Made sometime in the early 1970s (probably 1971) by McDonnell Douglas after the Blue Angels had transition to the company’s F-4 Phantom, the stylish DIAMOND IN THE SKY was produced by Thomas Carlisile and directed by Vince Griffith. It features a soundtrack performed by the Pensacola Naval Air Station Band and a score by John Fluck and Thomas Carlisle. The film contains footage at 2:47 of the F-4 Phantom aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-60). At 6:00, Naval Air Station Pensacola is shown with the Blue Angels hangar and headquarters. The Blues’ famous maintenance team is shown at 6:15. At 7:30, an air show is seen with an introduction by Lt. J.D. Davis. This likely means that the 1971 team is seen throughout. If so it included the following members: 1971 Team: LT Dick Schram, Public Affairs Officer. LT Bill Switzer, Solo #6.LT Jim Maslowski, Slot #4. CAPT Kevin O’Mara USMC, Right Wing #2. CDR Harley Hall #1. LT Bill Beardsley Left Wing #3. LT Skip Umstead Lead Solo #5. LCDR J.D. Davis, Narrator #7. At 9:30, 36″ clearance is shown by the slot pilot to the canopy of another aircraft.
The Blues transitioned to the two-seat McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II in 1969, nearly always keeping the back seat empty for flight demonstrations. The Phantom was the only plane to be flown by both the “Blues” and the United States Air Force Thunderbirds. That year they also upgraded to the Lockheed C-121 Super Constellation for logistics. In December 1974 the Navy Flight Demonstration Team downsized to the subsonic Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II and was reorganized into the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron.
The Blue Angels is the United States Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, with aviators from the Navy and Marines. The Blue Angels team was formed in 1946, making it the second oldest formal flying aerobatic team (under the same name) in the world, after the French Patrouille de France formed in 1931. The Blue Angels’ six demonstration pilots currently fly the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, typically 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 their inaugural 1946 season. An estimated 11 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each full year. The Blue Angels also visit more than 50,000 people in a standard show season (March through November) in schools and hospitals. Since 1946, the Blue Angels have flown for more than 260 million spectators.
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