Improper relationship alleged for ousted Angels - Air Force News, news from Iraq - Air Force Times
Improper relationship alleged for ousted Angels
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Oct 31, 2008 12:08:51 EDT
NORFOLK, Va. — Two members of the Blue Angels, the Navy’s Flight Demonstration Squadron, have been “removed from duties” on the team due to an alleged inappropriate relationship, a Navy official said Thursday.
The two members of the squadron — one of them an aviator — were pulled from their duties by commanding officer and flight leader Capt. Kevin Mannix on Sunday, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity since he was discussing a personnel matter. The names of the people involved were not released.
“The team members are alleged to have had an inappropriate relationship,” the official said.
The official said the two have been removed from duties “pending further review” of the matter by Rear Adm. Mark Guadagnini, chief of naval air training.
Marine Capt. Tyson Dunkelberger, Blue Angels spokesman, said the two are “still administratively attached to the squadron but currently not traveling with the team.”
Dunkelberger said, “It was a male and female. Keep in mind there are 133 members on the team.”
For the remainder of the season, the team will be flying five jets during its shows rather than the standard six, the official added.
According to the Blue Angels’ Web site, the team does not maintain a “spare” pilot who could fill in when another member can’t fly.
“With the number of practice hours required to safely fly a demonstration a spare pilot could not be utilized effectively. Each pilot must complete 120 training flights during winter training in order to perform a public demonstration safely,” the Web site states. “The teamwork required for the high speed, low-altitude flying in the tight Blue Angel formation takes hundreds of hours to develop. A substitute pilot would not have enough time in the formation to do this safely.”
The season ends Nov. 15 after shows in San Antonio, the Kennedy Space Center and Pensacola, Fla.