Blue Angels Commander Steps Down
#11
trying to get on...
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Civilian here...
....I had no idea the Navy was that unforgiving for 1 mistake, even a safety mistake. To have a whole career ruined by just one mistake seems over the top to me. To invest so much in the man and then just take it away from him after serving all these years seems unjust. The pressure to perform at 100% all the time must take SO much out of you I don't know how you do it. My hats off to you guys.
....I had no idea the Navy was that unforgiving for 1 mistake, even a safety mistake. To have a whole career ruined by just one mistake seems over the top to me. To invest so much in the man and then just take it away from him after serving all these years seems unjust. The pressure to perform at 100% all the time must take SO much out of you I don't know how you do it. My hats off to you guys.
Little know fact, a long while back a young junior naval surface officer ran his ship aground. His nav charts were old and incomplete. The junior officer admitted his mistake and was ready to accept any and all repercussions even though he wasn't at the helm at the time. The convening board wisely gave the officer a second chance. The junior officer took the reprieve and ran with it all the way to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet. His name was Chester Nimitz and the Navy has changed a lot since then.
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#12
Bracing for Fallacies
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Little know fact, a long while back a young junior naval surface officer ran his ship aground. His nav charts were old and incomplete. The junior officer admitted his mistake and was ready to accept any and all repercussions even though he wasn't at the helm at the time. The convening board wisely gave the officer a second chance. The junior officer took the reprieve and ran with it all the way to the rank of Admiral of the Fleet. His name was Chester Nimitz and the Navy has changed a lot since then.
Too bad for the CO. I don't think the outcome needed to be a resignation in this case.
#13
Gets Weekends Off
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From his own words, sounds like it was more than just one day:
"This maneuver, combined with other instances of not meeting the airborne standard that makes the Blue Angels the exceptional organization that it is, led to my decision to step down."
#14
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Rickair7777,
Congratulations, your post aggravated me to the point of registering on APC to reply.
As a Military Officer and Aviator, I can say what Blue Angel One did by stepping down was above and beyond. The intestinal fortitude for a TACAIR Blue Angel Commander to step down is truly admirable. Unlike the Thunderbird commander many years ago who led his entire team right into the deck, Blue Angel 1 is doing the right thing, and no doubt he probably hasn't slept a wink this week.
A senior Hornet pilot with an impressive resume cannot EVEN compare to the other CO firings this year...all for gross misconduct. BA1 had a bad day in the cockpit and is giving up his command because of it. I'm certain we've all had maneuvers in the air that we wish we could take back.
So, like USMCflyer I'll salute BA1 smartly and learn from his mistakes and leadership.
That is all, Thank You.
Congratulations, your post aggravated me to the point of registering on APC to reply.
As a Military Officer and Aviator, I can say what Blue Angel One did by stepping down was above and beyond. The intestinal fortitude for a TACAIR Blue Angel Commander to step down is truly admirable. Unlike the Thunderbird commander many years ago who led his entire team right into the deck, Blue Angel 1 is doing the right thing, and no doubt he probably hasn't slept a wink this week.
A senior Hornet pilot with an impressive resume cannot EVEN compare to the other CO firings this year...all for gross misconduct. BA1 had a bad day in the cockpit and is giving up his command because of it. I'm certain we've all had maneuvers in the air that we wish we could take back.
So, like USMCflyer I'll salute BA1 smartly and learn from his mistakes and leadership.
That is all, Thank You.
I am assuming (with no way to know for sure) that this guy made an honest momentary mistake and was given the opportunity to resign rather than be fired. Or maybe the violation would have resulted in one of his pilots getting canned if they had done it, and he felt the need to step down to preserve the integrity of the system by which those guys have to live...that would be refreshing.
CO's are caught between top leadership which will serve them up on a spit at the slightest political whim, and a selection process which is so fault-intolerant that the only way to squeeze through is with a big helping of luck or by being so intently focused on every minute detail of your career progression that you sacrifice your family and yourself on the altar of EP/one-of-XXX. You have to wonder how people can do that for twenty+ years and stay balanced...I think that's part of the problem in some of these cases where gross misconduct is the issue. Some of these people have lost their perspective...
#15
Gets Weekends Off
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I'm sorry to hear that 'Mongo' has been relieved, but if the safety of the team and/or the spectators has been compromised then I'm sure that he knew the hard decision had to be made. I tip my cover, thank him for his service, and wish him success in his next endeavour.
USMCFLYR
USMCFLYR
True leaders make the "Hard" decisions.
I too, thank him for his service.
#16
Banned
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Zoot,
When the Enterprise came out of extended SRV in the early '80s they went on a LONG WESTPAC cruise. The entire time they were out, the ship and crew peformed 4.0 (that means awesome in Navy lingo). They didn't lose a sailor or an aircraft. They had no major issues with either the air wing or the ship itself.
As they returned to San Francisco, the harbor pilot came out and took over the navigation of the ship back to its homeport in Alameda. Somehow, he managed to run the ship aground about a half mile from the pier.
