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u/Rise-O-Matic 23h ago
Statement from the Blues about today’s flyover.
July 15, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PENSACOLA, Fla. — The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, is aware of social media footage showing a low-altitude pass by a team aircraft over Pensacola Beach earlier today.
During an arrival maneuver, an aircraft flew lower than standard profiles, resulting in a disturbance on the beach that affected civilian chairs and umbrellas.
The safety of our hometown community, spectators, and our pilots is our highest priority. Team leadership is reviewing the circumstances surrounding the maneuver and conducting a thorough safety review to ensure all operations adhere to strict Navy and FAA safety standards.
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u/starlightequilibrium 23h ago
"...that affected civilian chairs and umbrellas."
You can already tell by how the statement is worded that they simply do not give a fuck.
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u/NOLA-VeeRAD 23h ago
Nah, I’ve seen Top Gun. Some pilot is going to get a stern steely eyed talking to.
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u/debaser64 23h ago edited 22h ago
And they they’ll go play some totally hetero shirtless volleyball!
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u/regoapps 5-0 Radio Police Scanner 22h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/wrzf9P70YWLJK
They’re going to high five each other and talk fondly about the incident
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u/1ncognino 20h ago
“They’re going to be writing checks their body couldn’t cash” -Captain Tom Jordan
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u/ChardeeMacDennisGoG 19h ago
Next time we see that pilot, he'll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong.
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u/EntertainerSuper8933 21h ago
Right after they get their now-mandated steroid injections
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u/Easy_Growth_5533 22h ago
In an oddly dim office by a sweaty, bald superior
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u/Kevbearpig 22h ago
Tbh that’s exactly how these old navy buildings in San Diego feel.
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u/dfwcouple43sum 22h ago
I have no doubt that the superior will “want some butts.”
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u/Ragnarok314159 22h ago
“You screw up just this much 🚬 you’ll be flying rubber dog shit outta Hong Kong!”
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u/CPOx 22h ago
That pilot basically did a “show of force” to the beach going public
Those scenes in the movie Warfare were crazy
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u/reefercheifer 23h ago
Nothing about eardrums, bad hearts, frightened children? Fuck ‘em!
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u/BareMinMum 23h ago
or the incredible amount of sand that got thrown in their eyes and faces...
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u/AesirComplex 23h ago
My boy is sensitive to the dryers in public bathrooms. If he was under that plane he would have been fucked up
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u/I_Dont_Work_Here_Lad 22h ago
Even if the pilot were to be reprimanded for this, Hegseth is just going to reverse any form of punishment anyway. We have absolute idiots leading our country.
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u/Coyoteishere 22h ago
Unless it was a woman or minority
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u/BarbequedYeti 22h ago
They most likely already know they are not part of the inner circle of trust and wouldnt do such bullshit. Or maybe not. Hell. I dont know. Everything is such a shit show now. Maybe they do know and think they are the exception.
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u/VegetableBuy4577 18h ago
Hegseth already posted a meme saying the flyovers will continue until morale improves. I despise these people so much.
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u/I_Dont_Work_Here_Lad 17h ago
Sadly, these events will eventually end with someone being killed in an accident. We have safety protocols for a reason. Sure, I think it is badass seeing fighter jets up close and buzzing past my head. I also think low flyovers like this are incredibly dangerous and unnecessary.
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u/Tasty_Bullfroglegs 22h ago
Won't need to, just get the guy a shot of testosterone and he'll be fit for service again.
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u/Vladishun 22h ago
I was in the Navy for five years and it gave me pretty severe tinnitus. Can confirm the Navy does not care about people's hearing.
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u/Nano8963 22h ago
Seriously. The umbrellas and chairs are the least of concern here what the heck
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u/Kittypie75 20h ago
Umbrellas are basically spears at the bottom. One flew up due to a big gust of wind and landed pointy side down maybe 6 inches from my husband's face a few years ago.
Those things can become missiles and could really have been dangerous.
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u/acrobat2126 19h ago
Passive exonerative tense is the WORST. Police use it as standard operating procedure and it absolves them from every shooting.
