The United States Navy's Navy Flight
Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, first performed in 1946 and is currently the oldest
flying aerobatic team. The squadron's six demonstration pilots fly the Boeing
F/A-18 Hornet in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where
they still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in their aerial displays in 1946. Since their inception,
the "Blues" have flown a variety of different aircraft types for more than 427 million spectators worldwide.