowd of tens of thousands,</i>

566
00:39:20,083 --> 00:39:22,250
<i>sometimes hundreds of thousands of people.</i>

567
00:39:24,916 --> 00:39:27,250
<i>I'm a mass
communication specialist.</i>

568
00:39:27,250 --> 00:39:28,541
We're aerial photographers, right?

569
00:39:28,541 --> 00:39:30,083
We get to go up and fly in the jet

570
00:39:30,083 --> 00:39:32,791
<i>and take all the pretty Blue Angel photos.</i>

571
00:39:37,500 --> 00:39:39,875
<i>I've got a female
front man right now.</i>

572
00:39:39,875 --> 00:39:41,875
That's only happened,
I think, maybe once before.

573
00:39:41,875 --> 00:39:43,250
<i>You know, running the entire crew.</i>

574
00:39:43,250 --> 00:39:45,541
What's up,
guys?
Hey!

575
00:39:45,541 --> 00:39:47,791
All right, all hands
tomorrow is gonna be 0800.

576
00:39:47,791 --> 00:39:50,000
I got a lot of information
to put out, so pay attention.

577
00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:51,166
I need two volunteers.

578
00:39:51,166 --> 00:39:52,875
<i>From '99 to 2000,</i>

579
00:39:52,875 --> 00:39:55,208
Karen Marini was
the last female front man.

580
00:39:55,208 --> 00:39:56,625
They called her Frontchik.

581
00:39:56,625 --> 00:39:58,000
Now I go by Front Ma'am.

582
00:39:58,000 --> 00:40:00,625
And then my bravo is a front man.

583
00:40:00,625 --> 00:40:03,833
Hot seat, Front Ma'am.
Flight walk complete. We have ATAF...

584
00:40:03,833 --> 00:40:07,041
<i>Essentially, I'm walking
every single jet on the line,</i>

585
00:40:07,041 --> 00:40:09,625
along with our crew chiefs.

586
00:40:09,625 --> 00:40:13,666
<i>We have 12 crew chiefs,
and it's two crew chiefs per pilot.</i>

587
00:40:16,083 --> 00:40:20,291
<i>I'm the number one crew chief,
Boss Kesselring's crew chief.</i>

588
00:40:20,291 --> 00:40:22,041
We go in the cockpit,
just check everything

589
00:40:22,041 --> 00:40:24,000
that the pilot would check
before they take off.

590
00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,541
<i>Flight controls, you know,
the displays, everything.</i>

591
00:40:27,541 --> 00:40:30,458
<i>And then I'm just
double-verifying, triple-verifying</i>

592
00:40:30,458 --> 00:40:33,166
everything's good for that pilot to get
in the cockpit and go out and fly.

593
00:40:34,416 --> 00:40:37,333
As a pilot, I never
pre-flighted an airplane.

594
00:40:37,333 --> 00:40:40,916
I had so much trust in my crew chief.

595
00:40:40,916 --> 00:40:44,833
<i>All I do is get
in my aircraft and strap in.</i>

596
00:40:44,833 --> 00:40:47,333
He'd tell me it's good to go,
and it's good to go.

597
00:40:47,333 --> 00:40:51,000
<i>When the jet's good to go,
we do a signature handshake.</i>

598
00:40:51,000 --> 00:40:53,833
<i>- We do it and go, "Whoo!"</i>
Whoo!

599
00:40:53,833 --> 00:40:56,333
<i>♪ Praise you like I should ♪</i>

600
00:40:56,333 --> 00:40:59,000
<i>♪ I have to praise you ♪</i>

601
00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:00,708
<i>Uh, prepare to take off.</i>

602
00:41:07,541 --> 00:41:10,166
<i>When I was four years old,
my dad took me to an air show</i>

603
00:41:10,166 --> 00:41:12,083
<i>in Fort Worth, Texas,</i>

604
00:41:12,083 --> 00:41:15,083
<i>and I got to watch the Blue Angels fly
for the very first time.</i>

605
00:41:15,083 --> 00:41:17,041
<i>I thought that they were awesome.</i>

606
00:41:17,041 --> 00:41:18,875
To the point where I, like,
ran away from my parents

607
00:41:18,875 --> 00:41:20,791
to go try to find the jets,
wherever they were parked.

608
00:41:20,791 --> 00:41:22,333
And they had to come up
over the loudspeaker:

609
00:41:22,333 --> 00:41:23,916
<i>"If you've lost a little
four-year-old son,</i>

610
00:41:23,916 --> 00:41:25,708
<i>can you come to the announcer booth</i>

611
00:41:25,708 --> 00:41:28,416
and we'll give your son
back to you" type of thing.

612
00:41:28,416 --> 00:41:32,208
<i>I found 'em. I fell in love
with aviation at four years old.</i>

613
00:41:36,291 --> 00:41:38,583
<i>I wanted to do something like that.</i>

614
00:41:38,583 --> 00:41:41,000
Right when Cheese's jet
kind of drifted deep,

615
00:41:41,000 --> 00:41:44,708
your jet looked like it just twitched
and kind of almost did the same thing.

616
00:41:44,708 --> 00:41:46,708
So we just need to focus on that set
down the line, especially...

617
00:41:46,708 --> 00:41:48,416
<i>Chomps is a big softie.</i>

618
00:41:48,416 --> 00:41:50,625
<i>He just understands the stakes at play.</i>

619
00:41:50,625 --> 00:41:53,500
I mean, he's the guy
that has the best vantage point

620
00:41:53,500 --> 00:41:57,166
of the entire formation
every second, every day.

621
00:41:58,750 --> 00:42:03,625
<i>That's a heavy weight, and Boss kind of
owns that as the commanding officer.</i>

622
00:42:03,625 --> 00:42:05,416
But there are things I just can't see.

623
00:42:06,500 --> 00:42:08,250
And back there, we had some depth...

624
00:42:08,250 --> 00:42:12,250
<i>Chomps is, uh,
our lone Marine Corps pilot.</i>

625
00:42:12,250 --> 00:42:14,166
<i>We make fun of him,
call him General Zastoupil,</i>

626
00:42:14,166 --> 00:42:16,666
because he kind of gives off that persona

627
00:42:16,666 --> 00:42:19,125
when he... when he goes
and talks to people.

628
00:42:19,125 --> 00:42:21,041
All right, so big take away
is now gonna be reducing

629
00:42:21,041 --> 00:42:23,541
the overreaction for the flat there.

630
00:42:24,416 --> 00:42:25,666
Yeah, I was trying not to hit him.

631
00:42:25,666 --> 00:42:29,791
I know, but that's a huge, huge
dump on the nose.

632
00:42:29,791 --> 00:42:33,083
That's correct. It's also the closest
I've ever been to a jet.

633
00:42:33,083 --> 00:42:35,666
So...
- I can freeze it and hold it, but...

634
00:42:37,291 --> 00:42:38,958
There's gotta be some sort of compromise.

635
00:42:38,958 --> 00:42:42,083
Like you just have to keep driving more
to just kinda get away,

636
00:42:42,083 --> 00:42:45,166
but not that huge just dumping
of the nose away from the formation.

637
00:42:45,166 --> 00:42:46,833
Looked pretty gross up there.

638
00:42:46,833 --> 00:42:49,208
Uh, Delta Roll will be a focus
into tomorrow as well.

639
00:42:49,208 --> 00:42:51,041
Bearing lines, matching of the rate.

640
00:42:52,583 --> 00:42:55,458
<i>There's one Marine option
in the Blue Angels</i>

641
00:42:55,458 --> 00:42:57,625
at any given time, so we can only have one

642
00:42:57,625 --> 00:43:01,041
<i>jet demonstration pilot
on any particular year.</i>

643
00:43:01,041 --> 00:43:02,500
So this year is my final year.

644
00:43:04,291 --> 00:43:07,875
<i>My job is to try to bring everyone
together on the same page</i>

645
00:43:07,875 --> 00:43:10,750
so there's never any, like,
lingering questions between the elements.

646
00:43:10,750 --> 00:43:13,291
And so that's why it kind of rests
on the number four spot,

647
00:43:13,291 --> 00:43:16,208
always a second-year guy,
to do the debrief.

648
00:43:21,375 --> 00:43:23,458
<i>We're gonna be on the road
quite a bit coming up.</i>

649
00:43:23,458 --> 00:43:26,750
<i>Quite a... quite a bit.
And it's a lot of time away from family.</i>

650
00:43:26,750 --> 00:43:31,333
<i>That's something that we also don't get
that much of, is time with our families.</i>

651
00:43:32,458 --> 00:43:36,166
<i>So, when we come here,
we try to spend as much time as we can.</i>

652
00:43:36,166 --> 00:43:38,250
<i>And when I walked out
of the house this morning,</i>

653
00:43:38,250 --> 00:43:40,333
I had one daughter attached
to my left leg, saying,

654
00:43:40,333 --> 00:43:42,583
"Daddy, don't go.
Just stay here this weekend."

655
00:43:44,291 --> 00:43:48,083
And my little son is just literally,
like, rock climbing up my right leg

656
00:43:48,083 --> 00:43:50,666
<i>as I'm walking to the truck this morning.</i>

657
00:44:10,625 --> 00:44:13,500
It is so cool to see
the reactions of the public.

658
00:44:13,500 --> 00:44:17,958
<i>They think, you know, oh, you're a
rock star with this high-paced lifestyle.</i>

659
00:44:17,958 --> 00:44:20,666
Yeah? Uh, a lot of practice.

660
00:44:20,666 --> 00:44:23,541
<i>And then in the evenings,
we attend commits</i>

661
00:44:23,541 --> 00:44:26,125
<i>where we'll go to a local outreach event.</i>

662
00:44:26,125 --> 00:44:29,041
<i>- The pilots will go to schools.</i>

663
00:44:29,041 --> 00:44:33,791
So, our mission is to showcase
the teamwork and professionalism

664
00:44:33,791 --> 00:44:35,875
of the United States Navy
and Marine Corps.