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u/SinibusUSG 22h ago
The thing is, if you’re low enough that it affected chairs and umbrellas, you’re dangerously close to a giant fireball.
If this was a matter of the margins they bake into these exercises having the desired impact such that even a bad mistake doesn’t cause harm then it makes sense that they’re not too bothered since that’s kinda everything functioning as intended. But if not, this would be ignoring a giant warning sign.
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u/swanyk7 21h ago
“Is aware of social media footage” was where they lost me. Oops, we got caught.
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u/False_Supermarket120 21h ago
"disturbance on the beach that affected civilian chairs and umbrellas". Lord is this obnoxious.
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u/Impatient_Orca 23h ago
Yes, the chairs and umbrellas. That's what everyone is worried about... /s
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u/Glass-Spot-9341 23h ago
Last year for the Chicago Air Show during one of the practices the Thunderbirds (Air Force version of the Blue Angels) flew too close and there was a sonic boom that shattered a ton of lobby and condo windows. They released a statement that straight up said they reviewed everything and they didn't do anything wrong lol
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u/Fugck 20h ago
“We’ve investigated ourselves and determined we’re fucking cool 😎 “
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u/thekingcola 21h ago
Unrelated but why on earth is the Navy’s flight demo squadron more famous than the air force’s?
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u/WerdaVisla 20h ago
The F-18 is more famous than the F-16. It's also more suited to aerobatics. Not by much, but its turning radius and acceleration, plus sounding a hell of a lot cooler, makes it a better airshow craft.
That and they were formed first, so they became the US' de facto "America's elite flight team" before the Thunderbirds ever got a chance.
Also, Top Gun happened.
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u/xpinchx 19h ago
I'm sure F18s are louder but man the F16 is so freaking cool. I grew up loving the blue angels but last year they had the F16s and woahhhhh boy they are incredible machines. Literally awe inspiring.
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u/Tool_of_Society 14h ago
F/A-18s are substantially louder than F-16s. While the F-16's singular engine is stronger it's still a single engine vs the two of the F/A-18.
I wasn't even fully aware of how overpowering the F/A-18's engine noise was until I moved near a NAS. I've been to many air shows but a F/A-18 going hard is definitely one of the top 3 loudest planes I've ever heard/experienced.
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u/Additional_Teacher45 15h ago
The 16 is much better at doing acrobatics, so I don't know where you're getting the 'suited to' part..
The 18 just looks better doing them. They're more difficult for pilots to pull off, and look much more showy when a less nimble airframe gets away with things it shouldn't merely because it has two engines.
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u/Honcho_47 22h ago
This is giving “we’ve investigated ourselves and found nothing wrong” energy.
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u/Mountain_Dragonfly8 23h ago
Even this statement is dripping with sarcasm and dismissal. "Affected civilian chairs and umbrellas" fuck right off. Those pressure waves can cause serious damage
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u/PipePistoleer 23h ago
The current US gov can do no wrong.
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u/Despondent_Glitter89 21h ago
Child in danger of being impaled by a flying umbrella is the price of FREEDOM!
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u/OpposumMyPossum 23h ago
That is the worst statement I've ever seen.
What a bunch of assholes.
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u/Despondent_Glitter89 23h ago
“Civilian chairs and umbrellas”. No mention of the civilian humans who got sandblasted by scorching hot air while their eardrums were nearly ruptured.
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u/_probablyryan 23h ago edited 18h ago
Have you considered that the civilians upset by this simply don't love America enough? Only a pussy liberal would think people's hearing is the most important thing here. A true patriot would be thankful to have the final sound they ever hear clearly be that of the American Made General Electric F414 engine. In fact, it's downright disrespectful to our servicemen and women that these lazy unemployed losers were not already standing with their hands over their hearts as the sand washed over them.
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u/Confident-Skin-6462 23h ago
the tinnitus is just FREEDOM RINGING
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u/Forsaken-Soil-667 22h ago
WHAT??
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u/Confident-Skin-6462 22h ago
I SAID THE TIN EYES ADJUST FIEFDOM SPICY WINGS
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u/Exact-Ad-4132 23h ago
They did a flyover like this back in the 90s, I don't think I was able to feel any hot jet exhaust.
