{"id":28617380,"date":"2026-10-18T21:21:26","date_gmt":"2026-10-18T19:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-10-18T21:21:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-18T19:21:43","slug":"blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color .15s}\r\n.mfsh-trigger:hover,.mfsh-trigger:focus-visible{background:#0F1720;color:#fff;outline:none}\r\n.mfsh-trigger svg{width:18px;height:18px;display:block;flex-shrink:0}\r\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-bottom{margin:8px 0 28px}\r\n.mfsh-meta{position:relative;padding-right:190px}\r\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta{position:absolute;right:0;bottom:0;margin:0;height:30px;padding:0 8.9px;font-size:13px}\r\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta svg{width:16px;height:16px}\r\n.mfsh-overlay{position:fixed;inset:0;background:rgba(15,23,32,.55);z-index:99999;display:flex;align-items:flex-end;justify-content:center;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s}\r\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open{opacity:1;pointer-events:auto}\r\n.mfsh-sheet{width:100%;max-width:520px;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;padding:18px 20px 28px;transform:translateY(24px);transition:transform .22s;box-shadow:0 12px 32px rgba(15,23,32,.25);font-family:inherit;max-height:92vh;overflow:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch}\r\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open .mfsh-sheet{transform:none}\r\n@media (min-width:640px){.mfsh-overlay{align-items:center}.mfsh-sheet{padding-bottom:20px}}\r\n.mfsh-head{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;margin:0 0 14px}\r\n.mfsh-head strong{font-size:18px;font-weight:800;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;line-height:1}\r\n.mfsh-head strong svg{width:18px;height:18px}\r\n.mfsh-close{background:none;border:0;padding:6px;margin:0;cursor:pointer;color:#0F1720;line-height:0;box-shadow:none}\r\n.mfsh-close svg{width:18px;height:18px}\r\n.mfsh-preview{display:grid;grid-template-columns:96px 1fr;gap:12px;border:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:#F5F7FB;padding:10px;margin:0 0 12px;align-items:center}\r\n.mfsh-preview img{width:96px;height:72px;object-fit:cover;display:block;margin:0}\r\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-kicker{font-size:10px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5C91FF;margin:0 0 4px;line-height:1.2}\r\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-title{font-size:14px;line-height:1.3;font-weight:700;margin:0;display:block}\r\n.mfsh-list{display:grid;margin:0;padding:0}\r\n.mfsh-item{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:14px;height:50px;width:100%;border:0;border-top:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:none;padding:0 4px;margin:0;text-align:left;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;color:#0F1720;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;line-height:1}\r\n.mfsh-item:hover,.mfsh-item:focus-visible{background:#F5F7FB;outline:none}\r\n.mfsh-item svg{width:20px;height:20px;color:#5C91FF;flex-shrink:0;display:block}\r\n.mfsh-item small{margin-left:auto;color:#5B6674;font-weight:500;font-size:12px}\r\n.mfsh-item.mfsh-done svg{color:#1E9E5A}\r\n.mfsh-toast{position:fixed;left:50%;bottom:32px;transform:translate(-50%,10px);background:#0F1720;color:#fff;padding:10px 16px;font-weight:700;font-size:13px;font-family:inherit;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s,transform .2s;z-index:100000}\r\n.mfsh-toast.mfsh-show{opacity:1;transform:translate(-50%,0)}\r\n@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.mfsh-overlay,.mfsh-sheet,.mfsh-toast,.mfsh-trigger{transition:none}}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<svg width=\"0\" height=\"0\" style=\"position:absolute\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-share\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M12 3v12M8 7l4-4 4 4M5 12v8h14v-8\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-close\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"m5 5 14 14M19 5 5 19\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-wa\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 2a10 10 0 0 0-8.6 15.1L2 22l5.1-1.3A10 10 0 1 0 12 2Zm0 1.8a8.2 8.2 0 1 1-4.2 15.3l-.3-.2-3 .8.8-2.9-.2-.3A8.2 8.2 0 0 1 12 3.8Zm-3 4.4c-.2 0-.5 0-.8.4-.3.3-1 1-1 2.4s1 2.8 1.2 3c.1.2 2 3.2 5 4.4 2.5 1 3 .8 3.5.7.5 0 1.7-.7 2-1.4.2-.7.2-1.3.1-1.4l-.5-.3-2-1c-.3 0-.5-.1-.7.2l-.9 1.1c-.2.2-.3.2-.6.1-.3-.2-1.3-.5-2.4-1.5-.9-.8-1.5-1.8-1.7-2-.2-.4 0-.5.2-.7l.4-.5.3-.5v-.5l-.9-2.2c-.2-.5-.4-.5-.6-.5H9Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-x\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M17.8 3h3l-6.7 7.7L22 21h-6.2l-4.8-6.3L5.4 21h-3l7.2-8.2L2 3h6.3l4.4 5.8L17.8 3Zm-1.1 16.2h1.7L7.4 4.7H5.6l11.1 14.5Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-fb\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M13.5 22v-8h2.7l.4-3.2h-3.1V8.8c0-.9.3-1.6 1.6-1.6h1.7V4.4c-.3 0-1.3-.1-2.5-.1-2.5 0-4.1 1.5-4.1 4.2v2.3H7.4V14h2.8v8h3.