Navy’s aerobatic flying team Blue Angels coming to NJ this summer

One of the coolest things I ever did in my life was something I didn’t seek out but instead just fell in my lap.

I was doing an afternoon drive radio show in Detroit and out of the blue I received a call from a Navy representative. The Blue Angels is a US. Navy and Marine Corps aerobatic demonstration flying team.

They were coming to town to be part of an air show and as a way to promote the event they were selecting someone from local media who wanted to go up in an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet in basically a ride-along. More aptly a fly-along.

The demonstration wouldn’t hold back.

It would be a lot of g-force, maybe enough to knock you out briefly, and would include a 90-degree angle rocket-like takeoff, barrel rolls, low altitude inversions, and everything else they could scare the hell out of you with.

A listener, and I’ve never known who, sent my name to them as someone who might be willing. Perhaps because I had already gone skydiving? Perhaps because of my publicly expressed admiration for aviation as well as space travel? I’ll never know.

Of course I said yes, but I had to pass a full physical first including very thorough cardiac testing. A Navy doctor came right to the radio station to do the exam after hours.

I passed, and on the day of the flight my heart was in my throat long before I was strapped in under the second canopy of the two-man fighter jet.

It was absolutely an adrenaline tsunami.

The takeoff alone was unlike anything I’d experienced. The skill of my pilot was jaw-dropping and so was his calm confidence.

When they’re flying at maximum speed wingtip to wingtip with their squad and anything can go wrong, and to say these precision flyers have nerves of steel does not begin to explain it.

At one point after many aerial maneuvers, we pulled 6.8 g’s and I was knocked out for about ten seconds. The pilot confessed it’s a little game they like to play, and especially love doing it to a Navy doctor because they’re the ones who can ground them over the slightest thing so it’s a bit of a payback when they want to do a fly-along themselves.

All this to say I heard the Blue Angels are coming to New Jersey and I wanted to help get the word out.

"On July 4th, the Blue Angels will lead a full aerial review as a massive formation of U.S. and international fixed and rotary wing aircraft parades over the International Parade of Sail," Sail4th announced.

It’s celebrating the 250th year of our nation complete with tall ships and fireworks.

App.com is also reporting the Blue Angels will be back in New Jersey in 2027 for the Atlantic City Airshow. Trust me, you need to witness this

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

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