Was anyone actually burned by this?
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u/adepressurisedcoat 23h ago
It should be pretty standard to not fly over a beach with people on it. They don't even fly that close at air shows
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u/ElPadero 22h ago
What about all the people and children desperately holding their ears? This is complete bullshit.
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u/MomsSpagetee 22h ago
“An aircraft flew lower” - Passive voice bullshit. The aircraft didn’t do it on its own.
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u/dilettwat 23h ago
That one idiot pilot didn't make me dislike the Blue Angels permanently, but that press statement definitely did. "Civilian chairs and umbrellas." What a bunch of ugly-souled scumbags.
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u/Lothleen 21h ago
American training standard is 10% casualties is acceptable, that's for military. When it comes to civilian casualties just look at the girls school they bombed for evidence.
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u/Horns8585 23h ago
Goddamn son of a bitch.
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u/Scousehauler 23h ago
I want some butts!
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u/Thr33pw00d83 23h ago
Seemed to be the overall theme of the movie…the volleyball scene alone…
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u/SnooSongs2345 19h ago
The real crime is you posting as a gif instead of a video with original sound
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u/FriendlyArachnid6000 23h ago
I kinda wish I could been there tho
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u/blizzardplus 22h ago
Yeah I would be fucking stoked personally. But I understand the people on the beach didn’t sign up for this.
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u/Lirsh2 22h ago
They were here specifically for blue angels and coffee event
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u/NoiseIndividual9815 20h ago
I’m getting flamed on another post of this for pointing this out lol people think the pilot just divebombed a random beach lol
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u/imronburgandy9 16h ago
Man these planes are incredibly loud when I'm inside and they're hundreds of feet away. A fly by like that would hurt your ears for sure
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u/Cartz1337 15h ago
Yea, the audio from the phone doesn’t do it justice, these things are fucking spectacularly loud. Think how loud an airliner is and then realize they are designed to be quiet.
There is a hobbyist group that flies from my local airport, older 50s and 60s era jets. F86, mig15 etc. and they are orders of magnitude louder than the 737s that fly from the airport.
It’s definitely still got some folks ears ringing, and even though it would hurt like hell I know the 6 year old in me woulda been jumping for joy saying ‘that’s fucking AWESOME!!!’
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u/LV-42whatnow 17h ago
Pensicola is the home of the Blue Angels. That beach loves them!
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u/TankedInATutu 22h ago
I love military aircraft. It's one of the few things about the military I have overwhelmingly positive feelings about at this point. After the initial WTF of it all I probably would be excited. But it was still a really stupid move and shouldn't have happened.
Whatever idiot pilot (not like that descriptor really narrows it down though) did this deserves to have the book thrown at them. Though I don't think that's actually going to happen unfortunately.
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u/Most-Cell-7666 20h ago
Was once buzzed by a navy fighter while on a boat about 6 miles off key largo. Sounded like the sky was ripping open.
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u/TankedInATutu 20h ago
I didn't even work directly with or right next to the planes, my office just happened to sit next to the flight line and it was so loud all of the time. I can't imagine just being out somewhere and suddenly, bam military aircraft right above your head.
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u/Cartz1337 15h ago
Um, that’s actually a really great way of describing it, and a pretty apt description of what it’s actually doing at those transonic speeds.
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u/Medical_Apartment155 21h ago edited 20h ago
Honestly, it would have damaged your hearing. Ive had jets fly much higher than that over me and it was very painfully loud. Im talking 150+ decibels. At this altitude it could easily blow your ear drums out. I can't imagine how bad this would have been, especially with the sand and everything.
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u/Tetimi 21h ago
Yeah, this. I bought a house near a yearly event with the Blue Angels without knowing, and the first year I didn't know they came days early to practice. I heard them in the distance, walk out of my house with my dog, suddenly it fucking swipes over as low as possible considering the taller trees around, totally put the whole area in shadow, dirt and plant debris whipped up into my face and I just burst out in tears from the surprise and pain. Drove away with bad tinnitus that afternoon to not be there for anymore of it.
