Archive for August 20th, 2009
My son’s rapt fascination with the Blue Angels inspired me to do some research on the 60-plus-year-old flying outfit. The Blues, formally known as the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, formed just after World War II as a means to improve troop morale and demonstrate naval flight power to the rest of the world. When the Korean War began in 1950, the Blue Angels pilots were called to active duty and the squadron was temporarily disbanded.
Today, the Blues continue to thrill audiences during airshows across the country. My son and I turn out dutifully each summer to watch as they perform barrel rolls, high-risk landings and other tricks that I wouldn’t even attempt to name. I can tell that my son is getting ideas, so I got him a pedal plane that he pilots around the backyard. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll be performing daring, airborne feats in his own right.