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-li\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 8.5H3V21h3.5V8.5ZM4.8 3a2 2 0 1 0 0 4 2 2 0 0 0 0-4ZM21 13.4c0-3.4-1.8-5.2-4.5-5.2-1.6 0-2.7.8-3.2 1.7V8.5H9.9V21h3.4v-6.4c0-1.7.6-2.8 2.1-2.8 1.4 0 2 1 2 2.8V21H21v-7.6Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-rd\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M22 12.1a2.4 2.4 0 0 0-4.1-1.7 11.7 11.7 0 0 0-5.5-1.7l1-4.5 3.1.7a1.7 1.7 0 1 0 .2-1l-3.6-.8a.5.5 0 0 0-.6.4l-1.1 5.2a11.8 11.8 0 0 0-5.8 1.7A2.4 2.4 0 1 0 3 14.3v.5c0 3.4 4 6.2 9 6.2s9-2.8 9-6.2v-.5a2.4 2.4 0 0 0 1-2.2ZM7.5 13.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 3.4 0 1.7 1.7 0 0 1-3.4 0Zm8.9 4.5c-1.2 1.2-3.4 1.3-4.4 1.3s-3.3-.1-4.4-1.3a.5.5 0 0 1 .7-.7c.7.8 2.4 1 3.7 1s2.9-.2 3.7-1a.5.5 0 0 1 .7.7Zm-.6-2.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 0-3.4 1.7 1.7 0 0 1 0 3.4Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-tg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M21.9 4.6 18.7 19.9c-.2 1-.9 1.3-1.7.8l-4.9-3.6-2.3 2.3c-.3.3-.5.5-1 .5l.4-5 9-8.2c.4-.3-.1-.5-.6-.2L6.4 13.5 1.6 12c-1-.3-1.1-1 .2-1.5l18.8-7.2c.9-.3 1.6.2 1.3 1.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-mail\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"M3 6h18v12H3z\"\/><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"m3 7 9 6 9-6\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-link\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M10 14a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 0l3-3a4 4 0 0 0-5.7-5.7l-1.5 1.5M14 10a4 4 0 0 0-5.7 0l-3 3a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 5.7l1.5-1.5\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-more\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><circle cx=\"5\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"19\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n<\/svg>\r\n<span class=\"mfsh-top-slot\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger\" data-mfsh-placement=\"top\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button><\/span>\r\n<script>\r\n(function(){\r\n  if (window.__mfsh) return; window.__mfsh = true;\r\n  var SECTION = 'afterburner';\r\n  function meta(p){ var m=document.querySelector('meta[property=\"'+p+'\"]'); return m ? m.getAttribute('content') : ''; }\r\n  function pageUrl(){ var c=document.querySelector('link[rel=\"canonical\"]'); return (c && c.href) || (location.origin + location.pathname); }\r\n  function pageTitle(){ var h=document.querySelector('h1.entry-title'); return (h && h.textContent.trim()) || meta('og:title') || document.title; }\r\n  function slug(){ return location.pathname.replace(\/\\\/+$\/,'').split('\/').pop() || 'home'; }\r\n  function kicker(){ var c=document.querySelector('.et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category tag\"], .et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category\"], a[rel=\"category tag\"]'); return 'Afterburner' + (c && c.textContent.trim() ? ' \u00b7 ' + c.textContent.trim() : ''); }\r\n  function shareUrl(ch, placement){ return pageUrl() + '?utm_source=share&utm_medium=' + ch + '&utm_campaign=' + SECTION + '&utm_content=sheet_' + placement; }\r\n  function track(ch, placement, extra){\r\n    window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];\r\n    var ev = { event:'share', share_channel:ch, share_variant:'sheet', share_placement:placement, page_section:SECTION, content_id:slug() };\r\n    if (extra) for (var k in extra) ev[k]=extra[k];\r\n    window.dataLayer.push(ev);\r\n  }\r\n  var CH = [\r\n    ['whatsapp','WhatsApp','mfsh-i-wa',''],\r\n    ['x','X','mfsh-i-x',''],\r\n    ['facebook','Facebook','mfsh-i-fb',''],\r\n    ['linkedin','LinkedIn','mfsh-i-li',''],\r\n    ['reddit','Reddit','mfsh-i-rd','r\/aviation, r\/WarplanePorn'],\r\n    ['telegram','Telegram','mfsh-i-tg',''],\r\n    ['email','Email','mfsh-i-mail',''],\r\n    ['copy','Copy link','mfsh-i-link',''],\r\n    ['native','More','mfsh-i-more','Instagram, Signal, AirDrop']\r\n  ];\r\n  var overlay, toastEl, toastT, placement = 'top';\r\n  function build(){\r\n    overlay = document.createElement('div'); overlay.className = 'mfsh-overlay'; overlay.setAttribute('role','dialog'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-modal','true'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-label','Share');\r\n    var img = meta('og:image');\r\n    var items = CH.filter(function(c){ return c[0] !