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u/piratecheese13 17h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/54Dqmxfjr5QME
Gunna give everyone tinnitus
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u/lawlacaustt 22h ago
The reason this is actually an issue should be obvious. There is a reason this isn’t done and why you don’t fly at low altitude directly over crowds of people in a multi-ton object producing thousands of pounds of thrust and sound that can shatter ear drums whilst carrying explosive liquid on board.
You have to account for what happens when something does go wrong and if this did it would have been an avoidable tragedy.
The blue angels are extremely strict with their pilots and training from the guys I’ve worked with from there and this should be taken very seriously. It was just stupid.
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u/JudgeWapner 19h ago
Don't worry. The military already put out a statement saying they are aware there was disturbance of chairs and umbrellas. Pretty much a "sorry you feel that way" apology.
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u/turtlesinmyheart 18h ago
Chairs and umbrellas can't sue anyone. Yet.
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u/s0ulbrother 17h ago
I incorporate my umbrellas so they have the same rights as corporations.
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u/MJR-WaffleCat 12h ago
SecDef is going to waive any punishment, just like he did for a similar situation with apache helicopters, just like he did for the apache helicopter flight by Kid Rock's house.
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u/Crusty_Tater 11h ago
All the dude talks about is maximum lethality. Of course he's encouraging them to get people killed.
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u/MrsRustyShack 18h ago
It shows that some people weren't on reddit when airshow disaster videos were posted on certain subreddits. Can't unsee those. There may be more outrage. But then again people don't care anymore.
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u/Desperate-Avocado593 21h ago
This isn't new, and the crowd was hardly "infuriated" as they were cheering afterwards. They've done this forever.
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u/Brokehomiejohn 17h ago edited 13h ago
This isnt some laughing matter, my dads hair piece came flying off and my family hasn't been the same since. We had no idea he was bald
Edit: my mom is devastated
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u/shadow1042 18h ago
People in this comment section are pissy as fuck
Meanwhile me:
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u/TurtleFromSePacific 23h ago
Not even mildly infuriating, that could seriously injure people
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u/mikehiler2 BLUE 23h ago
The real mildly infuriating part is how this is now going to be mass reposted everywhere by these stupid bots every other hour.
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u/daywalker91 23h ago
You can’t be a top 1% commenter and complain about posting too much lmao
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u/Krypt0night 20h ago
I mean, 1% commenter isn't based on amount of comments you do, but total upvotes. Technically someone could make a single comment in a sub and become a top 1% commenter.
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u/BerryPerfect4451 22h ago
I know it’s not cool and all but I’d fucking love to experience it at least once
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u/harambe_did911 21h ago
They practice in el Centro in the winter and pensacola in the summer. You can post up in some spots or straight up go to their practice in summer time and they do some pretty low passes that rival this. El Centro some people drive out to the departure end of the runway right outside the base fence as well.
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u/jqualters18 21h ago
So considering the tone of the comments here I doubt my comment will gain any traction - but I'll try.
I am married to a retired naval aviator. He flew for 22 years, was a test pilot, and we have many friends who were in the Blues over the years (and currently know the CO).
While my husband doesn't have any connection or special information on this incident, he did say that when pilots are out of position (for any number of reasons - some mechanical, some physical) they turn off their smoke as a signal acknowledging they are out of position/formation and their error. This is so that in the debrief they can look more closely at the situation.
His theory is that #3 realized they were too low, but unfortunately his side of the formation rejoin placed him over the crowd. Fortunately, it was a low pass and not controlled flight into the ground.
What I am sure of after 20+ years of being around the individuals who fly these planes - this was not intentional. Blue Angels are some of the most meticulous pilots you will ever meet. They are not doing things like that to get some kind of adrenaline rush.
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u/gringodeathstar 16h ago
this was my first thought - dude who buzzed the crowd was probably trailing somebody in front of him (who accidentally got out of position), then realized how close to the beach it placed him which explains the sharp left turn/flare you can see in the video. likely no recklessness here despite people wanting to speculate otherwise
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u/SiltyGold0240 18h ago
I’ve been to an air show on the beach before and this was one of the “tricks” they did in the maneuver. The thunderbirds did the same thing.