665
00:44:35,875 --> 00:44:39,875
<i>I was with Boss
at the Blue Angel Foundation.</i>

666
00:44:39,875 --> 00:44:42,125
{\an8}- Thanks so much for coming out today.
- Awesome to meet you.

667
00:44:42,125 --> 00:44:43,458
<i>The Blue Angel Foundation</i>

668
00:44:43,458 --> 00:44:46,833
{\an8}<i>is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization</i>

669
00:44:46,833 --> 00:44:50,083
{\an8}to help wounded veterans,

670
00:44:50,083 --> 00:44:53,166
{\an8}and Freedom Station is part of that.

671
00:44:53,166 --> 00:44:57,041
<i>It was truly special to spend
some time with those wounded warriors.</i>

672
00:44:58,416 --> 00:45:01,625
{\an8}<i>We also get to go to the hospitals.</i>

673
00:45:01,625 --> 00:45:04,791
I'm Monica.
I am the doctor for the Blue Angels.

674
00:45:04,791 --> 00:45:07,166
<i>We get to interact with each child</i>

675
00:45:07,166 --> 00:45:09,416
<i>and just spend a little time with them.</i>

676
00:45:13,750 --> 00:45:15,875
<i>All right!</i>

677
00:45:18,625 --> 00:45:24,000
<i>The first time you put this suit on,
you feel kind of like an imposter.</i>

678
00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:27,000
<i>And I remember that
every time I wear the uniform.</i>

679
00:45:28,208 --> 00:45:30,000
<i>I think a good feeling to have is</i>

680
00:45:30,000 --> 00:45:32,625
<i>you should never feel
too comfortable in this suit.</i>

681
00:45:34,666 --> 00:45:37,083
<i>You're representing
a whole bunch of folks.</i>

682
00:45:37,083 --> 00:45:39,125
<i>You're not just representing yourself.</i>

683
00:45:45,750 --> 00:45:50,166
<i>For me, that's... that's looking
at the 28 faces on the wall every day.</i>

684
00:45:53,250 --> 00:45:56,708
<i>The 28 men that we've lost in this job.</i>

685
00:45:59,833 --> 00:46:01,458
<i>Breaking news tonight:</i>

686
00:46:01,458 --> 00:46:04,291
{\an8}<i>A Blue Angels jet went down
in Smyrna, Tennessee,</i>

687
00:46:04,291 --> 00:46:05,958
{\an8}<i>which is just outside of Nashville.</i>

688
00:46:05,958 --> 00:46:08,750
<i>We were right there
when it happened.</i>

689
00:46:08,750 --> 00:46:11,125
Several of the guys, you know,
saw it happening in real time.

690
00:46:13,916 --> 00:46:16,750
<i>Captain Jeff Kuss
was killed when he went down in Smyrna</i>

691
00:46:16,750 --> 00:46:20,083
{\an8}<i>practicing at the Great American Air Show.</i>

692
00:46:21,250 --> 00:46:26,083
<i>He was just one of the most upbeat
and professional guys you've ever met.</i>

693
00:46:27,208 --> 00:46:31,125
<i>I mean, you get into this mindset
on this team</i>

694
00:46:31,125 --> 00:46:33,916
that every day is gonna be the exact same.

695
00:46:33,916 --> 00:46:36,833
Right? We get into the routine,
and the routine is kind of set.

696
00:46:38,208 --> 00:46:40,125
{\an8}<i>And then, when a massive event
like that happens,</i>

697
00:46:40,125 --> 00:46:43,916
{\an8}<i>everybody's just like,
"What are we gonna do right now?"</i>

698
00:46:49,708 --> 00:46:52,291
<i>It's a different type of flying.</i>

699
00:46:52,291 --> 00:46:54,708
<i>Those maneuvers are low
and fast to the ground.</i>

700
00:46:54,708 --> 00:46:57,500
<i>Right?
There's very little room for mistakes.</i>

701
00:47:04,208 --> 00:47:06,791
<i>We owe it to them
to think about their memory.</i>

702
00:47:08,416 --> 00:47:10,833
<i>And I ask myself every day, "Who am I?"</i>

703
00:47:20,375 --> 00:47:23,166
<i>Who am I, right, to sit here?</i>

704
00:47:25,000 --> 00:47:27,416
Tough to have an ego
when you look at those guys up there

705
00:47:27,416 --> 00:47:28,916
and go, "Okay, who am I?"

706
00:47:33,666 --> 00:47:35,875
<i>It's a humbling experience.
It's still humbling.</i>

707
00:47:43,500 --> 00:47:48,166
<i>I'm in my last year,
and I'm turning it over.</i>

708
00:47:48,166 --> 00:47:51,958
<i>It's a unique process,
picking my replacement.</i>

709
00:48:05,041 --> 00:48:08,041
<i>There's only a handful of people
who ever experience this.</i>

710
00:48:10,958 --> 00:48:13,708
<i>The boss application--
there is no other time that you can apply</i>

711
00:48:13,708 --> 00:48:15,250
<i>for the Blue Angels, right?</i>

712
00:48:15,250 --> 00:48:17,583
<i>So it's a very final thing.</i>

713
00:48:18,583 --> 00:48:22,125
<i>They've flown down here
from all corners of the world.</i>

714
00:48:23,208 --> 00:48:25,000
<i>And this is some life-changing news.</i>

715
00:48:25,000 --> 00:48:26,458
Maybe a lifelong dream.

716
00:48:30,625 --> 00:48:32,875
<i>For me, back in the '90s,</i>

717
00:48:32,875 --> 00:48:36,375
<i>I was just an average
squadron commanding officer.</i>

718
00:48:36,375 --> 00:48:38,666
<i>You know, they would never pick me.</i>

719
00:48:38,666 --> 00:48:40,875
Why even try?

720
00:48:40,875 --> 00:48:43,291
<i>So I was relaxed and honest.</i>

721
00:48:43,291 --> 00:48:45,750
<i>You know, "I'm just gonna be me."</i>

722
00:48:45,750 --> 00:48:49,666
And I was shocked when they pulled me out,

723
00:48:49,666 --> 00:48:52,333
outside the room, said, "You're the guy."

724
00:48:52,333 --> 00:48:54,541
Oh, boy. Whew.

725
00:49:05,958 --> 00:49:08,791
And that was a life changer.
I was real surprised.

726
00:49:13,416 --> 00:49:17,166
<i>It's a tough decision.
I mean, these folks are all Olympians.</i>

727
00:49:18,250 --> 00:49:21,041
<i>These folks work their entire life.</i>

728
00:49:21,041 --> 00:49:24,708
<i>You've heard of the gold medalist,
maybe the silver or even the bronze,</i>

729
00:49:24,708 --> 00:49:29,083
<i>but someone comes in fourth
and no one knows their name.</i>

730
00:49:32,666 --> 00:49:35,750
First off, thank you,
everyone. Very, very well done.

731
00:49:35,750 --> 00:49:37,333
- Please hold your heads high.

732
00:49:37,333 --> 00:49:39,041
- Very well done. Very well done.
Thank you.

733
00:49:39,041 --> 00:49:40,333
Very well done.

734
00:49:40,333 --> 00:49:41,875
- Okay.
We'll come on out here.

735
00:49:41,875 --> 00:49:43,125
Awesome.

736
00:49:44,833 --> 00:49:46,333
All right.

737
00:49:47,625 --> 00:49:49,583
<i>You won't start getting
your PAO training right away,</i>

738
00:49:49,583 --> 00:49:52,041
<i>but you'll be expected to say
a few things, uh, to the press.</i>

739
00:49:52,041 --> 00:49:55,000
Right, your-your most important thing
to do right now is

740
00:49:55,000 --> 00:49:56,333
- you're gonna call your wife.
- Mm-hmm.

741
00:49:56,333 --> 00:49:57,916
Give her a call-- make it a quick one--

742
00:49:57,916 --> 00:49:59,708
- and call your... call your mom and dad.
- Yeah. Yeah.

743
00:49:59,708 --> 00:50:02,166
Okay, then let me know.
Just give them a couple of minutes...

744
00:50:02,166 --> 00:50:04,208
That was, uh,
extremely emotional, for sure.

745
00:50:04,208 --> 00:50:06,833
Uh, surprising to start,
and then a... and then a...

746
00:50:06,833 --> 00:50:08,666
just a flood of different emotions.

747
00:50:09,916 --> 00:50:12,708
<i>My name's Commander Alex Armatas.
Call sign is "Scribe."</i>

748
00:50:12,708 --> 00:50:16,541
<i>I grew up in Central New York, and, uh,
very young I knew I wanted to fly.</i>

749
00:50:16,541 --> 00:50:17,958
Press conference one.

750
00:50:17,958 --> 00:50:19,916
<i>I've been in the Navy
for quite a while now.</i>

751
00:50:19,916 --> 00:50:22,041
<i>A little over 20 years.</i>

752
00:50:23,041 --> 00:50:24,916
I kind of prepared myself
to not be the one,

753
00:50:24,916 --> 00:50:27,208
so now I'm very quickly
having to come to terms

754
00:50:27,208 --> 00:50:29,875
with the fact that this will be, uh...
this will be my role next, and, uh...

755
00:50:29,875 --> 00:50:31,541
and I need to get ready for that, so...

756
00:50:31,541 --> 00:50:33,958
So, what do you think?
Shock? Shock and awe?

757
00:50:33,958 --> 00:50:36,083
- Yeah, big-time.
- Yeah. Yeah, me, too.

758
00:50:36,083 --> 00:50:37,875
I think, uh...

759
00:50:37,875 --> 00:50:40,666
- Job's gonna be different than you think.
Yeah?

760
00:50:40,666 --> 00:50:43,500
It's gonna be challenging
in aspects you don't know.

761
00:50:43,500 --> 00:50:45,041
- I wouldn't trade it for the world.
- Yeah.

762
00:50:45,041 --> 00:50:46,791
It's been fantastic.

763
00:50:50,208 --> 00:50:51,708
I appreciate it. Thank you.

764
00:50:54,958 --> 00:50:56,375
Uh, good afternoon, everyone.

765
00:50:56,375 --> 00:50:58,041
As mentioned, my name's
Commander Alex Armatas.

