thedrifter
07-21-07, 07:31 AM
Blue Angels look to hometown show during difficult season
By: MELISSA NELSON - Associated Press
PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION, Fla. -- Climbing out of his F/A-18 Hornet after a practice flight above the Gulf of Mexico, Blue Angels Cmdr. Kevin Mannix smiled broadly.
The air over the water "felt like silk" because there were no buildings or trees to create turbulence for his jet. And the enthusiastic crowds watching from Pensacola Beach were a good sign for this weekend's hometown show.
That all should make for a welcome high point for the Navy's precision flying team, which has been recovering from the death of a pilot who crashed during the last minutes of a South Carolina airshow in April.
The Pensacola show always marks the midpoint of the Blue Angels' touring season and provides the team two weeks at home. This year it takes on special importance: it is dedicated to Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis, whose crash outside Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is still under investigation.
His parents will attend the beach show, which runs Friday and Saturday. It will be the first performance they will watch since they were in the crowd when their son's jet crashed. The South Carolina show was the first they had seen when their son flew with the entire team.
"His family has been so supportive of us. They loved what he did, that he supported his nation, which has really motivated us to take it to the next level," Mannix said.
It could be early 2008 before the Navy's final crash report is released, he said. The last fatal Blue Angels crash was in 1999. Twenty six Blue Angels have died in the team's 61-year history.
Mannix, who is serving his first year with the team, said he has relied in part on the encouragement and advice of previous Blue Angel commanders to help bring his squadron together after the crash.
"As far as that aspect of leadership, the few accidents I've seen in my career, they've occurred over the ocean or usually inside a military compound. There was very little media attention," he said. "This time, I got out of my jet and there were 70,000 people. That's not normal."
And the crash has created some safety concerns.
San Francisco City Supervisor Chris Daly is sponsoring a resolution seeking to halt the Blue Angels performance there in October. The resolution has been referred to committee for study.
Daly spokesman James Keys said the supervisor is worried about noise from the jets and the danger of a crash into a building. But Keys said Daly would consider a compromise that might involve the team flying over the water.
Mannix said San Franciscans have raised similar complaints in previous years.
"I'm not really worried about it. We meet a lot of issues in a lot of different cities every year. The people of San Francisco have invited us and we will continue to go at their invitation," he said.
"It is an important city for us from a recruiting perspective. But we would not go some place we feel would be unsafe to operate out of, that's my opinion as a commanding officer."
Some peace activists have also called for protests at shows in San Francisco and elsewhere, saying the team promotes war.
In the meantime, Mannix said his team is focused on wowing the home crowd during the Pensacola show. And that's not always easy, he said, because many in the Pensacola crowd have seen the team perform so often that they can tell when pilots are even a little bit off.
The team will end the beach show flying in missing man formation in tribute to Davis.
"Not a day goes by that he's not on my mind," Mannix said. "My wife and I visit his grave every Wednesday. It's always on your mind."
The Blue Angels return to Pensacola Nov. 9 and 10 for the season's final show.
Ellie
By: MELISSA NELSON - Associated Press
PENSACOLA NAVAL AIR STATION, Fla. -- Climbing out of his F/A-18 Hornet after a practice flight above the Gulf of Mexico, Blue Angels Cmdr. Kevin Mannix smiled broadly.
The air over the water "felt like silk" because there were no buildings or trees to create turbulence for his jet. And the enthusiastic crowds watching from Pensacola Beach were a good sign for this weekend's hometown show.
That all should make for a welcome high point for the Navy's precision flying team, which has been recovering from the death of a pilot who crashed during the last minutes of a South Carolina airshow in April.
The Pensacola show always marks the midpoint of the Blue Angels' touring season and provides the team two weeks at home. This year it takes on special importance: it is dedicated to Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis, whose crash outside Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort is still under investigation.
His parents will attend the beach show, which runs Friday and Saturday. It will be the first performance they will watch since they were in the crowd when their son's jet crashed. The South Carolina show was the first they had seen when their son flew with the entire team.
"His family has been so supportive of us. They loved what he did, that he supported his nation, which has really motivated us to take it to the next level," Mannix said.
It could be early 2008 before the Navy's final crash report is released, he said. The last fatal Blue Angels crash was in 1999. Twenty six Blue Angels have died in the team's 61-year history.
Mannix, who is serving his first year with the team, said he has relied in part on the encouragement and advice of previous Blue Angel commanders to help bring his squadron together after the crash.
"As far as that aspect of leadership, the few accidents I've seen in my career, they've occurred over the ocean or usually inside a military compound. There was very little media attention," he said. "This time, I got out of my jet and there were 70,000 people. That's not normal."
And the crash has created some safety concerns.
San Francisco City Supervisor Chris Daly is sponsoring a resolution seeking to halt the Blue Angels performance there in October. The resolution has been referred to committee for study.
Daly spokesman James Keys said the supervisor is worried about noise from the jets and the danger of a crash into a building. But Keys said Daly would consider a compromise that might involve the team flying over the water.
Mannix said San Franciscans have raised similar complaints in previous years.
"I'm not really worried about it. We meet a lot of issues in a lot of different cities every year. The people of San Francisco have invited us and we will continue to go at their invitation," he said.
"It is an important city for us from a recruiting perspective. But we would not go some place we feel would be unsafe to operate out of, that's my opinion as a commanding officer."
Some peace activists have also called for protests at shows in San Francisco and elsewhere, saying the team promotes war.
In the meantime, Mannix said his team is focused on wowing the home crowd during the Pensacola show. And that's not always easy, he said, because many in the Pensacola crowd have seen the team perform so often that they can tell when pilots are even a little bit off.
The team will end the beach show flying in missing man formation in tribute to Davis.
"Not a day goes by that he's not on my mind," Mannix said. "My wife and I visit his grave every Wednesday. It's always on your mind."
The Blue Angels return to Pensacola Nov. 9 and 10 for the season's final show.
Ellie