Perfect perspective of The Blue Angels diamond take-off will leave you awestruck
- The US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron is best known as their Blue Angels
- Their diamond take-off is pretty impressive, as this footage proves
- The Blue Angels still perform 35 weekends per year
Published on May 01, 2024 at 12:53 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on May 01, 2024 at 12:53 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
The US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron are best known as the Blue Angels and their diamond take-off is pretty impressive.
The Blue Angels formed at Jacksonville Naval Air Station and put on their first aerial demonstration there in 1946.
Today they’re based in Pensacola.
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But they’re far from grounded – in fact, they perform more than 35 weekends per year.
And their synchronized take-off in a diamond formation has to be seen to be believed.
According to the 2024 Blue Angels Maneuvers Manual, The Diamond Burner Go is a formation takeoff ‘in fingertip’.
“Immediately after takeoff, the four aircraft will transition to the diamond while accelerating in a low transition on show line,” it advises.
The comment section was more than a little impressed by the awesome display.
“That’s totally awesome!” said one commenter.
“Not everyone can do this, God bless,” said a second.
A third explained how complex the simple-looking trick is.
“If you had a video of the inside controls, these guys are physically working pretty hard with very small but very rapid control inputs… taking out the movement of the jet, before it moves,” they said.
And it’s not the only impressive thing the F-18 can do – the military fighter jets can take off by catapulting from an aircraft carrier.
It allows them to use a very small bit of space to get airborne and the incredible footage below offers a new angle on this amazing feat.
What’s more, this cockpit view of an F-18 landing on an aircraft carrier reveals the undefeated precision required in such maneuvers.
The US Navy’s Blue Angels demonstration squadron uses a Marine Corps C-130 dubbed ‘Fat Albert’ to carry its supplies, spare parts, and other equipment.
And the Lockheed Martin C-130J has been known to open airshows with a literal bang
Some of the images in this story were created using AI.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