766
00:50:58,041 --> 00:50:59,916
Uh, it is an absolute honor to be here.

767
00:50:59,916 --> 00:51:03,166
It's, uh, very humbling, very emotional,
as Captain Kesselring mentioned.

768
00:51:03,166 --> 00:51:04,750
Admiral, thank you as well, sir.

769
00:51:04,750 --> 00:51:06,500
Uh, and, uh, just...

770
00:51:06,500 --> 00:51:08,166
<i>Even though
he's a very skilled leader</i>

771
00:51:08,166 --> 00:51:09,625
<i>and very skilled aviator,</i>

772
00:51:09,625 --> 00:51:12,500
he's gonna go through that same crucible,
that same learning curve.

773
00:51:12,500 --> 00:51:15,458
<i>As I look back, oh, boy.</i>

774
00:51:15,458 --> 00:51:17,416
There's just... he doesn't know
what he doesn't know yet.

775
00:51:18,500 --> 00:51:20,333
- Does this get easier with time? This--
- Yeah.

776
00:51:20,333 --> 00:51:21,583
Does it get easier? I hope so.

777
00:51:21,583 --> 00:51:23,291
- How you doing? Outstanding job. Yeah.
- Thanks, Admiral. I appreciate it.

778
00:51:23,291 --> 00:51:25,000
- Outstanding.
- Yeah, this is, uh...

779
00:51:25,000 --> 00:51:27,333
I hope it gets easier the more you do it.

780
00:51:29,375 --> 00:51:33,666
<i>The Blue Angels were
the brainchild of Admiral Chester Nimitz.</i>

781
00:51:33,666 --> 00:51:35,583
{\an8}<i>In 1946,</i>

782
00:51:35,583 --> 00:51:37,958
Admiral Nimitz said,
"We've got to make sure

783
00:51:37,958 --> 00:51:40,833
the American public doesn't forget
about Navy planes."

784
00:51:44,500 --> 00:51:49,000
{\an8}<i>He pulled a fellow that had
five aerial victories during the war,</i>

785
00:51:49,000 --> 00:51:52,583
{\an8}<i>a young 26-year-old lieutenant commander
named Butch Voris.</i>

786
00:51:53,666 --> 00:51:58,000
<i>And so, Butch grabbed
about four of his best friends, they...</i>

787
00:51:58,000 --> 00:52:02,000
<i>created a team, created a few maneuvers</i>

788
00:52:02,000 --> 00:52:04,625
<i>and took it right to the American public.</i>

789
00:52:20,250 --> 00:52:22,125
<i>The Blue Angels fly</i>

790
00:52:22,125 --> 00:52:26,625
<i>the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II,
a single-seat light attack jet,</i>

791
00:52:26,625 --> 00:52:30,875
<i>versions of which have been operational
in the fleet since 1956.</i>

792
00:52:45,500 --> 00:52:49,375
<i>Over the years, the team has
gone through many different airplanes--</i>

793
00:52:49,375 --> 00:52:53,666
<i>propeller-driven airplanes,
and then into the jet era.</i>

794
00:52:56,416 --> 00:52:57,458
<i>Ready?</i>

795
00:52:57,458 --> 00:52:59,416
Hit it.

796
00:52:59,416 --> 00:53:00,750
<i>Take it in!</i>

797
00:53:00,750 --> 00:53:02,375
<i>We didn't see it as a risk.</i>

798
00:53:02,375 --> 00:53:05,708
We saw taking this job
as a Blue Angel as a privilege.

799
00:53:37,708 --> 00:53:41,666
<i>It's so highly sought-after
to be part of the Blue Angels.</i>

800
00:53:42,750 --> 00:53:47,458
<i>And it's a...
it's a very distinct privilege</i>

801
00:53:47,458 --> 00:53:49,625
<i>to be selected to the Blues.</i>

802
00:53:51,250 --> 00:53:53,708
And we got to pick our own.
How about that?

803
00:53:53,708 --> 00:53:56,791
Nobody from above was saying,
"You're gonna take this person,

804
00:53:56,791 --> 00:54:00,083
<i>teach him how to fly,
teach him how to be a Blue Angel."</i>

805
00:54:00,083 --> 00:54:03,375
Which was really unusual in the military.

806
00:54:11,000 --> 00:54:12,208
All right.

807
00:54:12,208 --> 00:54:15,375
This day is gonna be
very busy, very tight on timelines.

808
00:54:15,375 --> 00:54:18,041
If you're next, be on deck
outside the room.

809
00:54:18,041 --> 00:54:20,541
Everybody else can relax in here,
do your thing.

810
00:54:20,541 --> 00:54:21,708
Thanks.

811
00:54:21,708 --> 00:54:23,875
<i>There's the robust
interview process.</i>

812
00:54:23,875 --> 00:54:27,541
<i>We get medical. We take a look
at the backgrounds and all that.</i>

813
00:54:27,541 --> 00:54:30,000
<i>But really, what it comes down to
is three things:</i>

814
00:54:30,000 --> 00:54:31,833
talent, passion and personality.

815
00:54:31,833 --> 00:54:34,083
Questions for me? Awesome.

816
00:54:34,083 --> 00:54:36,666
- You stand right here.
- Oh.

817
00:54:36,666 --> 00:54:40,916
<i>My first introduction
to aviation was when my dad took</i>

818
00:54:40,916 --> 00:54:42,833
my family to Tuskegee,

819
00:54:42,833 --> 00:54:47,875
<i>where we got to ride in a small,
single-engine aircraft.</i>

820
00:54:47,875 --> 00:54:51,916
<i>Up until that point, I wanted to be
a train conductor and a police officer.</i>

821
00:54:51,916 --> 00:54:54,125
But after that flight,
I wanted to be a pilot.

822
00:54:57,875 --> 00:54:59,750
<i>The interview matters.</i>

823
00:54:59,750 --> 00:55:03,291
<i>We are picking the best-fit person
for this job.</i>

824
00:55:03,291 --> 00:55:05,083
<i>And by "best-fit," I mean,</i>

825
00:55:05,083 --> 00:55:06,250
that's hugely important.

826
00:55:06,250 --> 00:55:08,166
We're spending a lot of time
with each other.

827
00:55:08,166 --> 00:55:12,250
We know each other so well.

828
00:55:12,250 --> 00:55:14,458
<i>They're certainly
a bit on the nervous side.</i>

829
00:55:14,458 --> 00:55:15,666
<i>Got the nerves going.</i>

830
00:55:15,666 --> 00:55:18,291
<i>You see their excitement.
You see the desire.</i>

831
00:55:18,291 --> 00:55:20,625
<i>They're so close
they can darn near taste it.</i>

832
00:55:30,000 --> 00:55:32,000
<i>We try to learn
everything about that individual</i>

833
00:55:32,000 --> 00:55:34,083
<i>before they get here
so that when they do get here</i>

834
00:55:34,083 --> 00:55:36,083
<i>we know exactly what
their personality is going to be</i>

835
00:55:36,083 --> 00:55:38,708
and where they're going to fit in
in their part of this team.

836
00:55:43,541 --> 00:55:45,375
<i>We'll start
during the interview process,</i>

837
00:55:45,375 --> 00:55:49,916
<i>you know, dig a little deeper,
but it literally is</i>

838
00:55:49,916 --> 00:55:52,500
a unanimous decision
amongst 17 people in the room

839
00:55:52,500 --> 00:55:57,333
<i>that requires hours of deliberation
and discussion to reach that consensus.</i>

840
00:55:58,791 --> 00:56:00,458
<i>Obviously,
you're gonna pick the people</i>

841
00:56:00,458 --> 00:56:02,333
<i>you think will be the absolute best.</i>

842
00:56:02,333 --> 00:56:04,291
Sometimes that takes five minutes.

843
00:56:04,291 --> 00:56:06,791
Sometimes that takes four hours.
You never know.

844
00:56:08,416 --> 00:56:10,416
<i>These are all
very personal conversations</i>

845
00:56:10,416 --> 00:56:13,333
<i>with personal details
about this individual's life</i>

846
00:56:13,333 --> 00:56:16,083
that the general public
doesn't need to ever know.

847
00:56:16,083 --> 00:56:18,208
And it's certain things
that we'll talk about in there,

848
00:56:18,208 --> 00:56:21,375
and at the end of the night,
we all slap the table and say,

849
00:56:21,375 --> 00:56:23,583
<i>"What happened here stays here."</i>

850
00:56:23,583 --> 00:56:25,833
<i>And then it's never
to be talked about again.</i>

851
00:56:26,833 --> 00:56:29,500
'Cause at the end of the day, guess what--
those are your new people.

852
00:56:33,875 --> 00:56:35,791
<i>There has to be a unanimous decision.</i>

853
00:56:35,791 --> 00:56:38,500
<i>But if we don't pick the right people
to carry on that legacy,</i>

854
00:56:38,500 --> 00:56:40,208
<i>then what we've done is just a failure.</i>

855
00:56:42,166 --> 00:56:44,916
<i>If you're a finalist, you're
kind of waiting on pins and needles.</i>

856
00:56:46,000 --> 00:56:48,083
<i>Saturday after
the Pensacola Beach Air Show,</i>

857
00:56:48,083 --> 00:56:49,750
<i>you call in, they tell you whether or not,</i>

858
00:56:49,750 --> 00:56:52,125
<i>you know, either "Welcome to the team,"
or, you know,</i>

859
00:56:52,125 --> 00:56:53,625
"Hey, sorry. Try again next year."

860
00:56:56,416 --> 00:56:58,708
<i>For me, took me three tries.</i>

861
00:56:58,708 --> 00:57:00,916
<i>I got... you know,
I got lucky along the way.</i>

862
00:57:00,916 --> 00:57:04,375
<i>Did a couple deployments,
and then I ended up here on the team.</i>

863
00:57:07,208 --> 00:57:10,791
<i>That was... that was a huge,
huge success... [chuckles]</i>

864
00:57:10,791 --> 00:57:11,875
...in my book.

865
00:57:12,958 --> 00:57:14,375
Let's go.