== 'native' || !!navigator.share; }).map(function(c){\r\n      return '<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-item\" data-mfsh-ch=\"'+c[0]+'\"><svg><use href=\"#'+c[2]+'\"\/><\/svg>'+c[1]+(c[3]?'<small>'+c[3]+'<\/small>':'')+'<\/button>';\r\n    }).join('');\r\n    overlay.innerHTML = '<div class=\"mfsh-sheet\"><div class=\"mfsh-head\"><strong><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share<\/strong><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-close\" aria-label=\"Close\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-close\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>'\r\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-preview\">' + (img ? '<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"'+img+'\" alt=\"\">' : '<span><\/span>') + '<div><div class=\"mfsh-kicker\">'+kicker()+'<\/div><span class=\"mfsh-title\">'+pageTitle()+'<\/span><\/div><\/div>'\r\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-list\">'+items+'<\/div><\/div>';\r\n    document.body.appendChild(overlay);\r\n    toastEl = document.createElement('div'); toastEl.className = 'mfsh-toast'; document.body.appendChild(toastEl);\r\n    overlay.addEventListener('click', function(e){\r\n      if (e.target === overlay || e.target.closest('.mfsh-close')) { close(); return; }\r\n      var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-item'); if (b) act(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-ch'), b);\r\n    });\r\n    document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e){ if (e.key === 'Escape') close(); });\r\n  }\r\n  function open(p){ placement = p || 'top'; if (!overlay) build(); overlay.classList.add('mfsh-open'); track('open', placement); }\r\n  function close(){ if (overlay) overlay.classList.remove('mfsh-open'); }\r\n  function toast(m){ toastEl.textContent = m; toastEl.classList.add('mfsh-show'); clearTimeout(toastT); toastT = setTimeout(function(){ toastEl.classList.remove('mfsh-show'); }, 1600); }\r\n  function act(ch, btn){\r\n    var url = shareUrl(ch, placement), t = pageTitle(), enc = encodeURIComponent;\r\n    if (ch === 'copy') {\r\n      var done = function(){ toast('Link copied'); btn.classList.add('mfsh-done'); setTimeout(function(){ btn.classList.remove('mfsh-done'); close(); }, 900); };\r\n      track(ch, placement);\r\n      if (navigator.clipboard && navigator.clipboard.writeText) navigator.clipboard.writeText(url).then(done, done); else done();\r\n      return;\r\n    }\r\n    if (ch === 'native') {\r\n      track(ch, placement, { share_result:'opened' });\r\n      navigator.share({ title:t, text:t, url:url }).then(function(){ track('native', placement, { share_result:'completed' }); close(); }).catch(function(){});\r\n      return;\r\n    }\r\n    var target = {\r\n      whatsapp: 'https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=' + enc(t + ' ' + url),\r\n      x:        'https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=' + enc(t) + '&url=' + enc(url) + '&via=MiGFlug',\r\n      facebook: 'https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=' + enc(url),\r\n      linkedin: 'https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=' + enc(url),\r\n      reddit:   'https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=' + enc(url) + '&title=' + enc(t),\r\n      telegram: 'https:\/\/t.me\/share\/url?url=' + enc(url) + '&text=' + enc(t),\r\n      email:    'mailto:?subject=' + enc(t) + '&body=' + enc('Thought you would like this, from Afterburner, MiGFlug\\'s magazine:\\n' + t + '\\n' + url)\r\n    }[ch];\r\n    track(ch, placement);\r\n    if (target) { if (ch === 'email') location.href = target; else window.open(target, '_blank', 'noopener,width=680,height=560'); }\r\n    close();\r\n  }\r\n  var mq = window.matchMedia('(min-width:981px)');\r\n  function place(){\r\n    var t = document.querySelector('.mfsh-trigger[data-mfsh-placement=\"top\"]'), slot = document.querySelector('.mfsh-top-slot');\r\n    var meta = [].slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('.et_pb_title_meta_container, .et_post_meta_wrapper .post-meta, .single .post-meta')).filter(function(m){ return m.offsetParent !