Blue Angels returning to Fort Worth’s Naval Air Station JRB for first show since ’16

Matt Leclercq

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will fly over Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth for their first show on the installation in eight years.

The base has confirmed that it will be part of the Blue Angels 2024 show season. The squadron has not yet released its schedule for 2024, so the exact date of the Fort Worth show isn’t known.

The Blue Angels, or U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, showcases the best of the best among Navy and Marine Corps aviation. The pilots perform for 11 million people each year across the country, with 64 shows in 32 locations for the 2022 season.

Fort Worth last saw the Blue Angels in fall 2021 when the squadron performed at the Bell Fort Worth Alliance Air Show in its new F/A-18 Super Hornets. In May 2020, the Blue Angels soared in formation over Fort Worth and North Texas to show support for health care and other essential workers battling the coronavirus pandemic.

Construction workers watch from the top of a downtown building as the Navy’s Blue Angels fly over Fort Worth to honor COVID-19 first responders on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.
Construction workers watch from the top of a downtown building as the Navy’s Blue Angels fly over Fort Worth to honor COVID-19 first responders on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.

But the last time that Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base hosted the Blue Angels was 2016, and the squadron’s return to the base is significant for the military community here. NAS Fort Worth JRB is made up of 40 commands with 10,000 active-duty military, Guardsmen, Reservists and civilian employees.

The US Navy Blue Angels perform the final stunt of their performance at the NAS Fort Worth JRB on April 24, 2016.
The US Navy Blue Angels perform the final stunt of their performance at the NAS Fort Worth JRB on April 24, 2016.

For the 2023 season, which will be the 77th for the Blue Angels, only one of the scheduled 62 demonstrations will be in Texas: May 6-7 in Corpus Christi. Among the officers chosen for the 2023 team is the squadron’s first woman F/A-18E/F demonstration pilot, Lt. Amanda Lee of Mounds View, Minnesota.

The Blue Angels recently announced a new commanding officer for the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Cmdr. Alexander Armatas, who will serve as flight leader. The squadron is based in Pensacola, Florida.

The Blue Angels put on a dazzling show during the 26th annual Bell Fort Worth Alliance Air Show
The Blue Angels put on a dazzling show during the 26th annual Bell Fort Worth Alliance Air Show

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