The US Navy's Blue Angels fly over Pensacola Beach this weekend.
Get there EARLY!! Bring water. More pro tips from Visit Pensacola Beach HERE.
Here's the schedule from the Santa Rosa Island Authority:
On Thursday, July 7, at 2 p.m., the Blue Angels hold a practice show over Pensacola Beach.
Friday, July 8, is the Pensacola Beach Air Show dress rehearsal where a handful of flight demonstrations and civilian aerobatic performances begin at approximately 11 a.m., with the Blue Angels to be overhead at 2 p.m.
Saturday, July 9, marks the official Pensacola Beach Air Show, and follows exactly Friday’s dress rehearsal schedule:
Julian MacQueen will lead off the civilian acts portion of the air show in his big, flying seaplane, a vintage 1943 Grumman Widgeon starting around 11 a.m.
Next up the Veteran’s Flight team will be over the Gulf. 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.
Next, a U.S. Coast Guard Air Sea Rescue demonstration will take place near the beach pier 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.
Following that, watch solo pilot Kevin Coleman push the limits of his bright yellow Extra 300 SHP stunt plane to create a visual spectacle like no other over Pensacola Beach.
Next up, pilots Ken Rieder and Adam Baker with Redline Aerobatic Team take to the skies in their signature red and black stunt planes to perform opposing stunts and inverted maneuvers and formations.
Stunt pilot Skip Stewart will then wow the crowds with high-skill passes and jaw-dropping maneuvers in his famous red, white and black-checkered bi-plane, Prometheus.
New to the show this year, Patty Wagstaff, the first woman to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic champion and a six-time member of the U.S. Aerobatic Team, will take the sky over Pensacola Beach. Her breathtaking performances give airshow spectators a front-row seat view of the precision and complexity of hard-core aerobatics.
Closing out the civilian acts, 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.
Following the civilian stunt pilot performances, there will be about a 35-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.
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.
Photo: Getty Images