866
00:57:17,125 --> 00:57:19,125
<i>You know, we owe it to all those folks,</i>

867
00:57:19,125 --> 00:57:23,791
<i>the majority of folks who have rushed
the team that didn't make it.</i>

868
00:57:23,791 --> 00:57:26,083
<i>Some miss out by just one vote.</i>

869
00:57:27,500 --> 00:57:32,791
<i>We are four months, 16 shows away
from the end of the season,</i>

870
00:57:32,791 --> 00:57:34,958
<i>so make sure you appreciate it
while you're here.</i>

871
00:58:01,708 --> 00:58:04,916
<i>This city definitely has
a special place for us.</i>

872
00:58:06,708 --> 00:58:12,250
<i>These people who have been coming
to these shows, you know, since the '60s,</i>

873
00:58:12,250 --> 00:58:15,791
<i>they still welcome us as if we're family.</i>

874
00:58:27,458 --> 00:58:29,500
We're moments in time on this team.

875
00:58:30,791 --> 00:58:33,333
I've been watching
the Blue Angels since 1982.

876
00:58:33,333 --> 00:58:34,916
It's my 40th summer.

877
00:58:34,916 --> 00:58:36,791
I've been around them my entire life.

878
00:58:36,791 --> 00:58:38,333
Twenty-plus.

879
00:58:38,333 --> 00:58:42,208
The adrenaline, the rush,
and honestly, like, seeing it in person

880
00:58:42,208 --> 00:58:44,250
<i>just makes it that much more real.</i>

881
00:58:48,291 --> 00:58:51,125
Okay, winds are two-zero-zero-eight.
We own the airspace.

882
00:58:51,125 --> 00:58:53,666
<i>- Have a good one.</i>

883
00:58:53,666 --> 00:58:55,208
<i>We're cleared for takeoff.</i>

884
00:59:27,583 --> 00:59:30,208
<i>In relatively
slow speed flight, they will give you</i>

885
00:59:30,208 --> 00:59:33,083
<i>an opportunity to get a close look
at the precision flying</i>

886
00:59:33,083 --> 00:59:36,083
<i>that produces the 18-inch
wingtip-to-canopy separation</i>

887
00:59:36,083 --> 00:59:38,125
<i>between these four aircraft.</i>

888
00:59:38,125 --> 00:59:41,166
<i>From the right, the Blue Angel Diamond.</i>

889
00:59:45,583 --> 00:59:47,958
<i>Looking at it,
the start of the season,</i>

890
00:59:47,958 --> 00:59:51,041
you know, I'd think, "Man, there's no way
I'm gonna get this close to a jet."

891
00:59:53,125 --> 00:59:55,500
<i>Especially for the Diamond 360,
which is what we consider</i>

892
00:59:55,500 --> 00:59:57,416
<i>one of our hardest maneuvers.</i>

893
00:59:57,416 --> 00:59:59,541
<i>They're at 360.</i>

894
01:00:04,958 --> 01:00:07,666
<i>We just bumped it
into Blue Gold set.</i>

895
01:00:08,750 --> 01:00:12,750
<i>Scott-- Jamammy-- he's currently
up under, you know, Boss's wing.</i>

896
01:00:13,750 --> 01:00:16,416
<i>Now, me on the other side,
because of parallax,</i>

897
01:00:16,416 --> 01:00:18,125
<i>I'm not actually sliding myself
up underneath.</i>

898
01:00:18,125 --> 01:00:21,583
{\an8}What I'm actually doing is I'm sliding
outboard and forward.

899
01:00:24,208 --> 01:00:25,958
<i>You have Frank underneath my wing</i>

900
01:00:25,958 --> 01:00:28,458
<i>doing almost the exact same thing
that Scott is doing,</i>

901
01:00:28,458 --> 01:00:30,666
<i>just a little bit more aft.</i>

902
01:00:31,666 --> 01:00:33,291
It's kind of getting
not so much comfortable,

903
01:00:33,291 --> 01:00:35,666
but it's getting familiar, uh,
to the point where it's like,

904
01:00:35,666 --> 01:00:37,208
"Man, we're actually really doing this."

905
01:00:37,208 --> 01:00:39,750
You know, this is...
this is the aspect of the Blue Angels

906
01:00:39,750 --> 01:00:43,166
that no other demonstration team
really reaches.

907
01:00:50,833 --> 01:00:53,208
<i>But the Yankee set
at the start of the season</i>

908
01:00:53,208 --> 01:00:55,625
<i>is something you really want to get</i>

909
01:00:55,625 --> 01:00:59,500
<i>and you don't completely know
if maybe you'll actually get there, but...</i>

910
01:00:59,500 --> 01:01:01,333
There's teams that have done this
in the past,

911
01:01:01,333 --> 01:01:02,916
and then there's teams that haven't.

912
01:01:04,625 --> 01:01:08,041
<i>Now that we're starting to get
in that regime of flight,</i>

913
01:01:08,041 --> 01:01:10,125
<i>will we get there?</i>

914
01:01:10,125 --> 01:01:11,583
<i>Hopefully, yes.</i>

915
01:02:04,791 --> 01:02:07,625
Of course, the crowd favorite
is the Sneak.

916
01:02:15,708 --> 01:02:17,541
<i>The Diamond
will execute their maneuver,</i>

917
01:02:17,541 --> 01:02:20,083
<i>showcasing the precision flying,
uh, that is required</i>

918
01:02:20,083 --> 01:02:22,125
<i>of all Navy and Marine Corps pilots.</i>

919
01:02:22,125 --> 01:02:26,083
<i>And then as we're setting up for our
next maneuver, we get the solos in there,</i>

920
01:02:26,083 --> 01:02:28,958
who just pull on the stick a lot
and provide the filler.

921
01:02:44,625 --> 01:02:45,916
<i>The Diamond's
favorite maneuvers are when</i>

922
01:02:45,916 --> 01:02:47,250
<i>they get to break apart from Boss,</i>

923
01:02:47,250 --> 01:02:49,750
act like a solo,
and then once that's over,

924
01:02:49,750 --> 01:02:51,833
they're back to being the Diamond.

925
01:02:51,833 --> 01:02:54,041
I mean, the Diamond, everybody knows
they're-they're the better pilots here.

926
01:02:54,041 --> 01:02:55,250
Every... Literally everybody knows.

927
01:02:55,250 --> 01:02:58,333
You know that you actually have to think
about those around you,

928
01:02:58,333 --> 01:02:59,791
like, be a team player.

929
01:02:59,791 --> 01:03:01,083
They just don't get that yet.

930
01:03:01,083 --> 01:03:03,125
So, maybe one day,
they'll understand that, but...

931
01:03:03,125 --> 01:03:04,291
<i>Fun and excitement.</i>

932
01:03:04,291 --> 01:03:06,875
Definitely, the solos use a lot more
than Diamond.

933
01:03:06,875 --> 01:03:08,833
They're all flying off of Boss, so...

934
01:03:08,833 --> 01:03:11,541
Healthy competition--
that's exactly what it is.

935
01:03:28,041 --> 01:03:31,000
<i>After I left
Pensacola for finalist week,</i>

936
01:03:31,000 --> 01:03:32,875
it was just me and my husband
at the house.

937
01:03:32,875 --> 01:03:35,041
We were kind of waiting
and anticipating this phone call.

938
01:03:36,208 --> 01:03:39,125
<i>I was the very first person
to call in, uh, so I called in</i>

939
01:03:39,125 --> 01:03:41,750
and, uh, they kind of joked around
with me and they said,

940
01:03:41,750 --> 01:03:44,416
"Hey, you have the wrong number.
Try calling this number back."

941
01:03:44,416 --> 01:03:47,333
So I am in panic mode immediately.

942
01:03:47,333 --> 01:03:49,583
We tend to mess with them a little bit...

943
01:03:49,583 --> 01:03:51,416
when they, uh...
when they call in for the selectees, so...

944
01:03:52,583 --> 01:03:54,916
We have a five-minute window to call in,

945
01:03:54,916 --> 01:03:56,500
so I'm-I'm going through my messages,

946
01:03:56,500 --> 01:03:59,041
making sure I have the right...
the right number.

947
01:03:59,041 --> 01:04:01,125
I call back. They're like,
"Still the wrong number."

948
01:04:01,125 --> 01:04:05,166
We're listening in as Cody has got some
rock music playing in the background.

949
01:04:05,166 --> 01:04:06,916
I get a call from Boss.

950
01:04:06,916 --> 01:04:10,041
<i>- He's like...</i>
- Amanda, weren't you supposed
to call in a couple minutes ago?

951
01:04:10,041 --> 01:04:12,500
I-I was like, "I have done
something terribly wrong.

952
01:04:12,500 --> 01:04:14,291
I'm in trouble."

953
01:04:14,291 --> 01:04:16,583
He's like, "Hey, next year, when you...
when you're on the team,

954
01:04:16,583 --> 01:04:18,458
maybe we'll get your timeline
a little bit better."

955
01:04:18,458 --> 01:04:20,583
And then everybody said,
"Welcome to the team."

956
01:04:20,583 --> 01:04:22,958
But they had me super frazzled.

957
01:04:22,958 --> 01:04:25,500
<i>A history-making day
for the legendary Blue Angels.</i>

958
01:04:25,500 --> 01:04:28,458
{\an8}<i>The Navy's elite flight squadron
has selected its first</i>

959
01:04:28,458 --> 01:04:31,291
{\an8}<i>female fighter jet demonstration pilot,</i>

960
01:04:31,291 --> 01:04:34,250
{\an8}<i>Lieutenant Amanda Lee from Minnesota.</i>

961
01:04:34,250 --> 01:04:37,625
{\an8}<i>She is soon going to be flying high
with the Blue Angels.</i>

962
01:04:37,625 --> 01:04:41,416
{\an8}<i>She will need to complete an intensive
five-month training program</i>

963
01:04:41,416 --> 01:04:44,500
{\an8}<i>with other new members of the team
beginning in September.</i>

964
01:04:46,833 --> 01:04:49,708
<i>I enlisted in the Navy in 2007.</i>

965
01:04:49,708 --> 01:04:52,666
I ended up enlisting as
an aviation electronics technician,

966
01:04:52,666 --> 01:04:54,583
and I started working on the F-18.

