SEATTLE — By the time the morning sun began to warm the pavement, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels were already done with the first part of their day.
By 9 a.m. Thursday, the team had just finished its preflight operations — a full system operational check of each aircraft, including radar, flight control systems, navigation, environmental control systems, fuel and engines.
By 10 a.m., the pilots (“blue suits,” as the team likes to call them) rolled in.
By 11 a.m., the jets were in the air, ripping and roaring over the Seattle area, practicing the show they’ll perform this weekend.
During the morning rush of the last practice day before the Seafair Weekend Festival begins — after preflights, if you’re keeping track — the team carved out time to answer our questions about what they do while not in the air.
Come with us as we ask the team members on the ground about the job, the hardships, the highs and what exactly it’s like to be a Blue Angel.
Then, watch the skies as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels wrap up each day of Seafair Weekend with an aerial performance from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
Petty Officer Brandon Crawford — aviation medicine from Tacoma
What does a typical day look like in aviation medicine?
I work directly for the flight surgeon. We assist in all medicine readiness items or anything the flight surgeon needs — helping do sutures or just doing paperwork to make sure the pilots are still eligible to fly the aircraft.
What does it mean to you to be a Blue Angel?
It is an amazing feeling to represent the Navy and the Marine Corps. We get to go visit children’s hospitals, and being in the medical department, it’s such an amazing experience to showcase what the Navy and the Marine Corps can do.
Being from Tacoma, does Seafair have a special place in your heart?
Of course! I remember growing up here and watching [the Blue Angels] on TV and then coming up here to watch them. I used to be a delivery driver in downtown Seattle, and I remember on practice days stopping my delivery truck and watching the demo when I should have been delivering stuff.
AT1 Jonathan Miller — avionics from Lake View, S.C.
- What do you do on the team?
We work on anything that involves electronics on the airplanes. If we’re not working on the electronic systems of the aircraft, we’re helping with moves, fueling and helping any of the other shops that need extra hands.
- What does it mean to you to be a Blue Angel?
Being in this position, representing the Navy and the Marine Corps at our best, I feel like this is the epitome of naval aviation. Being able to work on these aircraft with the fine men and women I get to serve with is just an honor.
- Have you flown in an F/A-18 Super Hornet?
I have. I’m in my fourth year currently, and in my second year, I got a back seat ride with our current No. 5 pilot Julius Bratton. We pulled 7.5 Gs, and I passed out four times.
AM1 Andres Widhalm — crew chief No. 5 from Medellín, Colombia
- What do you do on the team?
This is my first year on the team. I turn the jets on in the morning, making sure all systems and flight control work as intended. We fix [the jets] before the pilots get in there.
- What is the most rewarding and challenging part of the work that you do?
It’s a combination of both. The most challenging and most rewarding is doing all the work and making sure the pilot only has to worry about getting inside the jet and strapping in. When I shake his hand and see him close the canopy, I know I did my job, and I know he trusts me.
- What does it mean to you to be a Blue Angel?
It means a lot of things, but what matters the most for me is what we mean to other people. I’ve been inspired by the humble pilots, the humble mechanics, that make it look so easy, and I want to represent the same thing they represent to me. They inspire me to be better professionally and personally.
- Is this your first time in Seattle?
This is! I love it. I love big cities, the skyline. I still have a lot to explore, but it makes me excited.
Sgt. Dylan Lippard — airframes from Statesville, N.C.
- What do you do on the team?
We take care of the landing gear, the hydraulics and the overall structure of the aircraft.
- Have you flown in an F/A-18 Super Hornet?
Yes, I got my back seat ride my second year in El Centro. I did a full demo with the No. 4 pilot at the time.
- Did you do any fun maneuvers?
The double farvel roll, for sure. You’re upside down, and you can feel yourself in the harness and then the pull up at the end.
- What does it mean to you to be a Blue Angel?
Being a Blue Angel means representing the people who are flying these exact jets overseas and off of boats.
AM1 Hyland McNaughton — paint shop from Huntington Beach, Calif.
- What do you do on the team?
I work on the paint scheme, the stickers and taking care of the jets.
- What is the most challenging part of your job?
The last-minute changes. When a jet is down, we have to change out the numbers real quick to get it right for the crowd and the people, and you only get 10 or 15 minutes.
- What does it mean to you to be a Blue Angel?
Inspiring the next generation. I have nieces and nephews, and inspiring them to reach their goals is really what it means to me.
AME2 Kollyn Ellegood — life support from Gallatin, Tenn.
- How long have you been a Blue Angel?
This is my first year on the team.
It’s super exciting, super rewarding. Every day is something different, and you can never expect what’s going to happen. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun.
- What do you do on the team?
I deal with the ejection seats and the environmental control systems of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, which directly support the pilot’s life, like oxygen and cabin pressurization.
- What does it mean to you to be a Blue Angel?
It took a lot for me to be here, but for me, it’s excellence. Every day we strive for excellence.
