FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Since 1945, the Blue Angels squadron has been displaying precision aerial acrobatics to raise awareness about the U.S. military’s application of aeronaval operations.
Each year, the U.S. Navy selects a team of talented pilots to represent the legacy of the world-famous unit: Three tactical fighter or attack jet pilots, two support officers, and one Marine Corps C-130J pilot.
Lt. Cmdr. Jack Keilty, of Oklahoma City, has been a Blue Angels pilot since late 2023 and has more than 2,700 flight hours. As part of his three-year tour, he will fly right wing during the 2025 Air Dot Show on Saturday and Sunday in Fort Lauderdale.
“It’s exhilarating; it’s focused concentration,” Keilty recently said at the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport.
Keilty is among the pilots who fly 11 Boeing Super Hornets jets: Nine single-seat F/A-18E and two two-seat F/A-18F during a 40-minute performance that includes 20 choreographed precision maneuvers.
For some stunts, the pilots fly just 18 inches apart. Sometimes at speeds upwards of 400 mph. The pilots operating out of 15 squadron work centers have the support of a team of about 140 service men and women who are also on duty for maintenance and support. Alternating crews of about 45 travel together for shows.
The first women to join the Blue Angels were Marine Maj. Katie Higgins in 2014 and Lt Amanda Lee in 2022. Higgins, a Floridian born in Jacksonville, made history piloting the C-130 transport plane and Lee, who was born in Mounds View, Minnesota, was the first demonstration pilot.
Lt. Cmdr. Natalia Luchetti, who was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, joined in 2023. She has served in the U.S. Navy for about 24 years and has been working as a maintenance officer during the performances in Fort Lauderdale.
“We are looking forward to inspiring millions of people,” Luchetti said ahead of the show.
On Saturday and Sunday, the opening ceremonies are at 11:45 a.m., at the Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, and The Blue Angels performances are at 2 p.m.,
Children who are 5 years old or younger do not need an admission ticket at the park’s Drop Zone seating area at 3109 East Sunrise Boulevard. For more information about the show, visit this page or call 954-241-7937.