Beyond returning home in March from winter training, with a flyover of downtown Pensacola, Fla., the Navy’s Blue Angels have been relatively quiet. The first 18 shows of the 2020 airshow season, through May 17 at least, have been canceled due to the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. None of the personnel assigned to the team have contracted the virus of symptoms, says Blue Angels Flight Surgeon Lt. Cmdr. Aaron Hicks. The team is practicing as it normally would throughout the week from Naval Air Station Pensacola. The doctor oversees the health and well-being of the team that includes 16 officers and about 130 enlisted personnel. The Blues benefit from two on-site hospital corpsmen who are EMT-level medical personnel. The duo has been assisting Hicks in monitoring the team. The Navy deemed naval aviation to be mission-essential. Navy and Marine pilots across the country, including the Blues, fall under that umbrella. The Blues are not holding public practice viewings until May 26-27. In total, they will have 24 practices between late May and late September. Those practices are still planned. Despite the uncertainty, stress and anguish over the coronavirus, Hicks says spirits remain high within the Blue Angels. People can still hear and see the Blue Angels multiple times a week as they practice over southwest Escambia County. Like everyone else, they are hoping to get back to a normal routine. The first possible show could come May 20 in Annapolis, Md., home to the U.S. Naval Academy. All shows leading up to that date are canceled. (Source: Pensacola News Journal 04/07/20) https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2020/04/07/coronavirus-florida-blue-angels-keep-practicing-through-uncertainty/5103024002.
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