Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show on Pensacola Beach Full Schedule Announced
November 3-6
PENSACOLA, Fla.(October 26, 2021) — The Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA) is excited to announce the full schedule for the annual Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show, November 3-6 on beautiful Pensacola Beach, celebrating its 75thanniversary this season.
The Homecoming Air Show is organized by the SRIA and funded by Visit Pensacola using excess TDT funds from the area’s banner summer tourism season, combined with a major sponsorship donation from Kia Autosport.
“We couldn’t let the Blue Angels end their 75thanniversary season with a canceled hometown show,” said Leigh Davis, executive director of the SRIA. “We’re very proud to bring the Blue Angels home on Pensacola Beach this November.”
In addition to the Blue Angels, there will be a selection of world-class military, aerobatic performers overhead on Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6.
Kicking off the air show week is “Circles and Arrivals” on Wednesday afternoon, Nov. 3, when the Blue Angels arrive and circle overhead to mark the show’s coordinates and center points along Pensacola Beach.
On Thursday, Nov. 4, at approximately 1-2 p.m., the Blue Angels will hold a full practice show over Pensacola Beach.
Friday, Nov. 5, and Saturday, Nov. 6, mark the official Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show with the aerobatic acts beginning at approximately 11 a.m. and the Blue Angels overhead at 2 p.m. Please note: All times are subject to change due to weather.
The 2021 Homecoming Air Show performances include:
11 a.m. - The U.S. Navy Training Air Wing SIX will pass over Pensacola Beach in their T-6A Texan II turboprops and T-45C Goshawk jets to open up the air show. Headquartered in the "Cradle of Naval Aviation" aboard NAS Pensacola, CTW-6 graduates approximately 300 United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Foreign Military Service (FMS) students annually.
11:20 a.m. - A U.S. Coast Guard Air Sea Rescue demonstration will take place over Pensacola Beach from an MH-65D Dolphin medevac helicopter. The SAR aircrew consists of two pilots, one flight mechanic and a rescue swimmer. Depending on the nature of distress, the rescue swimmer deploys via freefall or hoist to provide assistance.
11:40 a.m. - The Veteran’s Flight team, organized by Pensacola attorney and pilot Roy Kinsey, will feature about half a dozen vintage Stearman bi-plane pilots from all over the Southeast flying in the famous World War II-era aircraft.
11:55 a.m. -Airbase Georgia, led by Clint “Richochet” Cottrell, will present a World War II-era American fighter aircraft, the F4U Corsair, as well as a replica Japanese bomber, a Nakajima B5N “Kate,” over the shores of Pensacola Beach. The Corsair and the Kate will recreate, remind and reinforce the lessons learned from the defining moments in American military aviation history.
12:15 p.m. - Solo pilot Rob Holland will push the limits of his single-seat, MXS-RH prop plane to create a visual spectacle like no other over Pensacola Beach.
12:35p.m. -AeroShell Aerobatic Team– consisting of team leader Mark Henley, right-wing pilot Bryan Regan, Steve Gustafson on the left-wing, and slot pilot Jimmy Fordham - will perform a series of loops, rolls, and bomb bursts in close formation in their T-6 Texan aircraft over Pensacola Beach.
12:55 p.m. - Major Joshua "Cabo" Gunderson, with the U.S. Air Force F-22 Demonstration Team, will take to the Pensacola Beach skies to showcase the amazing capabilities of the F-22 Raptor fighter jet that is leading America into the future of aviation technology.
1:15 p.m. - Pilots Ken Rieder and Adam Baker with Redline Aerobatic Team will take to the skies in their signature red and black planes to perform opposing stunts and inverted maneuvers and formations.
1:35 p.m. – Solo pilot Skip Stewart will wow the crowds with his high-skill passes and jaw-dropping maneuvers in his famous red, white and black-checkered bi-plane, Prometheus.
Finally, starting at 2 p.m., look to the Gulf horizon as a famous C-130J aircraft known as Fat Albert arrives over Pensacola Beach, followed by six famous blue and gold F-18 Super Hornets. 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.
PLEASE NOTE:The SRIA is requiring the public to suspend all flights of unmanned aircraft, or drones, during the air show hours of the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show week. In addition, glass is always prohibited on the beach, and leashed dogs are only allowed at the two designated dog beaches on either side of the island.
Following the air show, when it’s time to pack up and leave, the SRIA would like to remind the public: Please Leave Only Your Footprints Behind! For the safety and enjoyment of all Pensacola Beach visitors and the preservation of the island’s flora and fauna, please take all that you came with and help keep our beach clean.
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About the Santa Rosa Island Authority
Pensacola Beach is owned by Escambia County, Fla., and is under the direction of the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA). The SRIA was created by the Florida legislature in 1947 under Chapter 24500. The SRIA does not receive tax support from the taxpayers of the county. It is fully funded from lease fees collected from business and residences on the beach. The Island Authority board is made up of six members, five are named by members of the Escambia County Board of Commissioners whose term is the same as the commissioner who appointed them. Registered voters on Pensacola Beach elect the sixth member. The elected member’s term is two years.
Photo: Santa Rosa Island Authority