That being said, it wasn’t this low and it didn’t disrupt anything on the beach. This seems like a bit of a mistake.
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u/lurkynic 20h ago
They’re reviewing this, yeah? It may seem “neat” watching back on it, but the damage to your ears can easily be permanent. This wasn’t approved beforehand.
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u/Venus_Cat_Roars 21h ago
Wish I was there there to be mildly infuriating. I would have been exhilarated
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u/Wonderful_Fox_7959 23h ago
Wasn't there a huge accident in Germany (or Italy) where tons of people died? I believe since then they don't allow flybys over people
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u/SomethingPotato_ 23h ago
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AqVQevtMAgk
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u/Zealousideal_Step709 23h ago
I remember that on the same day there was an aerial show in Nörvenich in Germany as well, which I attended. I was shocked when I heard what happened in Ramstein.
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u/HiveMindMacD 20h ago
For anyone that hasn't been around an f18 or turbojet engine pulling any level of power this is insanely dangerous. 0 surprise if we find out later that there is hearing loss or eye damage or even burns from the exhaust. That couldn't have been more than 50 feet up. With engines capable of producing 70000 lbsft of thrust. Fucking ridiculous. Should be immediate dismissal.
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u/LateActuator6972 23h ago
Oh, relax you big baby! It’s not like there’s hundreds of pounds of metal shooting above you at a speed so ridiculous that it could hurt you… oh, wait…
I’ll be honest, I thought this was cool until I thought about the shockwaves and afterburners and such.
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u/Rainebowraine123 19h ago
Wasn't supersonic so no shockwaves and you can see the afterburners weren't on.
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u/LateActuator6972 19h ago
So is it the noise to be concerned about? I really don’t know what I’m looking for (and am catching a lot of hate for that), but something about it feels unsafe.
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u/Rainebowraine123 19h ago
No hate here! The noise is really the biggest thing, but it was no secret that there would be the Blue Angels flying around and even from normal distances they are loud enough to require hearing protection, so people should expect that. Really the only thing that is unexpected here is the wake from the aircraft blowing the sand and umbrellas/tents around.
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u/Still_Local_2513 23h ago
I remember some time around 2003, roughly, some guy got his pilot wings in either the navy or air force then immediately did this with a jet at a park in Virginia, just minutes by plane from DC.
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u/lambdavi 18h ago
In Europe, that is a criminal offense.
I'm not kidding you, a pilot could be seriously suspended for buzzing civilians like that.
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u/bobcollum 16h ago
I saw them last weekend at an airshow in Maine. They weren't this close to me, I can only imagine how much louder it was then even at the show, where it's basically the loudest noise you've ever heard in your life. It's incredibly dangerous to do what was done in that video, while I'm sure it wasn't intentional, it can't happen. Imagine if it was another 10 feet lower, someone would've gotten hurt.
That thing was so low I'd think it was about to crash if had seen it there.
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u/DoublePatouain 7h ago
it's so stupid, that could hut people, included kids, even the noise could hurt ...
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u/mick-rad17 19h ago
They’re at the beach for an air show. It’s gonna be loud lol
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u/bobcollum 17h ago
Someone's getting in trouble for that one. Wouldn't be surprised if they get booted from the team honestly. That can't happen, even without the people.
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u/Gloomy-Regular-2294 15h ago
That is exactly what happened the woman flying the Jet has been grounded and removed from the team
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u/ACuddlyVizzerdrix 17h ago
If there's any babies there they got permanent hearing problems now
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u/Kasta4 23h ago
I've already been seeing people defending this reckless, irresponsible shit.
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u/MakeshiftRocketship 23h ago
My uncle has a house on the ocean in Bath Maine. A blue angel dipped down and passed a few feet above the water like 20 feet off our dock where we were hanging out. It was actually soo cool and I’ll never forget it. I was probably 8 years old. However this does seem less enjoyable with sand blowing in everyone’s eyeballs lmao
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u/OpposumMyPossum 23h ago edited 19h ago
And it's pretty dangerous. People only die once in a while from umbrellas and debris flying on beach but the injury number is huge.
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u/pacstermito 23h ago
Why do you post a gif when it should be a video with sound?