967
01:04:55,666 --> 01:04:58,625
<i>I get to my first squadron,
and my division chief said,</i>

968
01:04:58,625 --> 01:05:01,791
<i>"You don't belong here. I don't feel like
you're challenged enough."</i>

969
01:05:01,791 --> 01:05:03,708
And the only thing I knew in the Navy

970
01:05:03,708 --> 01:05:05,875
was aviation, so I was like,
"Let's try to fly."

971
01:05:05,875 --> 01:05:09,000
Once you wear this crest,
it's a life-changing journey

972
01:05:09,000 --> 01:05:12,708
and you have an opportunity to represent
those over 800,000 active duty reserve

973
01:05:12,708 --> 01:05:15,041
and civilian support personnel
by wearing it.

974
01:05:15,041 --> 01:05:19,041
<i>Having the whole team there
greeting you, really excited for you,</i>

975
01:05:19,041 --> 01:05:20,958
<i>it was absolutely an unforgettable day.</i>

976
01:05:20,958 --> 01:05:24,333
So remember today is the day
that you became a Blue Angel.

977
01:05:24,333 --> 01:05:26,208
<i>Look around at your teammates.</i>

978
01:05:26,208 --> 01:05:28,750
<i>Commit this special bond to memory.</i>

979
01:05:28,750 --> 01:05:31,458
<i>Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel.</i>

980
01:05:35,208 --> 01:05:37,000
Welcome to the team.

981
01:05:42,208 --> 01:05:45,750
<i>I think the media likes
to make a big deal out of firsts,</i>

982
01:05:45,750 --> 01:05:49,166
but, you know, I always feel
we give short shrift

983
01:05:49,166 --> 01:05:51,958
to why they actually made it, right?

984
01:05:53,791 --> 01:05:57,916
<i>We have a fantastic officer
and a fantastic pilot.</i>

985
01:05:59,000 --> 01:06:01,208
<i>The end of the day,
when you're flying 12 inches apart,</i>

986
01:06:01,208 --> 01:06:02,708
<i>what really matters</i>

987
01:06:02,708 --> 01:06:03,958
is that you can trust 'em.

988
01:06:27,541 --> 01:06:29,833
<i>I think the progression
with the team is going really well,</i>

989
01:06:29,833 --> 01:06:32,875
<i>and I'm really, really excited to see
when we can bring this in</i>

990
01:06:32,875 --> 01:06:34,875
and how tight we can actually
get that formation.

991
01:06:46,916 --> 01:06:50,083
<i>In terms of being a newbie
on the Blue Angels,</i>

992
01:06:50,083 --> 01:06:52,083
<i>it feels like an eternity.</i>

993
01:06:52,083 --> 01:06:56,041
<i>We are entering a phase of the season
where a new team is selected</i>

994
01:06:56,041 --> 01:06:58,791
and it's the official "you are no longer
a newbie on the team."

995
01:07:02,000 --> 01:07:04,666
<i>You finally kind of know
what you're doing.</i>

996
01:07:35,583 --> 01:07:37,458
Rip it.

997
01:07:39,916 --> 01:07:42,875
<i>It's kind of fun watching
the folks who just learned.</i>

998
01:07:43,958 --> 01:07:49,333
<i>It's cool seeing Cheese go from
not knowing anything but fleet flying</i>

999
01:07:49,333 --> 01:07:54,625
<i>to feeling 110% confident.</i>

1000
01:07:54,625 --> 01:07:57,458
<i>But he has another enormous role
that he's got to learn.</i>

1001
01:07:58,541 --> 01:08:00,208
<i>Cheese next year in the two jet</i>

1002
01:08:00,208 --> 01:08:02,041
<i>is gonna have
the incredible responsibility</i>

1003
01:08:02,041 --> 01:08:04,000
of training a new boss.

1004
01:08:14,541 --> 01:08:16,666
Good morning, Mike. How are you?

1005
01:08:16,666 --> 01:08:18,041
Thanks. Good. And yourself?
- Hi.

1006
01:08:18,041 --> 01:08:19,625
- Doc, nice to see you again.
- Good to be back.

1007
01:08:19,625 --> 01:08:20,958
- Hi. Mike.
- Alex Armatas.

1008
01:08:20,958 --> 01:08:26,625
<i>We are in San Antonio, Texas,
at the Wyle KBR centrifuge center.</i>

1009
01:08:26,625 --> 01:08:28,208
You guys ready for this?

1010
01:08:29,375 --> 01:08:32,875
<i>This is the first day
for the incoming pilots</i>

1011
01:08:32,875 --> 01:08:35,708
to be on the job as Blue Angels.

1012
01:08:37,166 --> 01:08:41,125
<i>This is a g tolerance
improvement training program,</i>

1013
01:08:41,125 --> 01:08:44,250
<i>and it is a very demanding
and rigorous program.</i>

1014
01:08:44,250 --> 01:08:48,375
<i>People who've been flying F-18s
for 20 years go to the centrifuge</i>

1015
01:08:48,375 --> 01:08:50,000
<i>if they get selected.</i>

1016
01:08:50,000 --> 01:08:54,125
<i>And it can be challenging at times and
sometimes have to learn new techniques</i>

1017
01:08:54,125 --> 01:08:56,125
to make sure they can perform
at the highest levels

1018
01:08:56,125 --> 01:08:58,291
<i>before they can be on the team.</i>

1019
01:08:59,791 --> 01:09:01,500
<i>When you increase g-forces,</i>

1020
01:09:01,500 --> 01:09:05,500
<i>gravity is gonna pull
the blood in your head down to your feet,</i>

1021
01:09:05,500 --> 01:09:07,458
<i>so you're gonna pass out.</i>

1022
01:09:07,458 --> 01:09:09,125
Go ahead and put your g-suits on.

1023
01:09:09,125 --> 01:09:11,250
I want to check them just to make sure.

1024
01:09:11,250 --> 01:09:14,875
<i>The first day,
incoming aviators wear their g-suits,</i>

1025
01:09:14,875 --> 01:09:16,416
which they're used to wearing
out in the fleet.

1026
01:09:16,416 --> 01:09:19,166
Go ahead and climb on in
and sit down as best

1027
01:09:19,166 --> 01:09:21,250
or as easy as possible.

1028
01:09:21,250 --> 01:09:25,083
<i>A g-suit is something
that we strap on, and they will inflate</i>

1029
01:09:25,083 --> 01:09:27,625
and deflate, depending on
the amount of g's you're pulling,

1030
01:09:27,625 --> 01:09:30,458
to help you sustain g's
so you don't have to strain as hard.

1031
01:09:30,458 --> 01:09:32,208
<i>Harness.</i>

1032
01:09:32,208 --> 01:09:34,166
<i>Harness locked.
Zippers are up.</i>

1033
01:09:34,166 --> 01:09:37,916
<i>G-suit pressure
one-five-five.</i>

1034
01:09:37,916 --> 01:09:39,375
There it is.

1035
01:09:48,250 --> 01:09:50,250
Okay, we're just gonna
get you up to idle speed.

1036
01:09:50,250 --> 01:09:52,791
<i>In three, two, one. Engage.</i>

1037
01:09:58,333 --> 01:10:01,416
<i>All right, should feel like you're
going straight up in a rocket right now.</i>

1038
01:10:01,416 --> 01:10:02,791
Yeah.

1039
01:10:02,791 --> 01:10:04,416
<i>Pull back.</i>

1040
01:10:05,958 --> 01:10:07,958
<i>Up top. Breathe.</i>

1041
01:10:07,958 --> 01:10:09,708
{\an8}Bring those knees in.
Dig with those heels.

1042
01:10:09,708 --> 01:10:11,666
{\an8}Breathe. Drop the shoulders.

1043
01:10:11,666 --> 01:10:13,541
{\an8}<i>Plank the abs. Down to five and a half.</i>

1044
01:10:13,541 --> 01:10:14,958
{\an8}<i>Keep it going.</i>

1045
01:10:14,958 --> 01:10:17,166
Squeeze that butt.
Get those abs tight.

1046
01:10:17,166 --> 01:10:18,291
{\an8}<i>Keep them tight.</i>

1047
01:10:18,291 --> 01:10:19,916
{\an8}<i>You're letting these g's control you.</i>

1048
01:10:19,916 --> 01:10:21,916
{\an8}Come on. I want you to control them.

1049
01:10:25,125 --> 01:10:26,458
{\an8}<i>You're on top. Breathe.</i>

1050
01:10:26,458 --> 01:10:28,375
{\an8}Squeeze the knees. Squeeze that butt.

1051
01:10:28,375 --> 01:10:30,833
{\an8}<i>Breathe. Keep those abs tight.
Keep them tight.</i>

1052
01:10:30,833 --> 01:10:33,083
<i>Work. Bring those knees in.
Squeeze that butt!</i>

1053
01:10:33,083 --> 01:10:34,541
{\an8}Come on, breathe.

1054
01:10:34,541 --> 01:10:36,291
<i>Come on, dig the heels.
You got this.</i>

1055
01:10:36,291 --> 01:10:38,708
{\an8}Keep squeezing. Come on.

1056
01:10:38,708 --> 01:10:41,333
{\an8}Squeeze the knees. Nicely done.

1057
01:10:41,333 --> 01:10:43,041
I got to tell you, Alex, that may be

1058
01:10:43,041 --> 01:10:46,500
the best I've ever seen
anybody do on their first ride.

1059
01:10:46,500 --> 01:10:48,833
I'm sure. I'm not just blowing smoke, man.

1060
01:10:48,833 --> 01:10:51,208
I don't say that to people.
That was awesome.

1061
01:10:54,291 --> 01:10:56,750
<i>Today, there are no g-suits.</i>

1062
01:10:57,916 --> 01:11:00,250
<i>And the reason we require that is because</i>

1063
01:11:00,250 --> 01:11:03,458
we do not fly with g-suits
in the Blue Angels.

