PENSACOLA, Fla. — The U.S. Navy Blue Angels have kicked off their winter training season in southern California eager to sharpen their flying skills during an exhausting ten week period.
The squadron of F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets and a C-130J Super Hercules departed their home base at NAS Pensacola January 3 on a cross country flight. Their training base at NAF El Centro is located near the desert town of the same name.
Of the squadron’s six pilots, three have never flown a Blue Angels demonstration. Their time in the Imperial Valley will provide the pilots and support crews the time necessary to train prior to their first show.
“We’ve been training in Imperial Valley for over 50 years, and this is where the Blue Angles cut their teeth and where the show is made,” Blue Angels lead pilot Cmdr. Brian Kesselring said.
Pilots, Support Personnel Prepare for 76th Anniversary Season
Most of Blue Angels pilots, maintainers, and logistics personnel from last year are returning in 2022. For a few, this season will mark their third year with the historic flight demonstration squadron.
Navy Capt. Kesselring returns as Boss and Angel 1 for a third season. Pilots Lt. Christopher Kapuschansky, Lt. Scott Goossens, and Maj. Frank Zastoupil will fly as the diamond team. The twin solo pilots this season include Lcdr Cary Rickoff and Lcdr Julius Bratton.
During six straight days each week, the pilots will fly three times a day for ten weeks. They will practice each maneuver — both in the air and during their morning brief.
It will be the job of Maj. Zastoupil to study the formation during flight training. He alone will critique how the new pilots Lt. Kapuschansky and Lt. Goossens are handling the training.
Using daily cockpit and ground video, Zastoupil will show the pilots how they can improve upon each maneuver. These closed door briefs are designed to give the diamond formation a tight precision formation of nearly 18-inches wing tip to canopy.
On the ground, the Blues’ newest advance pilot and show narrator is preparing for the season. Lt. Griffin Stangel is memorizing his loud speaker narration he will provide during each air show visit.
The team’s first air show performance will come at the conclusion of their winter training. NAF El Centro will host an afternoon performance and the first true public demonstration on March 12.
“For a team that spends over 300 days travelling, this is like home because we spend more consecutive days in the Imperial Valley then anywhere else,” Capt. Kesselring explained. “The Imperial Valley and NAF El Centro has a special place in our hearts, and we appreciate the support we receive year in and year out.”
Their training does not stop once they leave El Centro. The Blues normally conduct training flights over NAS Pensacola on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s before departing to their show site on Thursday.
After packing up their gear and loading their hulking C-130J, the team is scheduled to return home to Pensacola a few days later. The Blue Angels will close out March with weekend visits to New Orleans and Tampa.
In all, the squadron will perform at 31 locations across the United States between March and November. The spirit of their 76th season will include visits to Michigan, Hawai’i, and Atlanta.
(Charles A Atkeison reports on aerospace and technology. Follow his updates via social media @Military_Flight.)
