Navy’s Blue Angels Coming to Minnesota, Nebraska This Summer

There will be thunder in the skies over two Midwest towns this summer, but you won't be able to blame it on the weather.

The United States Navy's elite acrobatic squad, the Blue Angels, are bringing two shows to the area, with stops in Minnesota and Nebraska.

The Minnesota appearance comes July 15-16 at the Duluth Air and Aviation Expo. The next month in Nebraska, the Blue Angels will take part in the Guardians of Freedom Air Show, August 26-27.

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The Duluth and Lincoln shows will be a homecoming for two of the Blue Angels' pilots.

Lieutenant Amanda Lee is a native of Mounds View, Minnesota. She graduated from Irondale High School and later attended the University of Minnesota, Duluth.

Captain Jackson Streiff is a native of Omaha. He graduated from Millard South High School and later the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

The Blue Angels have come a long way since they were first established nearly 80 years ago.

In 1946, in the aftermath of World War II, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, the U.S. Navy’s Chief of Naval Operations, ordered the establishment of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels. the first performance was later that year, June 15, at Craig Field in Jacksonville, Florida.

Today, the pilots fly F/A–18 Super Hornet fighter jets at speeds of 700 miles per hour, with their wingtips separated by just 18 inches at times.