1064
01:11:05,375 --> 01:11:07,458
<i>Welcome back.</i>
- Yeah.

1065
01:11:07,458 --> 01:11:09,041
<i>The g-suit fills up with air,</i>

1066
01:11:09,041 --> 01:11:12,250
so the way we fulcrum
with our-our arm on our leg,

1067
01:11:12,250 --> 01:11:15,250
if that were to inflate,
it would move our arm

1068
01:11:15,250 --> 01:11:17,750
and inherently just move the aircraft,
so we don't do that.

1069
01:11:17,750 --> 01:11:21,250
<i>Okay, we're gonna
start the profile now.</i>

1070
01:11:21,250 --> 01:11:24,500
We have five profiles
that every Blue Angel aviator

1071
01:11:24,500 --> 01:11:27,791
<i>will go through in the centrifuge
which represent</i>

1072
01:11:27,791 --> 01:11:29,750
what they experience
when flying in the jet.

1073
01:11:38,000 --> 01:11:41,166
<i>And those are the high-g profiles,
and one of which is</i>

1074
01:11:41,166 --> 01:11:44,166
the PUB, the Pitch-Up Break,
which is our very last maneuver,

1075
01:11:44,166 --> 01:11:47,166
{\an8}<i>where the pilots will pull
seven and a half g's</i>

1076
01:11:47,166 --> 01:11:49,416
{\an8}<i>to break around the airfield
before landing.</i>

1077
01:11:51,041 --> 01:11:54,791
But it's critical that
they stay awake during that maneuver.

1078
01:11:56,708 --> 01:11:59,208
<i>So we've taken that demonstration profile</i>

1079
01:11:59,208 --> 01:12:01,625
<i>and simulated it in the centrifuge</i>

1080
01:12:01,625 --> 01:12:04,083
so that we can train to it
before getting into the jet.

1081
01:12:04,083 --> 01:12:05,416
All right, I have controls.

1082
01:12:05,416 --> 01:12:07,125
<i>Going to seven g's, five seconds.</i>

1083
01:12:11,250 --> 01:12:13,375
Okay, legs tight. Breath.

1084
01:12:14,416 --> 01:12:15,583
{\an8}On top. Breathe.

1085
01:12:15,583 --> 01:12:17,750
{\an8}<i>Dig with the heels. Plank the abs.</i>

1086
01:12:17,750 --> 01:12:20,250
{\an8}<i>Breathe. We're-we're down
to five and a half. Keep it going.</i>

1087
01:12:20,250 --> 01:12:23,083
{\an8}Stay with the strain. Come on.

1088
01:12:23,083 --> 01:12:25,625
{\an8}<i>-Stay with it. Stay with it. Stay with it.</i>

1089
01:12:29,583 --> 01:12:32,458
<i>It gets people
when it drops off like that.</i>

1090
01:12:33,541 --> 01:12:36,458
<i>It's the weirdest thing
to have a g-induced loss of consciousness.</i>

1091
01:12:36,458 --> 01:12:39,250
You don't even know
where you are or what you are.

1092
01:12:39,250 --> 01:12:44,208
<i>I mean, it's just like
your whole conscious self is gone.</i>

1093
01:12:44,208 --> 01:12:46,541
<i>Alex, you okay?</i>

1094
01:12:46,541 --> 01:12:48,541
- Yeah.
- All right.

1095
01:12:48,541 --> 01:12:53,000
<i>I called Boss about this and said,
"Hey, Boss, the new boss just passed out."</i>

1096
01:12:53,000 --> 01:12:54,458
<i>And he said, "Good.</i>

1097
01:12:54,458 --> 01:12:57,583
Good, because that's a wake-up call
that he needs."

1098
01:12:57,583 --> 01:13:00,958
You know, "Let's get to work.
This is not gonna be easy."

1099
01:13:04,583 --> 01:13:07,208
<i>You're on top. Breathe.</i>

1100
01:13:07,208 --> 01:13:09,875
{\an8}<i>Come on, dig the heels.
You got this. Keep squeezing.</i>

1101
01:13:09,875 --> 01:13:11,708
{\an8}Breathe. Squeeze those knees.
Get that butt tight.

1102
01:13:11,708 --> 01:13:13,250
{\an8}Yes. Abs tight. Hold them tight.

1103
01:13:13,250 --> 01:13:14,541
{\an8}Come on, legs.

1104
01:13:14,541 --> 01:13:17,250
{\an8}<i>One, two. Breathe. You got this.
And you're coming down.</i>

1105
01:13:17,250 --> 01:13:18,583
{\an8}<i>You're coming all the way home.</i>

1106
01:13:18,583 --> 01:13:20,375
{\an8}Keep the strain. Legs, butt, heels.

1107
01:13:20,375 --> 01:13:22,083
{\an8}Oh, you're coming down.

1108
01:13:24,875 --> 01:13:26,625
Yep, there we go.

1109
01:13:29,791 --> 01:13:31,208
<i>I got you, Amanda.</i>

1110
01:13:31,208 --> 01:13:33,708
<i>Go ahead and put your head back. Amanda?</i>

1111
01:13:33,708 --> 01:13:36,666
<i>I had never g-LOC'd before.</i>

1112
01:13:36,666 --> 01:13:39,708
<i>And whatever your mind goes through
at that point, you know,</i>

1113
01:13:39,708 --> 01:13:41,666
<i>who knows, but I was in outer space.</i>

1114
01:13:41,666 --> 01:13:44,625
Take a breath.

1115
01:13:44,625 --> 01:13:50,041
It's, like, a... an eye-opener
for how inherently dangerous this job is.

1116
01:13:50,041 --> 01:13:52,333
We're just getting everything
back to normal.

1117
01:13:52,333 --> 01:13:53,958
<i>Okay.</i>
- Head back in the headrest.

1118
01:13:53,958 --> 01:13:55,041
There you go.

1119
01:13:55,041 --> 01:13:56,666
<i>There was certainly
a point today where I was...</i>

1120
01:13:56,666 --> 01:13:59,125
I was frustrated, and it was a...
it was a difficult profile,

1121
01:13:59,125 --> 01:14:02,625
and I just kind of sat down and...
and just-just wanted to...

1122
01:14:02,625 --> 01:14:04,958
just wanted to relax
and do nothing for a few minutes.

1123
01:14:04,958 --> 01:14:06,583
But like most things in this business,

1124
01:14:06,583 --> 01:14:08,625
you-you get over it and you...
and you move on.

1125
01:14:08,625 --> 01:14:11,250
{\an8}Breath up.

1126
01:14:11,250 --> 01:14:13,333
{\an8}On top. Breathe. Drop those shoulders.

1127
01:14:13,333 --> 01:14:15,416
{\an8}Bring the knees in.
Squeeze the butt. Breathe.

1128
01:14:15,416 --> 01:14:19,000
<i>A lot of today
is building confidence,</i>

1129
01:14:19,000 --> 01:14:23,166
{\an8}<i>knowing that you can physically do this.</i>

1130
01:14:23,166 --> 01:14:26,125
<i>Breathe. Good.
Terminate, terminate, terminate.</i>

1131
01:14:27,416 --> 01:14:29,583
<i>Got to get your mind right,
your body right.</i>

1132
01:14:29,583 --> 01:14:33,375
But without that mind being 100% invested
that you can do this,

1133
01:14:33,375 --> 01:14:34,750
{\an8}<i>you're not gonna be able to do it.</i>

1134
01:14:34,750 --> 01:14:37,083
<i>You're on top. Breathe here.
Squeeze those knees together.</i>

1135
01:14:37,083 --> 01:14:39,833
{\an8}<i>Squeeze that butt. Keep it tight.
Breathe. Good.</i>

1136
01:14:39,833 --> 01:14:42,708
{\an8}Breathe. Squeeze those knees.
Get that butt tight. Breathe. Good.

1137
01:14:42,708 --> 01:14:45,041
{\an8}<i>Come on, now. There you go.
Looking good. You got it.</i>

1138
01:14:45,041 --> 01:14:48,250
{\an8}One, two, and you're coming down
all the way home.

1139
01:14:48,250 --> 01:14:49,958
{\an8}

1140
01:14:51,583 --> 01:14:53,541
Nicely done.

1141
01:14:57,458 --> 01:14:59,083
<i>All right.</i>
<i>Hey!</i>

1142
01:14:59,083 --> 01:15:00,333
Nice job.

1143
01:15:00,333 --> 01:15:04,500
<i>That's what this whole training
is about-- to let them know</i>

1144
01:15:04,500 --> 01:15:07,458
we are in the big leagues now
and it's time to step it up.

1145
01:15:07,458 --> 01:15:09,166
Nice job, man.

1146
01:15:09,166 --> 01:15:10,833
<i>We've got a lot to learn.</i>

1147
01:15:10,833 --> 01:15:14,583
<i>Starting next month, we'll start traveling
with the team, and pretty much</i>

1148
01:15:14,583 --> 01:15:17,875
from the moment we start traveling
until the change of command in November,

1149
01:15:17,875 --> 01:15:21,458
<i>we are joined at the hip
with whoever we're replacing.</i>

1150
01:15:21,458 --> 01:15:23,833
We'll all be doing that
all the way through the fall.

1151
01:15:23,833 --> 01:15:25,083
- Hey, Boss.
- New boss!

1152
01:15:25,083 --> 01:15:26,791
- Hey.
- All right, cheers.

1153
01:15:39,000 --> 01:15:41,375
<i>Right now, it's the
khaki newbie phase, as we refer to it.</i>

1154
01:15:41,375 --> 01:15:43,458
<i>It's a good chance for all of us
to kind of feel</i>

1155
01:15:43,458 --> 01:15:45,916
<i>what it's like to be on the road.</i>

1156
01:15:45,916 --> 01:15:49,083
The best way to describe it is "surreal."

