BLUE ANGELS: AROUND THE WORLD AT THE SPEED OF SOUND (TV)
Summary
This documentary, hosted by Dennis Quaid, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the elite Navy flight exhibition team known as the Blue Angel squadron. The program includes comprehensive footage of the aerial maneuvers of the squadron, extensive interviews with the seven Blue Angels pilots -- Commander Greg "Boss" Wooldridge, Lieutenant Larry Packer, Lieutenant Doug "Dino" Thompson, Lieutenant Commander Pat "Irish" Rainey, Lieutenant Commander John "Gucci" Foley, Captain Ken "Thumper" Switzer, and Lieutenant Dave "Hoops" Stewart-- and discussions with the mechanics, technicians, and maintenance crew who keep the "Blues" flying. Quaid begins by examining the squadron's intense training process, which begins in Pensacola, Florida, and continues in El Centro, California, including the team's ten-hour daily flight schedule and the rigorous workout needed to maintain the level of physical fitness required to be a Blue Angels pilot. Quaid then looks at the history of the Blue Angels and, with the help of Captain Butch Voris, the first Blue Angels team leader, talks about the formation of the team in 1946, the origin of the name "Blue Angels," and the squadron's combat role during the Korean War. Next, the program examines the intricacies of formation flying, including the responsibilities of each pilot; the demands required of both the diamond-formation pilots and the solo pilots; the pre-flight briefing process, in which squadron members review safety and emergency procedures and talk through all the commands for each maneuver of the routine; and the post-flight debriefing process, in which the Blue Angels critique both their individual performances and the overall performance of the team. Quaid discusses the dedication of the ground-crew members in their efforts to keep the planes at peak performance and the pilots in the air, and he gives an overview of the various airplanes that have been used by the team throughout its history, beginning with the F-6 Hellcat in 1946 and culminating in the adoption of the FA-18 Hornet in the mid-1980s. Quaid follows the squadron's historical tour of Europe, including stops in Sweden, Italy, Bulgaria, Romania, England, and Spain. The team's final stop is in Russia, where it is the first U.S. air exhibition team ever to fly over Moscow, and Commander Kevin Lathum, Naval AttachŽ to the American Embassy in Russia, discusses the significance of the trip in improving relations between the United States and Russia. While in Moscow, the Blue Angel pilots and their Russian counterparts participate in a series of "exchange flights," in which the Russian pilots are given the opportunity to fly in American Hornets, and the American pilots are allowed to fly in Russian MIGs. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: A&E
- DATE: March 13, 1994 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:37:41
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:40581
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Public affairs/Documentaries; United States Navy; Aviation
- SERIES RUN: A&E - TV, 1994
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Rob Stone … Producer, Director, Writer
- Dennis Quaid … Associate Producer
- John Kornaren … Line Producer
- Kris Bergen … Writer
- Will Eagle … Writer
- Tom Rizzo … Music by
- Dennis Quaid … Host
- John Foley
- Kevin Lathum
- Larry Packer
- Pat Rainey
- Dave Stewart
- Ken Switzer
- Doug Thompson
- Butch Voris
- Greg Wooldridge