== null; })[0];\r\n    if (!t || !slot) return;\r\n    if (meta && mq.matches) { meta.classList.add('mfsh-meta'); t.classList.add('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== meta) meta.appendChild(t); var a = meta.querySelector('a'); if (a) { var pr = document.createElement('span'); pr.style.cssText = 'display:inline-block;width:0;height:0;vertical-align:baseline'; a.appendChild(pr); var base = pr.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; pr.remove(); var fs = parseFloat(getComputedStyle(a).fontSize) || 14, mb = meta.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; t.style.bottom = Math.max(0, mb - (base + fs * 0.12)) + 'px'; } }\r\n    else { t.classList.remove('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== slot) slot.appendChild(t); }\r\n  }\r\n  if (document.readyState === 'loading') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', place); else place(); window.addEventListener('load', place); if (document.fonts && document.fonts.ready) document.fonts.ready.then(place); window.addEventListener('resize', place);\r\n  if (mq.addEventListener) mq.addEventListener('change', place); else mq.addListener(place);\r\n  document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-trigger'); if (b) { e.preventDefault(); open(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-placement') || 'top'); } });\r\n})();\r\n<\/script><!-- \/mfsh:top -->\r\n<p>Some fans set alarms for 3:30 a.m. Others crawled through three hours of traffic and then parked on the roadside, hoping the tow trucks had the weekend off. By just after 1 p.m. on Saturday, Naval Air Station Jacksonville announced it was full.<\/p>\r\n<p>The draw was a double bill that almost never happens: the US Navy <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/display-teams\/blue-angels\/\">Blue Angels<\/a> and the US Air Force <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/display-teams\/thunderbirds\/\">Thunderbirds<\/a> at the same show, on the weekend of 17 and 18 October 2026. For the Blue Angels, flying their 80th anniversary season, it was also a homecoming to the base where the team began.<\/p>\r\n<p>Action News Jax reported that more than 200,000 spectators packed the station on Saturday. Admission was free. Finding somewhere to leave the car was another matter.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Event:<\/strong> NAS Jacksonville Air Show, 17 and 18 October 2026, free admission and parking<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Headliners:<\/strong> US Navy Blue Angels (80th anniversary season) and US Air Force Thunderbirds<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>First:<\/strong> The Thunderbirds' first appearance at the NAS Jax show, and the first time both teams have flown it together<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Crowd:<\/strong> More than 200,000 on Saturday, according to Action News Jax; the base declared full capacity just after 1 p.m.<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Forecast:<\/strong> About 200,000 expected (NAS Jax, via News4JAX); about 250,000 (organizers, via Action News Jax)<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Backstory:<\/strong> The Blue Angels missed Jacksonville in October 2025, when the government shutdown grounded them for the Sea and Sky Air Show<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The base where the Blue Angels began<\/h2>\r\n<p>In 1946, Admiral Chester Nimitz ordered the Navy to form a flight demonstration team to keep the public interested in naval aviation. According to the Blue Angels' official history, NAS Jacksonville was the team's first home, and the first demonstration was flown in Jacksonville on 15 June 1946, led by Lt. Cmdr. Roy \"Butch\" Voris in <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f6f-hellcat\/\">Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats<\/a>. Wikipedia and the Jacksonville Historical Society place that first show at the city's Craig Field.<\/p>\r\n<p>The team only became the \"Blue Angels\" a month later, at a show in Omaha. It moved on to Corpus Christi and settled at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/pensacola\/\">NAS Pensacola<\/a> in 1954, where it is still based. Jacksonville never let go of the connection, and the team does not seem to want it to either.<\/p>\r\n<p>\"We're actually founded here in Jacksonville, so this is a big homecoming for us,\" Lt. Cmdr. Lilly Montana, Blue Angel No. 8, told Action News Jax when the 2026 show was announced last December.