(WKRG) — The Blues are back! You can watch the Blue Angels at the Pensacola Beach Air Show dress rehearsal from Pensacola Beach right here on WGNO.com!
Flights begin at 11:00 a.m. with civilian stunt teams. We’ll have live coverage from Pensacola Beach and the Surf & Sand Hotel starting at 1:30 p.m.
Starting at 2 p.m., the Blue Angels will take flight, and you’ll be able to listen in to commentary from the Blue Angel’s Pilot #7 thanks to Boogie Inc.
The full air show will be held Saturday, July 10.
The Gulf Coast Magni Gyro team will lead off the civilian-acts portion of the air show with a seven-man formation in their colorful, Magni M24 Orion Gyroplanes starting just after 11 a.m.
Next up, Julian MacQueen will take to the sky in his big, flying seaplane, a vintage 1943 Grumman Widgeon at about 11:20 a.m.
Following that the Veteran’s Flight team will be over the Gulf at approximately 11:35 a.m. Organized by Pensacola attorney and pilot Roy Kinsey, about a dozen vintage Stearman bi-plane pilots from all over the Southeast will be flying World War II and Korean War veterans over Pensacola Beach on Friday and Saturday as a way to pay tribute to them, and give the tens of thousands of beach spectators a glimpse at aviation history.
At 11:43 a.m., a group of United States Navy T-6 planes and TH-57 helicopters from Training Air Wing Five in Milton, Fla., will fly by in multi-plane formations.
Starting about 11:50 a.m. pilots Ken Rieder and Adam Baker with Redline Aerobatic Team take to the skies, in their signature red and black stunt planes, to perform death-defying opposing stunts and inverted maneuvers and formations.
Next up, at 12:07 p.m., watch solo pilot Kevin Coleman push the limits of his bright yellow Extra 300 SHP stunt plane, his body and his mind, to create a visual spectacle like no other over Pensacola Beach.
Solo pilot Gary Ward will zip overhead in his green and purple MX2 aircraft, showcasing an aerobatic act packed with breathtaking maneuvers that range from zero-speed hovers to dives in excess of 250 mph, at about 12:25 p.m.
Stunt pilot Skip Stewart will close out the civilian acts with high-skill passes and jaw-dropping maneuvers in his famous red, white and black-checkered bi-plane, Prometheus, at approximately 12:40 p.m.
Following the civilian stunt pilot performances, there will be a 45-minute window for spectators to cool off and take a dip in the Gulf before lifeguards clear the water again in anticipation of the start of the Blue Angels show.
Then, at 2 p.m., look to the Gulf horizon as a famous C-130J aircraft, affectionately known as Fat Albert, followed by six signature blue and gold F-18 Super Hornets, make their way over Pensacola Beach. For the next 50 minutes, spectators will get a glimpse of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels aeronautic maneuvers like the Diamond Dirty Loop, the Double Farvel, the Vertical Pitch, the Fleur-de-Lis, the Opposing Knife-Edge pass, and the crowd-favorite Sneak Pass. These are just a few of the mind-blowing displays of choreographed precision flying the Navy’s flight demonstration team has perfected over the past 75 years.