Guess who got the blame and got booted out of the Navy...the ship's Captain.
The Navy is very unforgiving when it comes to something of this nature.
When the Enterprise came out of extended SRV in the early '80s they went on a LONG WESTPAC cruise. The entire time they were out, the ship and crew peformed 4.0 (that means awesome in Navy lingo). They didn't lose a sailor or an aircraft. They had no major issues with either the air wing or the ship itself.
As they returned to San Francisco, the harbor pilot came out and took over the navigation of the ship back to its homeport in Alameda. Somehow, he managed to run the ship aground about a half mile from the pier.
Guess who got the blame and got booted out of the Navy...the ship's Captain.
The Navy is very unforgiving when it comes to something of this nature.
#17
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Blue Angels commander steps down after subpar performance - CNN.com
CNN -- The commander of the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels stepped down Friday in the wake of a subpar performance at a Virginia air show this week. "I performed a maneuver that had an unacceptably low minimum altitude. This maneuver, combined with other instances of not meeting the airborne standard that makes the Blue Angels the exceptional organization that it is, led to my decision to step down," Cmdr. Dave Koss said in a statement, referring to the Lynchburg, Virginia, Regional Airshow.
He will be replaced by Capt. Greg McWherter, who was the flight demonstration team's previous commander.
Air shows have been in the spotlight recently because of concerns over safety.
Blue Angels commander steps down
RELATED TOPICS
A pilot performing stunts in an east Florida air show in March died in a fiery crash when the Russian military plane he was flying in broke formation and fell to the ground.
Also in March, engine trouble at an air show in Texas caused a plane to plummet, leaving a white trail behind as it dove toward a wooded area. The two stunt pilots onboard survived.
The Blue Angels have canceled performances at the Rockford, Illinois, Airfest June 4-5 and the Evansville, Indiana, Freedom Festival Air Show June 11-12 because of the shakeup in leadership.
CNN -- The commander of the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels stepped down Friday in the wake of a subpar performance at a Virginia air show this week. "I performed a maneuver that had an unacceptably low minimum altitude. This maneuver, combined with other instances of not meeting the airborne standard that makes the Blue Angels the exceptional organization that it is, led to my decision to step down," Cmdr. Dave Koss said in a statement, referring to the Lynchburg, Virginia, Regional Airshow.
He will be replaced by Capt. Greg McWherter, who was the flight demonstration team's previous commander.
Air shows have been in the spotlight recently because of concerns over safety.
![](http://www.cnn.com/video/us/2011/05/27/vosot.blue.angels.wset.640x360.jpg)
RELATED TOPICS
A pilot performing stunts in an east Florida air show in March died in a fiery crash when the Russian military plane he was flying in broke formation and fell to the ground.
Also in March, engine trouble at an air show in Texas caused a plane to plummet, leaving a white trail behind as it dove toward a wooded area. The two stunt pilots onboard survived.
The Blue Angels have canceled performances at the Rockford, Illinois, Airfest June 4-5 and the Evansville, Indiana, Freedom Festival Air Show June 11-12 because of the shakeup in leadership.
#18
Line Holder
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Truly honorable in the day of CEOs who line their pockets and prepare their golden parachutes before they even begin to lead.
When was the last time a CEO stepped down of their own accord when a company falters?
I'll take him over any high priced MBA to run my company!
When was the last time a CEO stepped down of their own accord when a company falters?
I'll take him over any high priced MBA to run my company!
#19
Line Holder
Joined APC: Oct 2010
Posts: 37
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Civilian here...
....I had no idea the Navy was that unforgiving for 1 mistake, even a safety mistake. To have a whole career ruined by just one mistake seems over the top to me. To invest so much in the man and then just take it away from him after serving all these years seems unjust. The pressure to perform at 100% all the time must take SO much out of you I don't know how you do it. My hats off to you guys.
....I had no idea the Navy was that unforgiving for 1 mistake, even a safety mistake. To have a whole career ruined by just one mistake seems over the top to me. To invest so much in the man and then just take it away from him after serving all these years seems unjust. The pressure to perform at 100% all the time must take SO much out of you I don't know how you do it. My hats off to you guys.
It's not just the Navy, big blue has killed the careers of many great pilots/officers/enlisted for one mistake, a mistake that they owned up to and admitted vs. dodging and trying to pawn off on someone else.
Sledy
#20
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Rickair,
The selection process for the BOSS is not the same as squadron command or even bonus command for that matter. It's NOT a BUPERS process. The BOSS selection is vetted with the team during the rush process and by a panel of former Blue Angel CO's and ultimately CNATRA.
In this case I would caution the crowd to judge Mongo for anything other than being a solid Officer who made a very difficult, but right decision. For any one of us to comment further on this particular situation without ever having worn a blue suit or flown a blue jet is just not right.
BDGERJMN
Last edited by BDGERJMN; 05-29-2011 at 09:38 AM. Reason: typo
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