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/blue-angels-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2008.jpg\" alt=\"US Navy Blue Angels F\/A-18 Hornets lined up with ground crew at the NAS Jacksonville Air Show in 2008\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The Blue Angels prepare for take-off at the NAS Jacksonville Air Show in 2008, when the team still flew the original F\/A-18 Hornet. It has flown the Super Hornet since 2021. Photo: Jonathan Zander (Digon3) \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Two teams, one show, one rare weekend<\/h2>\r\n<p>How unusual is it? When both teams were booked for Thunder Over Michigan in 2021, Stars and Stripes, carrying a Tribune News Service report, wrote that the double act was so rare the Pentagon had to approve it. The show's director explained the reason was fairness between the teams' schedules.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Normally it would never happen.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Kevin Walsh<\/strong> &mdash; Executive Director, Thunder Over Michigan, 2021, as reported by Stars and Stripes<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>It has happened a few more times since. Dover Air Force Base hosted both teams in May 2022, and at Point Mugu in March 2023 the announcers told the crowd it was only the third time ever, according to General Aviation News. Either way, two jet teams on one programme is still a rare enough booking that Jacksonville media called this one historic. For NAS Jax, it was the Thunderbirds' first visit to the show at all.<\/p>\r\n<p>The two acts are not interchangeable, and the pilots like to say so. The Blue Angels fly six <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/fa-18-super-hornet\/\">F\/A-18 Super Hornets<\/a>; the Thunderbirds, based at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/nellis\/\">Nellis Air Force Base<\/a>, fly the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-16-fighting-falcon\/\">F-16 Fighting Falcon<\/a>. Maj. Scott Laux, Blue Angel No. 6, told Action News Jax that the Super Hornet is a little better at slow-speed handling, so the Navy's maneuvers are a little slower and tighter in front of the crowd.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sdNR5TmW5YA\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic\">News4JAX coverage of Saturday at the 2026 NAS Jacksonville Air Show, as thousands watched the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Full capacity, and three hours of brake lights<\/h2>\r\n<p>The organizers had warned everyone. Gates opened at 9 a.m., flying began at 11, and the Blue Angels closed both days at 3 p.m. Every visitor had to come through a single public entrance, the Allegheny Gate, and the base said it could take up to two hours just to empty the car parks onto U.S. 17 afterwards.<\/p>\r\n<p>It was not enough. News4JAX reported long backups on Roosevelt Boulevard and lots that filled early, leaving latecomers parked wherever they could. Spectator Drake Buchanan summed up the day for the station in two sentences.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Traffic was terrible. It was like three hours of traffic and then the lots were full.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Drake Buchanan<\/strong> &mdash; spectator, speaking to News4JAX, 17 October 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Asked whether the show was worth the ordeal, he said yes, quickly. Others agreed. \"Getting to hear the roar of the engine is just an awesome feeling,\" spectator Zachary Phipps told Action News Jax.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">After a lost year, a full house<\/h2>\r\n<p>The crowds have a backstory. In October 2025 the federal government shutdown kept the Blue Angels away from the city's Sea and Sky Air Show at Jacksonville Beach, and civilian acts flew in their place. This year the team made up for it on its own former doorstep, with the Air Force along for the ride.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SL2bZDwDRvY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic\">Action News Jax report from the first practice day, with Blue Angels and Thunderbirds crews explaining how the two teams differ.<\/p>\r\n<p>The supporting cast was not small either: the US Air Force C-17 East Coast Demo Team with its <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/c-17-globemaster-iii\/\">C-17 Globemaster III<\/a>, Skip Stewart, Matt Younkin, Redline Airshows and more. The Blue Angels' own C-130J, Fat Albert, gets a story of its own on Afterburner.<\/p>\r\n<p>The people who keep the jets flying were clear about why they do it.