Line Abreast Flat Pass
Flying the most difficult formation in their repertoire, the Blue Angels pass the crowd in a 5-ship line-abreast. This formation is very tough to fly as on the pilot in the center formation is looking forward. All of the others are looking sideways at the aircraft beside them. There is a lot of trust required here, but then, there is a ton of trust required during the entire demo. This maneuver is normally flown as a loop, but on this day, the Boss made the call to make it a flat pass, likely because there were some clouds in the area that were low enough to pose a problem. During their demo, the Blue Angels do not normally fly through the clouds.
Image captured during the June 2026 open house at NAS Patuxent River, MD.
Line Abreast Flat Pass
Flying the most difficult formation in their repertoire, the Blue Angels pass the crowd in a 5-ship line-abreast. This formation is very tough to fly as on the pilot in the center formation is looking forward. All of the others are looking sideways at the aircraft beside them. There is a lot of trust required here, but then, there is a ton of trust required during the entire demo. This maneuver is normally flown as a loop, but on this day, the Boss made the call to make it a flat pass, likely because there were some clouds in the area that were low enough to pose a problem. During their demo, the Blue Angels do not normally fly through the clouds.
Image captured during the June 2026 open house at NAS Patuxent River, MD.