Blue Angels will be back for 2011, Seafair confirms

(August 2010 photo by David DeSiga)
With the Blue Angels based at the Museum of Flight over the ridge during their annual visits, many West Seattleites see and hear them whether they want to or not. So with that in mind, and knowing that some will be excited and some will be bummed, we share the official news that they have reconfirmed for the August 2011 Seafair Air Show, per a Seafair news release. And this year, there’s a special anniversary. Details after the jump:

Full text of the Seafair news release:

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels announced that the Demonstration Squadron will return to the skies above Lake Washington as a featured performer at the Boeing Air Show this coming summer, as well as to participate in Seafair Fleet Week activities. The announcement was made today at the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) conference in Las Vegas, Nev.

This year’s participation in Seafair will also commemorate a historic milestone – the Centennial of Naval Aviation. The official kick-off for the anniversary will take place on Feb. 10 in San Diego, Calif. Seafair Fleet Week and the air show, both presented by Boeing, have been chosen as cornerstone events of the celebration by the U.S. Navy.

Seafair Fleet Week events will kick off on Wednesday, Aug. 3. The air show, combined with the Albert Lee Cup Hydroplane Races, will take place Friday, Aug. 5 through Sunday, Aug. 7.

“We are thrilled to have the U.S. Navy Blue Angels returning to Seattle for Seafair 2011,” said Beth Knox, President & CEO of Seafair. “Their performance is one of the highlights of summer in the Pacific Northwest. We are honored to be named a Tier One event of the national Centennial Celebration of Naval Aviation and are looking forward to working with our partner, Boeing, to recognize pilots and crew members for their service to our country and their commitment to aviation excellence.”

The Blue Angels’ mission is to enhance U.S. Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts and to represent the naval service to the United States, its elected leadership and foreign nations. The Blue Angels serve as positive role models for young people, and goodwill ambassadors for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.

A complete show schedule is available at www.blueangels.navy.mil. A complete listing of events associated with the Centennial of Naval Aviation is available at http://navalaviation100.org/eventlist.

17 Replies to "Blue Angels will be back for 2011, Seafair confirms"

  • KCH December 13, 2010 (11:41 am)

    Whoo Hoo! My 4 yr old son is the hugest fan – proof lies here and here.

  • HolyKow December 13, 2010 (12:14 pm)

    Glad to see the Seafair Scrooges (It’s too loud, it scares my little poopsie doopsie doggie woggie, the traffic, the distraction, the road closures…fooey!) did not mess this up for everyone else.

    And most of all…for the 4 year old(s) and up that love them so much, get over it scrooges!

    Nice to have them back yet again…Here is one vote to hope they do this EVERY year.

    hk

  • Steph in WS December 13, 2010 (12:20 pm)

    Yay! I’ve watched them for 30 years now. Yay!

  • Baba December 13, 2010 (1:46 pm)

    I’m no scrooge, but as a taxpayer, I certainly can think of better ways to spend MY money!!!
    .
    But bla,bla,bla…they enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts…
    .
    I guess someone has to fly all them planes and fight in all them endless wars…
    I get it!

  • Lolly December 13, 2010 (2:05 pm)

    Thumbs up!! Glad to hear they are confirmed for 2011!!

  • Jordan December 13, 2010 (3:11 pm)

    +1 for excited.

  • ad December 13, 2010 (3:51 pm)

    KCH- cute kid!!

  • 35this35mph December 13, 2010 (4:00 pm)

    Boo! Death machines.

  • rachael December 13, 2010 (4:13 pm)

    i love them!!!!!!so much!!!!!100 thumbs up!!!

  • rdn December 13, 2010 (4:18 pm)

    @baba- This is paid for by sponsorship monies and not your tax dollars.

  • cclarue December 13, 2010 (4:29 pm)

    Yay and Yay Seafair would not be the same without our Blue angels!!!!!!!!!@35 Commercial airliners(9-11intentional)(crashes-accidental,cars(tire blowouts causing deadly accidents-accidental) drunk drivers semi intentional), trucks(same as cars), rides at the fair(mechanic malfunction people die-accidental), boats(carelessness speed), and trains (hitting pedestrians on the tracks some accidental some suicide)all can cause death and sothey must all be death machines then as well. should we stop life as we know it and ban them all?? or just keep them out of seattle??Just because they are fighter jets does not make them bad. The commander in chief who sends people and weapons to war is where it starts. The blue angels come here as entertainment and recruitment not to kill anyone or anything. And certainly not as Death machines. Of course we all can have our own views but its gloomy enough outside….When I saw this announcement I was taken just for a moment to a warm beautiful seattle summer afternoon waiting for a blue jet to fly over my head and make my day!!…I should have known better than to look at the comments because there was sure to be a debbie downer comment or two sprinkled amongst the celebration of a returning tradition here in our beautiful city….

  • Tiffany December 13, 2010 (5:33 pm)

    Lame. More money wasted on another disruptive live-action ad for the military.

  • michael December 13, 2010 (5:58 pm)

    they fly to recruit the next generation to fight endless
    wars against people of color——

  • Baba December 13, 2010 (6:04 pm)

    @rdn,
    Can you provide a link or some other way to prove your comment?

  • 35this35mph December 13, 2010 (7:20 pm)

    @CC I’m glad you enjoy it and honestly I don’t begrudge you ar any of my neighbors the apparent thrill of watching/listening to the Blue Angels. However, (here I go arguing on the internet again!) none of those other motorized critters you mentioned are designed explicitly for the purposes of making war. It is true that they all can result in death and injury but fighter jets have that as a primary purpose. What we see and hear for our thrills is experienced by those whom they are targeted at as imminent destruction. Having said that; I’m done. Party on!

  • Tony S December 14, 2010 (7:14 am)

    If you want to do something about the “endless wars against people of color”, do something about the Dick Cheney’s of the world. It’ll be more effective than carping about F/A-18’s flying over Seattle one hour a day for three days a year.

  • Ex-Westwood Resident December 14, 2010 (7:31 am)

    REALLY Tony S!!
    Pelosi, Reid and the Dems/Progs have had control of BOTH houses of Congress since 2006 and have they done ANYTHING to end the wars????
    Casualties in AF this year have EQUALED the count from 2002 to 2008.
    Obama/Biden has done nothing different than Bush/Cheney in the wars. The “end of combat” in Iraq hasn’t happened, and anyway the agreement to withdraw “combat” troops from Iraq was signed in 2007 by Bush.
    The people carping here HAVE NO CLUE as to the function, goal, purpose and pride that the Blue Angels operate on.
    They are the same people who will sit on the side of a street watching a woman getting raped and saying “Gee…Maybe someone should do something about this.”
    Pacifism is the quickest way to die

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