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;We want the generation that is coming after us to feel like anything they put their mind into, they can accomplish it.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Lt. Cmdr. Natalia Luchetti<\/strong> &mdash; Blue Angels maintenance crew, to Action News Jax, October 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Two hundred thousand people and one public gate is a lot of inspiration to process. But eighty years after a handful of Hellcats first flew for the public in Jacksonville, the Blue Angels came home to a city that turned up before dawn to see them. Next time, Jacksonville, leave at 3:30.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Sources: Action News Jax, News4JAX, WOKV, Jacksonville Today, Stars and Stripes (Tribune News Service), Cape Gazette, General Aviation News, Blue Angels official history (blueangels.navy.mil), Wikipedia (Blue Angels; Naval Air Station Jacksonville)<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>When was the 2026 NAS Jacksonville Air Show?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The NAS Jacksonville Air Show took place on 17 and 18 October 2026 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida. Admission and parking were free. Gates opened at 9 a.m., flying began at 11 a.m., and the US Navy Blue Angels closed the show at 3 p.m. on both days, with the US Air Force Thunderbirds also performing.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many people attended the NAS Jacksonville Air Show 2026?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Action News Jax reported that more than 200,000 spectators packed NAS Jacksonville on Saturday, 17 October 2026, and the base announced it had reached full capacity just after 1 p.m. Before the show, NAS Jax expected about 200,000 visitors, while organizers quoted by Action News Jax expected about 250,000. No final official two-day total had been published.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How rare is it for the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds to perform at the same air show?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Very rare. When both teams flew Thunder Over Michigan in 2021, Stars and Stripes reported the pairing was so rare the Pentagon had to approve it, and the show's director said normally it would never happen. Dover hosted both in 2022, and announcers at Point Mugu in 2023 called it only the third time ever.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Were the Blue Angels founded in Jacksonville?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. According to the Blue Angels' official history, NAS Jacksonville was the team's first home base in 1946, and its first demonstration was flown in Jacksonville on 15 June 1946 in Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats, led by Lt. Cmdr. Roy Butch Voris. Some sources place that first show at Jacksonville's Craig Field. The team is now based at NAS Pensacola.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did the Blue Angels miss Jacksonville in 2025?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Blue Angels did not perform at the Sea and Sky Air Show at Jacksonville Beach in October 2025 because of the federal government shutdown, which was then entering its fourth week. City officials kept the show going with civilian performers. The team returned to the area for the NAS Jacksonville Air Show in October 2026, its 80th anniversary season.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What aircraft do the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The US Navy Blue Angels fly the Boeing F\/A-18 Super Hornet, which they have used since 2021, supported by a C-130J transport nicknamed Fat Albert. The US Air Force Thunderbirds, based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Blue Angels pilots say the Super Hornet's slow-speed handling lets them fly tighter in front of the crowd.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When was the 2026 NAS Jacksonville Air Show?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The NAS Jacksonville Air Show took place on 17 and 18 October 2026 at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida. Admission and parking were free. Gates opened at 9 a.m., flying began at 11 a.m., and the US Navy Blue Angels closed the show at 3 p.m. on both days, with the US Air Force Thunderbirds also performing.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many people attended the NAS Jacksonville Air Show 2026?