Members of the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels visited Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth Thursday ahead of a planned demonstration at an air show in 2024. "Wings Over Cowtown" is scheduled April 13 and 14, 2024 and will be the first air show at JRB since 2016.
The Blue Angels will be the show's grand finale.
"We are thrilled to have the Blue Angels visit NAS JRB Fort Worth and we are looking forward to their incredible performance in 2024," NAS JRB Fort Worth Commanding Officer Beau Hufstetler wrote in an email. "This site visit will allow the team to get acquainted with our facilities and ensure a seamless and spectacular show for our community."
Beside his plane Thursday morning, Navy Lieutenant Connor O'Donnell said the visit gives him a chance to meet leaders at the JRB and also get acquainted with the area's geography and air space.
"There's so much coordination that goes into an air show. We can't show up the week before and make sure everything's good to go," O'Donnell said.
O'Donnell shared that the Blue Angels have 32 shows scheduled over 38 weeks next year. He is doing site visits this month, so he only stayed in Fort Worth a few hours before moving on to his next location.
"We're really excited to be here. We appreciate the hospitality from everyone here," O'Donnell, who is originally from Maine, said. "I went to flight school in South Texas and haven't been back since. I'm excited to look around. I had one weekend up here, and it was an awesome time."
The team did not perform any stunts while in Texas. When they return next year, O'Donnell says he hopes demonstrations can show civilians the tactics they would use in combat and excite kids about a career in aviation.
"I saw the Blues first when I was ten in Brunswick, Maine, so they got me young," O'Donnell said. "This has been a lifelong dream of mine."
O'Donnell says the demonstration next year can also show kids the importance of different careers in aviation. He says 143 people work with the Blue Angels including logistics, maintenance and administration.
He said site visits now can also bring attention to service members who will spend their Christmas overseas.
"We want to honor them, make sure they're not out of mind when they're out of sight," O'Donnell said.
The Wings Over Cowtown Air Show is free April 13 and 14, 2024. Details are available here.
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