It's not easy being Blue...

Speed, Mistell, Hawk and Cougar, Angels 1 to 4. The diamond in practice over the Aldabra Sea. 2018/01/28.

 

As real life difficulties put our resolve to the test and we deal with them, moving Homecoming yet again to the weekend of February 10 and 11, the ordeals we go through as Blues made me think about what a privilege it is to fly these colors and how hard it is to keep them. So as a tribute to those who made it so far, those who served honorably and moved on, and also as a cautionary tale to those of you who dream about becoming a Blue Angel, here is how we see it and do it.

The six Blues brief before take off. A ritual performed flawlessly every practice.

To become a Blue Angels pilot you need to be a Naval Aviator, having gone through OCS, flight school, active duty in a front line squadron, all of the above matter. It shows you understand who and what you are representing: a United States Navy officer, a Naval Aviator and as a Blue Angels pilot the Navy you represent as her ambassador. Our mission in second life is exactly the same as the NFDS in real life. The Blue Angels Mission: The mission of the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach. Let this be clear from the start.

QB and BamBam, Angels 5 and 6 hot and static at Miramar. Solos good to go.

Then comes the internship. Spending a few months with the squadron, in practice and out, attending briefings, flying shotgun on #7 or #8, training as one of the team, getting to know each member and allowing each member to know you. Lots of theory, lots of waiting around, watching the squadron fly, learning the routines, and when you are lucky you get to fly along and get a feeling for it. When the internship is done, all the squadron members have a vote. You need every vote to get in. One no and you are out. This because we are more than a navy squadron, we are THE navy squadron. We bleed blue and we bleed together. So you need all of us to accept you as you accept all of us.

The diamond hot and static at Miramar. Another day in the life of the Blues.

After you are accepted as one of the team you become a Newbie for a whole season. You will spend a year doing exactly what you need to do as a Blue Angels pilot: studying maps, learning protocols and technology, practicing alone, in duos, with the team, at Miramar or in the Ring at Eagles Nest, 3 or 4 hours a time, 2 or 3 times a week, more when close to an air show, repeating ground routines, taxi and brakes, take off and landing, memorizing patterns and maneuvers, timings, sync methods, recovery methods, flight preps, pre-flights, attending briefings and debriefings, doing your safeties, attending Navy events, flying over graduations, performing the team's air shows, engaging with other aerobatic squadrons, talking to the general public, acting as what you are at all times: a Second Life United States Navy ambassador, a Blue Angel. You will spend a year doing all this, and in the end, you will have the opportunity to reapply and be reassigned. And do it all over again PLUS all the work involved in bringing interns in and newbies up to speed.... In your second season with the squadron and the first as a true full fledged Blue.

Doing your safeties at every debriefing. What could you have done better?

As Angel 7, soon with Angel 8's help, I have the role of interviewing potential candidates for the squadron. Through the years I met pilots who just came to us out of nowhere and other naval aviators, men and women who love flying and wish to become a Blue Angels pilot because they have seen us at an air show, read about us or just because it's pretty darn cool. And it is! Very few made it past that interview and I am proud to say almost all of those decided it was not for them on their own, after a more detailed explanation of who we are and what we do. A common reaction is "Whoa! This is a big deal!" to which I smile and simply nod in full agreement. It is. It is damn hard and not for everyone. And it's not just handling the practices and the theory and the endless repeating that makes for a better performance. It's dealing with all that and the times when in spite of all your work things don't go as they should.

Blue Angels pilots are not super heroes, they are just pilots. Naval aviators, yes, but still just pilots. What sets them apart is the will to push the envelope harder than everyone else and know that at times the envelope pushes back twice as hard. You pick yourself up, dust yourself off and do it all over again. Just like the song says. And that is not easy to do. But it is what makes you a Blue.

I am very proud of this year's crew and I will do anything for them, as I am sure they will for me. This is what it is all about. This is what we do. Go Blues! Hooyah!

CAPT. Asra "Cougar" Kron
NFDTXO / Angel 7