1157
01:15:53,750 --> 01:15:55,708
<i>First jumper.</i>

1158
01:15:55,708 --> 01:15:58,000
<i>First jumper. Two jumps away.</i>

1159
01:15:59,083 --> 01:16:01,375
<i>Not until
you live it, boy, do you understand</i>

1160
01:16:01,375 --> 01:16:03,000
<i>what it's like to be a Blue Angel.</i>

1161
01:16:05,500 --> 01:16:08,333
<i>It's actually a bit comical
at the start because you have a bunch</i>

1162
01:16:08,333 --> 01:16:10,583
of highly trained, skilled folks who...

1163
01:16:10,583 --> 01:16:12,375
<i>don't really know what to do anymore.</i>

1164
01:16:12,375 --> 01:16:15,833
You can... But you can stand just--
yeah, either way.

1165
01:16:15,833 --> 01:16:17,833
You can dance around. Thanks.

1166
01:16:17,833 --> 01:16:22,083
<i>Being a newbie,
there's a very delicate balance.</i>

1167
01:16:22,083 --> 01:16:24,583
<i>You're basically there to be a sponge.</i>

1168
01:16:24,583 --> 01:16:26,208
That's crowd right. Intro to crowd.

1169
01:16:26,208 --> 01:16:29,166
<i>We account for
every single minute of the day.</i>

1170
01:16:29,166 --> 01:16:31,250
{\an8}<i>By the time you get back to the hotel,</i>

1171
01:16:31,250 --> 01:16:34,375
{\an8}<i>boy, you can't even remember what you ate
for lunch or if you even ate lunch.</i>

1172
01:16:36,250 --> 01:16:38,916
<i>I wanted to start off
with the narrator spot,</i>

1173
01:16:38,916 --> 01:16:41,000
<i>and then when I found out
that I was gonna be</i>

1174
01:16:41,000 --> 01:16:43,333
<i>in the Diamond, it's just
one of those things where you're like,</i>

1175
01:16:43,333 --> 01:16:44,750
"I'm just happy to be here."

1176
01:16:44,750 --> 01:16:46,791
Um, as we say, "I'm glad to be here."

1177
01:16:46,791 --> 01:16:48,958
<i>Set your flaps.</i>

1178
01:16:48,958 --> 01:16:51,083
<i>"Glad to be here."</i>

1179
01:16:51,083 --> 01:16:56,041
<i>The perfect expression of the gratitude
we have from the top down, the bottom up.</i>

1180
01:16:59,875 --> 01:17:03,583
<i>Whoever is around you, and-and you say,
"I'm just glad to be here."</i>

1181
01:17:04,583 --> 01:17:06,708
<i>It's a reset.</i>

1182
01:17:06,708 --> 01:17:09,750
<i>It lets people know that
no matter what kind of day you had,</i>

1183
01:17:09,750 --> 01:17:12,458
you're glad you are with
the people you're with,

1184
01:17:12,458 --> 01:17:15,958
<i>because they'll understand
and they'll trust you</i>

1185
01:17:15,958 --> 01:17:18,375
<i>because you won't hold anything back.</i>

1186
01:17:18,375 --> 01:17:20,041
<i>And when you have that kind of effort,</i>

1187
01:17:20,041 --> 01:17:22,458
<i>it raises the outcomes
for each and every person.</i>

1188
01:17:24,458 --> 01:17:27,125
<i>"Glad to be here."</i>

1189
01:17:27,125 --> 01:17:28,708
That was foundational.

1190
01:17:30,166 --> 01:17:31,250
All right!

1191
01:17:36,541 --> 01:17:40,041
<i>Th-There's a kind of a saying
from deploying sailors</i>

1192
01:17:40,041 --> 01:17:43,333
where the days are long
but the weeks are short.

1193
01:17:44,875 --> 01:17:47,666
<i>Kind of living in the moment.
You're tired a lot of times.</i>

1194
01:17:48,875 --> 01:17:51,958
<i>All of a sudden, you wake up
and it's, you know, September,</i>

1195
01:17:51,958 --> 01:17:53,500
and then it's end of season week.

1196
01:17:55,750 --> 01:17:57,416
Rip it.

1197
01:18:17,500 --> 01:18:20,583
<i>You spend the entire 365 previous days</i>

1198
01:18:20,583 --> 01:18:23,250
<i>with your team, getting better
and better and better, and then...</i>

1199
01:18:23,250 --> 01:18:24,333
Let's get rolling.

1200
01:18:24,333 --> 01:18:25,833
<i>Here it is.</i>

1201
01:18:25,833 --> 01:18:28,000
I'll never do this again.

1202
01:18:28,000 --> 01:18:31,541
<i>My replacement has been picked,
and this is our last ride.</i>

1203
01:18:31,541 --> 01:18:33,666
It's definitely
an emotional moment, you know?

1204
01:18:33,666 --> 01:18:35,250
<i>Yeah.</i>

1205
01:18:46,708 --> 01:18:49,958
<i>For the Diamond 360,
we've talked at length over the last...</i>

1206
01:18:49,958 --> 01:18:53,166
I-I would say each one of us
has had hours conversations

1207
01:18:53,166 --> 01:18:57,625
with each other about the Diamond 360,
kind of preparing our fulcrum...

1208
01:18:57,625 --> 01:19:00,291
<i>Our goal at the beginning
of the season is</i>

1209
01:19:00,291 --> 01:19:02,041
<i>the tireless pursuit of perfection.</i>

1210
01:19:02,041 --> 01:19:05,750
And I think a lot of it comes down
to just not being satisfied,

1211
01:19:05,750 --> 01:19:07,791
knowing that there's a next level.

1212
01:19:15,541 --> 01:19:17,291
<i>There's tension in it. There's, one,</i>

1213
01:19:17,291 --> 01:19:20,041
you got to be safe,
you got to be professional.

1214
01:19:22,041 --> 01:19:24,041
<i>But there's another side to that:</i>

1215
01:19:24,041 --> 01:19:28,000
"Gosh, man, I want to make sure
that we get to the tightest sets."

1216
01:19:31,000 --> 01:19:33,583
<i>The Blue Angel hallmark of precision.</i>

1217
01:19:35,041 --> 01:19:38,083
<i>That tension, it's good,
but you got to keep it in check.</i>

1218
01:19:38,083 --> 01:19:39,958
<i>All right, for the Diamond Roll.</i>

1219
01:19:39,958 --> 01:19:41,958
Hold to deep. Hold to deep...

1220
01:19:41,958 --> 01:19:45,750
<i>The way I chose to lead was</i>

1221
01:19:45,750 --> 01:19:47,375
I wanted Chomps to be empowered.

1222
01:19:49,416 --> 01:19:52,333
<i>'Cause I have that much trust in-in Frank.</i>

1223
01:19:56,416 --> 01:19:59,125
<i>During that final week,
Frank came into my office and said,</i>

1224
01:19:59,125 --> 01:20:01,000
"We can do it."

1225
01:20:02,083 --> 01:20:04,500
<i>The Diamond 360 and Yankee set.</i>

1226
01:20:09,583 --> 01:20:12,791
From the right, the Blue Angel Diamond.

1227
01:20:48,125 --> 01:20:51,083
<i>To be able to do that safely...</i>

1228
01:20:52,583 --> 01:20:57,791
<i>...flying just inches apart,
that's-that's a grand slam.</i>

1229
01:20:57,791 --> 01:20:59,875
<i>That's the Blue Angel magic.</i>

1230
01:21:11,333 --> 01:21:14,208
Departing team members,
last three ranks, anyone want to talk?

1231
01:21:14,208 --> 01:21:16,375
- Destiny, you crying yet?
I'm not crying.

1232
01:21:16,375 --> 01:21:18,125
- You good?
Come on, Kev.

1233
01:21:18,125 --> 01:21:19,958
Come on, Kev!
This is it.

1234
01:21:19,958 --> 01:21:23,041
- Come on, Kev.

1235
01:21:23,041 --> 01:21:25,625
- Come on, Kev!

1236
01:21:31,666 --> 01:21:33,791
<i>♪ Put your hands in the air
if you heard me ♪</i>

1237
01:21:33,791 --> 01:21:35,666
- <i>♪ Wash your hands, wash your feet ♪</i>

1238
01:21:35,666 --> 01:21:37,125
<i>♪ Brush your teeth, wash your back...</i>

1239
01:21:40,625 --> 01:21:43,458
<i>♪ Put your arms in the air
if you heard me ♪</i>

1240
01:21:43,458 --> 01:21:46,125
<i>♪ Wash your hands, wash your feet,
wash your back, wash your back...</i>

1241
01:21:47,833 --> 01:21:49,916
<i>Good afternoon, Bert.</i>

1242
01:21:55,750 --> 01:21:58,000
I've never been in
a command like this before,

1243
01:21:58,000 --> 01:22:02,250
and, uh, you guys treat me like family,
and I really appreciate that.

1244
01:22:02,250 --> 01:22:04,208
Thank you so much. I will miss it.

1245
01:22:04,208 --> 01:22:06,875
- I will miss it.

1246
01:22:09,208 --> 01:22:14,458
<i>♪ When there's nowhere else to run ♪</i>

1247
01:22:14,458 --> 01:22:19,041
<i>♪ Is there room for one more son...</i>

1248
01:22:19,041 --> 01:22:21,291
You know, to everyone leaving,
you will be missed.

1249
01:22:21,291 --> 01:22:22,958
We'll talk about it more tonight.

1250
01:22:22,958 --> 01:22:25,916
For the newbies in the back, soak it in.

1251
01:22:25,916 --> 01:22:27,750
Talk to these people
before they leave today.

1252
01:22:27,750 --> 01:22:29,166
Whoo!

1253
01:22:29,166 --> 01:22:30,625
<i>♪ Hold on ♪</i>

1254
01:22:32,791 --> 01:22:34,625
<i>♪ If you can, hold on ♪</i>

1255
01:22:34,625 --> 01:22:36,500
- All right!

1256
01:22:36,500 --> 01:22:38,166
- <i>♪ Hold on ♪</i>
- Hit it.

1257
01:22:38,166 --> 01:22:41,375
- One more time.
- Three, four, five.

