Blue Angels will headline the Cherry Point Air Show. Here’s what you need to know

The Blue Angels return to the skies over Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point in North Carolina this weekend.

The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Team will headline the 2024 MCAS Cherry Point Air Show on May 11-12.

Last year’s show broke records after it received three awards: the Pinnacle Platinum Award, the Dick Schram Memorial Community Relations Award and the Blue Angels Military Air Show of the Year Award.

The air show is MCAS Cherry Point and 2nd MAW’s way of showing appreciation to local and regional community partners and neighbors. Here’s what you need to know and how to watch.

Where is the Cherry Point Air Show located?

The Cherry Point Air Show is held aboard MCAS Cherry Point, centrally located in Havelock, North Carolina.

Parking and other transportation

As with any Blue Angels air show, arriving early is crucial for a hassle-free experience. There is free parking for the air show on board MCAS Cherry Point. A shuttle bus service provides transportation to and from the main parking lot, but don’t forget where you parked.

Flightline Club ticket holders you can enter the main entrance on Roosevelt Boulevard. Be sure to keep your premium parking pass on your rear view mirror. Once you get through the gate, there will be people directing traffic. You can then go to the Flightline Club chalet to collect your wristbands.

Everyone who bought premium seating enters at the Cunningham Gate on Cunningham Road. Once you pass the gate, you will be told where to go and you can pick up your wristbands at the ticket office. General admission and free vehicle pass holders also enters through the Cunningham Gate.

There is a disabled parking space in all car parks.

Blue Angels Cherry Point Air Show Schedule

Gates for the Cherry Point Air Show open at 9am. Here’s a quick look at what visitors can expect:

2d MAW band/anthem
Invocation
Veterinarian Jump Team
Opening speech
Aerobatic performances
- Steve Covington
- Steve Covington vs. Hot Streak II Jet Truck
- Jack Aces
- Hubie Tolson
- Harrier Level III Demo
- RJ Spreader
- MV-22 Osprey
- Tom Larkin
- F-35B
- “Rooster” Schmidle air shows Pitts S-2B
- Veterinarian Jump Team
- F-22 Raptor Demo
- RJ Spreader
- Randy Ball
- Randy Ball vs. Hot Streak II Jet Truck
- MAGTF demo
- Blue Angels demo

What can you expect at a Blue Angels air show?

If you’ve never been to a Blue Angels air show, you’re in for a treat. Plan an event that lasts all day, from waiting in line while waiting at the opening gate at 8:30 a.m. until the show ends about eight hours later.

Once the gates open, depending on the show you attend, you’ll likely be able to stroll past vendors, claim spots to watch the show, enjoy performances by civilian and other military teams, and learn about aviation history.

Each show has a fairly strict schedule that can be found online. If you take a look, you’ll see that every 30 minutes to an hour there’s something to keep your attention, starting with a parachute demonstration and ending with a Fat Albert demonstration just before the Blue Angels take to the skies.

How long do the Blue Angels fly?

A Blue Angels air show is typically an all-day event lasting approximately eight hours. Civilian acts and other military performers will take to the air all day prior to the final event: the Blue Angels. Fat Albert will lead the Blues with a short 10-15 minute demonstration, and the Blues will perform for about an hour afterward.

What planes do the Blue Angels fly?

In 2021, the Blue Angels began flying a new aircraft for the first time in more than 30 years: the Super Hornet F/A-18 E/F. The new jets are 25% larger, fly 40% further, stay on station 80% longer and can carry more weapons than their predecessors. The team previously flew the F/A-18 Hornets, which they switched to from the A-4F Skyhawk II in 1986.

How fast do the Blue Angels fly?

The new Super Hornets can reach top speeds of just under Mach 2 (about 1,400 miles per hour), almost twice the speed of sound. The jets can climb at a maximum speed of 30,000 feet per minute.

Blue Angels Pilot Salary

Pilot salaries at Blue Angels are no different than what their salaries would normally be, based on rank and length of service.

Where are the Blue Angels located?

The Blue Angels are stationed aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida.

Blue Angels 2024 air show schedule: Blue Angels releases 2025 air show schedule. This is where the team will perform in 2024-2025

Blue Angel pilots 2024

Here’s a look at the Blue Angel pilots for the 2024 air show season.

