Blue Angels training in Super Hornet jets for 2021 Westmoreland airshow
The Blue Angels’ next airshow appearance at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport promises to have a bigger impact, literally, than any of the Navy jet team’s past local aerial demonstrations.
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority canceled this year’s show because no major aerial team was available. But the Florida-based Blue Angels are set to touch down in newer, larger jets for the 2021 Shop ’n Save Westmoreland County Airshow on Memorial Day weekend, May 29-30.
While complying with precautions related to the coronavirus pandemic, Blue Angels pilots have “tried to implement practice flight demonstrations at local airfields,” said Lt. Julius Bratton, one of two squadron members who flew in to the Unity airport Thursday to inspect recent runway improvements and airshow logistics while speaking with local media.
“We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve still been able to fly and practice so we can come back next year with a new platform, for our 75th anniversary, and hit the ground running,” Bratton said. “The show will likely look very similar. However, the aircraft will be bigger, louder and just a joy to see.”
Bratton, a native of Woodlawn, Tenn., will narrate next year’s Blue Angels routine. He arrived in one of the blue-and-gold legacy Hornet jets the team has flown in past seasons but noted the pilots are upgrading to newer Super Hornet jets similar to those used with the Navy’s active-duty fleet since 2001.
“The Super Hornet is about 33% larger,” said Bratton.”It’s just a bigger aircraft, with more powerful engines, and you have a greater internal fuel capacity.”
Airshow spectators, he said will “hear and feel the roar of those engines. The legacy Hornet has 32,000 pounds of thrust. The Super Hornet has around 42,000 pounds of thrust.
“We have a transition team that’s working with the Super Hornet to see what maneuvers will stay the same and what maneuvers will have to change.”
Bratton, who has served in the Navy for nine years, joined the Blue Angels team in September 2019.
“I’m most excited to see a ‘Fat Albert’ demonstration,” he said, using the nickname of the C-130 transport plane that carries Blue Angels personnel and equipment between shows and also has been replaced with an upgraded model.
The C-130 usually takes the lead role in a Blue Angels demonstration, with a “parade” pass in front of the crowd.
“It’s got a bigger propeller system that gives it a lot more power,” Bratton said. “It has the ability to take off a lot quicker and it can land in just a short amount of runway.”
The Blue Angels team and other airshow participants will have a broader foundation for their maneuvers as the airport recently widened its runway from 100 feet to 150 feet. A finishing touch, new runway markings, are to be complete in the spring, in advance of the show, according to airport officials.
With the wider runway, all four of the Blue Angels’ jets should be able to take off together for the team’s popular diamond maneuver. Bratton said. Once in the air, the pilots fly closely together in a diamond-shaped formation.
“They showcase the precision flying required of naval aviators,” he said. “You’ll see them fly as close as 18 inches.”
Coronavirus-related restrictions on large gatherings caused cancellation of many airshows this year, curtailing the Blue Angels 2020 season. Instead, the team took part in several flyovers of major U.S. cities in a show of support for workers on the front lines of the pandemic.
Westmoreland County Airport Authority officials say they’re planning several scenarios for the 2021 airshow, depending on the state of the pandemic, including one where spectators would remain with their vehicles to maintain social distancing.
The Blue Angels last appeared in the local air show in 2017 and have drawn crowds estimated at 100,000, according to the authority.
“To practice day in and day out and not get to do what you’re training to do is tough, but the whole world is going through hard times with (the coronavirus),” said Bratton. He said the Blue Angels are looking forward to “getting back out on the show circuit and just carrying out our mission, which is inspiring others.”
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.
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