1258
01:22:55,833 --> 01:22:57,500
<i>Expo is clear to taxi.</i>

1259
01:22:57,500 --> 01:22:59,541
<i>Line up on runway two-five-right.</i>

1260
01:23:01,541 --> 01:23:02,541
<i>Now.</i>

1261
01:23:02,541 --> 01:23:05,750
<i>♪ I wanna stand up, I wanna let go ♪</i>

1262
01:23:05,750 --> 01:23:08,000
- <i>♪ You know, you know ♪</i>

1263
01:23:08,000 --> 01:23:11,000
<i>♪ No, you don't, you don't ♪</i>

1264
01:23:11,000 --> 01:23:14,875
<i>♪ I wanna shine on in the hearts of man ♪</i>

1265
01:23:14,875 --> 01:23:18,208
<i>♪ I want a meaning from the back
of my broken hand ♪</i>

1266
01:23:18,208 --> 01:23:20,625
- <i>♪ Another head aches ♪</i>

1267
01:23:20,625 --> 01:23:23,416
<i>♪ Another heart breaks ♪</i>

1268
01:23:23,416 --> 01:23:26,083
<i>♪ I'm so much older than I can take ♪</i>

1269
01:23:26,083 --> 01:23:31,166
<i>♪ And my affection,
well, it comes and goes ♪</i>

1270
01:23:31,166 --> 01:23:34,666
<i>♪ I need direction to perfection,
no, no, no, no ♪</i>

1271
01:23:34,666 --> 01:23:37,083
<i>♪ Help me out, yeah ♪</i>

1272
01:23:37,083 --> 01:23:41,250
<i>♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪</i>

1273
01:23:41,250 --> 01:23:44,791
<i>♪ Oh, don't you put me
on the back burner ♪</i>

1274
01:23:44,791 --> 01:23:49,125
<i>♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪</i>

1275
01:23:49,125 --> 01:23:51,875
<i>♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪</i>

1276
01:23:51,875 --> 01:23:53,291
<i>♪ Yeah ♪</i>

1277
01:23:53,291 --> 01:23:57,416
<i>♪ You're gonna bring yourself down, yeah ♪</i>

1278
01:23:57,416 --> 01:24:00,541
<i>♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪</i>

1279
01:24:00,541 --> 01:24:03,041
<i>I don't think
you remember shows or weekends.</i>

1280
01:24:05,541 --> 01:24:09,541
<i>The level of perfection that we seek,
I see it in moments.</i>

1281
01:24:11,208 --> 01:24:14,333
<i>Every once in a while,
you're in a roll or a rollout,</i>

1282
01:24:14,333 --> 01:24:16,750
<i>the jets just kind of freeze,</i>

1283
01:24:16,750 --> 01:24:19,500
<i>and the world around you
seems to kind of spin, so...</i>

1284
01:24:19,500 --> 01:24:21,625
<i>And those are kind of the moments
that I'll remember</i>

1285
01:24:21,625 --> 01:24:23,541
that kind of stick with me.

1286
01:24:23,541 --> 01:24:26,666
<i>The four Diamond pilots
are rolling out in trail formation</i>

1287
01:24:26,666 --> 01:24:29,208
<i>for a dynamic separation maneuver.</i>

1288
01:24:29,208 --> 01:24:31,541
The Blue Angel Vertical Break.

1289
01:24:31,541 --> 01:24:32,875
Rip it.

1290
01:24:32,875 --> 01:24:35,750
<i>♪ I got soul, but I'm not a soldier ♪</i>

1291
01:24:35,750 --> 01:24:42,666
<i>♪ I got soul,
but I'm not a soldier ♪</i>

1292
01:24:48,541 --> 01:24:50,541
<i>♪ Yeah ♪</i>

1293
01:24:50,541 --> 01:24:54,458
<i>♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪</i>

1294
01:24:54,458 --> 01:24:58,458
<i>♪ Oh, don't you put me
on the back burner ♪</i>

1295
01:24:58,458 --> 01:25:02,625
<i>♪ You know you gotta help me out, yeah ♪</i>

1296
01:25:02,625 --> 01:25:04,708
<i>♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪</i>

1297
01:25:04,708 --> 01:25:08,875
<i>♪ Yeah, you're gonna bring yourself down ♪</i>

1298
01:25:08,875 --> 01:25:10,583
<i>♪ Yeah ♪</i>

1299
01:25:10,583 --> 01:25:14,541
<i>♪ Oh, don't you put me
on the back burner ♪</i>

1300
01:25:14,541 --> 01:25:17,750
<i>♪ You're gonna bring yourself down ♪</i>

1301
01:25:17,750 --> 01:25:19,875
<i>♪ Yeah, you're gonna
bring yourself down...</i>

1302
01:25:19,875 --> 01:25:24,833
<i>I walked away thinking, "This is
exactly what we worked for all year,"</i>

1303
01:25:24,833 --> 01:25:26,875
and it was incredible to see.

1304
01:25:26,875 --> 01:25:28,833
<i>♪ Last call for sin ♪</i>

1305
01:25:28,833 --> 01:25:30,750
- <i>♪ While everyone's lost ♪</i>

1306
01:25:30,750 --> 01:25:32,666
<i>♪ The battle is won...</i>

1307
01:25:32,666 --> 01:25:34,625
Great job. Great tour.

1308
01:25:34,625 --> 01:25:36,875
<i>Ah, good deal, Boss.
Welcome back.</i>

1309
01:25:36,875 --> 01:25:38,458
<i>Great.</i>

1310
01:25:38,458 --> 01:25:42,708
<i>No kidding-- during the show,
the parking spots are all changed over,</i>

1311
01:25:42,708 --> 01:25:44,208
and that is how the Blue Angels do it.

1312
01:25:44,208 --> 01:25:45,541
<i>♪ Things that I've done ♪</i>

1313
01:25:45,541 --> 01:25:47,500
<i>♪ Time, truth and hearts ♪</i>

1314
01:25:49,250 --> 01:25:52,500
<i>All the old guys' names
have been scraped off.</i>

1315
01:25:52,500 --> 01:25:54,291
<i>♪ If you can, hold on ♪</i>

1316
01:25:54,291 --> 01:25:56,750
You know, when you walk out
of this hangar that final time, that's it.

1317
01:25:56,750 --> 01:25:58,708
- <i>♪ If you can, hold on ♪</i>

1318
01:25:58,708 --> 01:26:00,125
<i>There's no coming back.</i>

1319
01:26:10,333 --> 01:26:13,208
Just started prepping my cadence
for that final walk back,

1320
01:26:13,208 --> 01:26:15,125
when it's that final drop of salute.

1321
01:26:15,125 --> 01:26:17,416
That's right, and left.

1322
01:26:17,416 --> 01:26:19,500
Left, left.

1323
01:26:19,500 --> 01:26:21,791
How long I might wait
for that final drop of salute.

1324
01:26:21,791 --> 01:26:24,541
Left, left.

1325
01:26:24,541 --> 01:26:26,250
Left, right, left.

1326
01:26:26,250 --> 01:26:27,958
- Right, right.
- Hut!

1327
01:26:27,958 --> 01:26:31,333
<i>We drop salute,
and we know that the next day,</i>

1328
01:26:31,333 --> 01:26:34,625
personnel are gonna go
all across the world

1329
01:26:34,625 --> 01:26:37,375
<i>to the next tour of duty.</i>

1330
01:26:38,791 --> 01:26:42,708
That's the last moment
that our family's gonna be together.

1331
01:26:42,708 --> 01:26:44,208
You know?

1332
01:26:44,208 --> 01:26:46,500
Uh... yeah.

1333
01:26:49,166 --> 01:26:50,916
And salute.

1334
01:26:53,333 --> 01:26:54,833
Ready? Two.

1335
01:27:22,250 --> 01:27:24,541
<i>The flying is cool,
but it's not the same</i>

1336
01:27:24,541 --> 01:27:28,208
<i>as being around Jamammy or Cheese
or Chewy or Whiskers or Boss</i>

1337
01:27:28,208 --> 01:27:31,250
<i>or any of the supply officers
to maintainers downstairs.</i>

1338
01:27:31,250 --> 01:27:33,791
<i>It's that one-on-one connection
you have with your crew chiefs--</i>

1339
01:27:33,791 --> 01:27:36,125
Joe and Alan for me--
so that's gonna truly,

1340
01:27:36,125 --> 01:27:38,250
truly be the thing
that I'm gonna miss the most.

1341
01:27:58,750 --> 01:28:01,041
<i>It's all the parts.
It's not just five people.</i>

1342
01:28:01,041 --> 01:28:04,208
<i>It's 141 personnel
that put this thing together.</i>

1343
01:28:04,208 --> 01:28:06,458
<i>Ready? One, two and three.</i>

1344
01:28:06,458 --> 01:28:08,541
<i>- All right!</i>

1345
01:28:11,416 --> 01:28:13,875
<i>The people change.
The suits stay the same.</i>

1346
01:28:13,875 --> 01:28:16,541
<i>What this team means stays the same.</i>

1347
01:28:16,541 --> 01:28:19,625
<i>And what this team means to the country
has stayed the same</i>

1348
01:28:19,625 --> 01:28:21,750
and has lasted the test of time.

1349
01:28:23,958 --> 01:28:27,416
And then-- poof, you know?-- it's gone.

1350
01:28:32,208 --> 01:28:35,166
<i>I pinch myself
I get a chance to be part of it.</i>

1351
01:28:55,041 --> 01:28:58,333
<i>The Blue Angel Creed!</i>

1352
01:28:58,333 --> 01:28:59,958
<i>As a Blue Angel,</i>

1353
01:28:59,958 --> 01:29:05,000
<i>I will dedicate all my efforts to pride,
professionalism and perfection.</i>

1354
01:29:05,000 --> 01:29:07,958
<i>I will strive to honor the crest I earned,</i>

1355
01:29:07,958 --> 01:29:10,166
<i>and I will never forget from where I came.</i>

1356
01:29:10,166 --> 01:29:13,000
Once a Blue Angel, always a Blue Angel.

1357
01:32:27,000 --> 01:32:29,083
<i>Great job. Great tour.</i>



