Blue Angels Announce 2010 Team Members

Blue Angels Announce 2010 Team MembersPensacola, FL – September 2009 – The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, The Blue Angels, announce the officers selected for the 2010 team. The squadron selected three F/A-18 Hornet pilots, a C-130 pilot, maintenance officer, and a supply officer to join the team in September. Additionally, the team selected a public affairs officer to join the 2011 team. “Nearly 50 highly qualified officers applied for these jobs, so the competition was extremely tough,” said Lt. Cmdr. Paul Brantuas, the squadron’s applications officer. “Over the course of four months, we invite them to attend our shows so the team can get to know each of them personally before we select the finalists. Once selected, we bring the finalists down to Pensacola during the Pensacola Beach show to interview them and make a final selection. It’s a very thorough and fair process designed to select only the best officers to represent the Navy and Marine Corps.” F/A-18 Hornet Pilots: Navy Lt. Robert Kurrle, Jr., 30, of Statesville, N.C., is currently assigned to VFA-106 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. He is a 2002 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Navy Lt. Christian Simonsen, 33, of Coon Rapids, Minn., is currently assigned to VFA-106 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. He is a 2002 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. Navy Lt. James Tomaszeski, 30, of Coronado, Calif., is currently assigned to VMFAT-101 at Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar, Calif. He is a 2000 graduate of Florida State University. C-130 Aircraft Commander: Marine Capt. Benjamin Blanton, 31, of Ojai, Calif., is currently assigned to VMGR-452 at Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, N.Y. He is a 2002 graduate of the University of California at San Diego. Maintenance Officer: Navy Lt. John Thompson, 44, of Baltimore, Md., is currently assigned to NAVAIR 5.0D, Patuxent River, Md. He is a 1982 graduate of Dundalk Senior High School, Baltimore, Md. Public Affairs Officer: Navy Lt. Katie Kelly, 27, of Elgin, Ill., is currently assigned to Navy Office of Information West. She is a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. She will join the team in 2011. Supply Officer: Navy Chief Warrant Officer Three Clive Dixon, 40, of Bronx, N.Y., is currently assigned to HM-14 at Norfolk, Va. He is a 1987 graduate of DeWitt Clinton High School, Bronx, N.Y. Six of these seven officers will join the current ten members of the 2009 team. Expected to return for 2010 are: F/A-18 Demonstration Pilots: Navy Cmdr. Greg McWherter, 40, of Atlanta, Ga. Marine Maj. Chris Collins, 34, of Darien, Conn. Navy Lt. Frank J. Weisser, III, 31, of Atlanta, Ga. Navy Lt. Ben Walborn, 29, of Reading, Pa. Events Officer: Navy Lt. Amy Tomlinson, 31, of San Diego, Ca. C-130 Aircraft Commanders: Marine Maj. Brendan C. Burks, 35, of Auburn, Ala. Marine Capt. Edward Jorge, 33, of Hollywood, Fla. Flight Surgeon: Navy Lt. Johannah Valentine, 30, of Brooklyn, N.Y. Administrative Officer: Navy Chief Warrant Officer Four Adolfo De Montalvo, 45, of El Paso, Texas. Public Affairs Officer: Marine Capt. Tyson W. Dunkelberger, 31, of Burke, Va. Remainder of the Blue Angels 2009 schedule: [September] Sept. 19-20: Reno Air Races, Nevada Sept. 26-27: Redding, California [October] Oct. 2-4: MCAS Miramar, San Diego, CA Oct. 10-11 San Francisco, CA Oct. 17-18 NAS Oceana, VA Oct. 24-25 Fort Worth, TX Oct. 31: Houston, TX [November] Nov. 1: Houston, TX Nov. 7-8: Jacksonville Beach, FL Nov. 13-14: NAS Pensacola, FL Although the above dates have been approved, they are subject to change. For the most current schedule information, log on to www.blueangels.navy.mil. Contact: Blue Angels Public Affairs 850-452-2583 History of the Blue Angels At the end of World War II, Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team to showcase naval aviation. The team performed its first flight demonstration less than a year later, June 1946. Flight Leader, Lt. Cmdr. Roy "Butch" Voris led the team flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat at Craig Field, Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville, Florida. The Navy Flight Demonstration Team transitioned to the Grumman F8F Bearcat, August 25, two months after the first demonstration. In 1947 Flight Leader, Lt. Cmdr. Robert Clarke, introduced the famous diamond formation, now considered the Blue Angel trademark. At the end of the 1940s, the Blue Angel Team was flying its first jet aircraft, the Grumman F9F-2 Panther. In 1950, the Korean Conflict put a great demand on naval aviation. The Navy responded by reassigning the Blue Angels to the aircraft carrier USS Princeton (CV-37), where the Blue Angels became the nucleus of Fighter Squadron 191 (VF-191), known as Satan's Kittens. The Blues were reorganized in 1951 and reported to NAS Corpus Christi, Texas where the team began flying the F9F-5, the faster version of the Panther. The team remained in Corpus Christi until the winter of 1954. The beginning of 1955 brought the team to its present home, Sherman Field, NAS Pensacola, Florida where it transitioned to flying the swept-wing Grumman F9F-8 Cougar. The ensuing 20 years saw the Blue Angels transition into two more aircraft. In 1957 the team began flying the Grumman F11F-1 Tiger. By 1969 the team was performing in its first dual-engine jet, the McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II. In December 1974, the Blue Angel Team reorganized as the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron establishing Cmdr. Tony Less as the commanding officer. The squadron added support officers and redefined its mission to support Navy recruiting. The Blue Angel Squadron also donned a new aircraft in 1974, the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II. On November 8, 1986, the Blue Angels completed their 40th anniversary. During the ceremony the squadron unveiled its present aircraft, the sleek McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F/A-18 Hornet. The Hornet is the first dual-role fighter/attack aircraft serving on the nation's front lines of defense. In 1992 the Blue Angel Squadron deployed for its first European tour in 19 years. Over one million people in Sweden, Finland, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, the United Kingdom and Spain saw the Blue Angels perform during their 30-day tour. In November 1998, Cmdr. Patrick Driscoll landed the first "blue Jet" on a "haze gray and underway" aircraft carrier, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75).