#1 Cmdr. Alexander Armatas — Cmdr. Alexander P. Armatas was born in Skaneateles, New York. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering.
#2 Lt. Cmdr. Jack Keilty – Lt. Cmdr. Jack Keilty, born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where he attended Mount Saint Mary Catholic High School and graduated in 2005. He attended Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, where he lettered in football and earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 2010. After graduation, he was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy and reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, for Aviation Preflight Indoctrination (API).
#3 Lieutenant Wesley Perkins – Lt. James Wesley Perkins was born in Pordenone, Italy, grew up in Georgetown, Texas, and graduated from Hutto High School in 2009. He attended Texas A&M University and graduated in 2014 with a degree in ocean engineering. Perkins was commissioned as an ensign through the Reserve Officers Training Corps.
#4 Lt. Cmdr. Amanda Lee – Lt. Cmdr. Amanda Lee was born in Mounds View, Minnesota. She graduated from Irondale High School in 2004, where she participated in soccer, ice hockey and swimming. While attending the University of Minnesota Duluth, Amanda enlisted in the US Navy as an avionics technician (AT) and reported to her first command, VFA-136 “Knighthawks”. She was selected to serve as a pilot through the Seaman-to-Admiral (STA-21) commissioning program in 2009. The following year, Lee attended the Naval Science Institute (NSI) for officer training in Newport, Rhode Island, and began concurrently with her studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry.
#5 Lt. Cmdr. Griffioen Stangel – Lt. Cmdr. Griffin Stangel was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and graduated from Madison West High School in 2008. He attended the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota, graduating in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in air traffic control. After graduation, he reported to Newport, Rhode Island, where he received his commission as an ensign in the United States Navy upon completion of Officer Candidate School.
#6 cdr. Thomas Zimmerman — Cmdr. Thomas Zimmerman is from Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from St. Paul’s School in 2004 with letters in football, wrestling and lacrosse. After graduating, he attended the United States Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island for a year before attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He taught lacrosse at both schools and graduated from the Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science in ocean engineering, earning his commission as an ensign in the U.S. Navy in 2009.
#7 Lieutenant Connor O’Donnell (Narrator) — Lieutenant Connor O’Donnell is from Freeport, Maine, and graduated from Yarmouth High School in 2011. After high school, he attended the United States Naval Academy and graduated in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in operations research.
#8 Lt. Cmdr. Brian Vaught – Lt. Cmdr. Brian Vaught is from Englewood, Colorado. He graduated from Cherry Creek High School in 2004, where he lettered in lacrosse. After high school, he attended the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. After graduating, Brian worked in professional sports marketing and promotion, eventually attending Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, where he earned his commission as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy in 2011.

2024 Blue Angels Schedule

Here’s how to watch the Blue Angels for the remainder of the 2024 season:

May 4-5: Vero Beach, Florida
May 11-12: Navy Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina
May 22/24: US Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland
May 25-26: Jones Beach, New York
June 1-2: Terre Haute, Indiana
June 8-9: Chesterfield, Missouri
June 15-16: La Crosse, Wisconsin
June 22-23: Dayton, Ohio
June 29-30: Traverse City, Michigan
July 6-7 Johnson City, New York
July 13 Pensacola Beach, Florida
July 27-28 Fargo, North Dakota
August 3-4: Seattle, Washington
August 10-11: Colorado Springs, Colorado
August 17-18: Chicago, Illinois
August 24-25: Wichita, Kansas City
August 31: Cleveland, Ohio
September 1-2: Cleveland, Ohio
September 14-15: Owensboro, Kentucky
September 21-22: Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia
September 28-29: Naval Air Station Miramar, California
October 12-13 San Francisco, California
October 19-20 Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida
October 26-27 Houston, Texas
November 2-3, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida

What to bring to the Cherry Point Air Show

Cameras, video cameras, camera bags and tripods – Only small camera bags are allowed and searches will be conducted. You may also need to turn your camera off and on again to verify its authenticity.
Pagers and cell phones
Medicines – The organizers ask that you inform us in advance if you have a medical condition that requires you to carry a needle.
Wagons
Diaper bags, strollers, wheelchairs and garden chairs

What you can’t bring to the Cherry Point Air Show

Containers – This includes coolers, picnic bags, Ruc bags, backpacks, duffel bags or briefcases
Drones/UAS
Firearms and other weapons
Food
Pets
Transmitters or walkie-talkies
Walking sticks – Sticks and other walking aids are permitted.
Beach umbrellas
Pop-up tents
Balloons
Misuse
Skateboarding
Scooters
Any type of skating