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Action News Jax reported that more than 200,000 spectators packed NAS Jacksonville on Saturday, 17 October 2026, and the base announced it had reached full capacity just after 1 p.m. Before the show, NAS Jax expected about 200,000 visitors, while organizers quoted by Action News Jax expected about 250,000. No final official two-day total had been published.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How rare is it for the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds to perform at the same air show?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Very rare. When both teams flew Thunder Over Michigan in 2021, Stars and Stripes reported the pairing was so rare the Pentagon had to approve it, and the show's director said normally it would never happen. Dover hosted both in 2022, and announcers at Point Mugu in 2023 called it only the third time ever.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Were the Blue Angels founded in Jacksonville?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. According to the Blue Angels' official history, NAS Jacksonville was the team's first home base in 1946, and its first demonstration was flown in Jacksonville on 15 June 1946 in Grumman F6F-5 Hellcats, led by Lt. Cmdr. Roy Butch Voris. Some sources place that first show at Jacksonville's Craig Field. The team is now based at NAS Pensacola.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did the Blue Angels miss Jacksonville in 2025?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Blue Angels did not perform at the Sea and Sky Air Show at Jacksonville Beach in October 2025 because of the federal government shutdown, which was then entering its fourth week. City officials kept the show going with civilian performers. The team returned to the area for the NAS Jacksonville Air Show in October 2026, its 80th anniversary season.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What aircraft do the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds fly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The US Navy Blue Angels fly the Boeing F\/A-18 Super Hornet, which they have used since 2021, supported by a C-130J transport nicknamed Fat Albert. The US Air Force Thunderbirds, based at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Blue Angels pilots say the Super Hornet's slow-speed handling lets them fly tighter in front of the crowd.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/nas-oceana-air-show-2026-blue-angels-80th-anniversary\/\">NAS Oceana Air Show: The Blue Angels Close Their 80th Year<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/airshow-smoke-explained-red-arrows-blue-angels-frecce-tricolori-smoke-oil\/\">Airshow Smoke Explained: How the Red Arrows and Blue Angels Do It<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/thunderbirds-f-16-crash-report-turned-vane-f100-engine-2026\/\">Thunderbird F-16 Crash: A Vane Nobody Could Inspect<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/thunderbirds-america-250-largest-military-flyover-july-4-2026\/\">Thunderbirds Ready for Largest Military Flyover in History<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story Some fans set alarms for 3:30 a.m. Others crawled through three hours of traffic and then parked on the roadside, hoping the tow trucks had the weekend off. By just after 1 p.m. on Saturday, Naval Air Station Jacksonville announced it was full. The draw was a double bill that almost never [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":28617352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28617380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Jacksonville: a rare double bill drew over 200,000 to NAS Jax, filled the base by 1 p.m. and left fans in three-hour traffic.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"it_IT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Jacksonville: a rare double bill drew over 200,000 to NAS Jax, filled the base by 1 p.m. and left fans in three-hour traffic.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-18T19:21:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-18T19:21:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Joseph Duncan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85\"},\"headline\":\"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-18T19:21:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-18T19:21:43+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1548,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Military Aviation\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-18T19:21:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-18T19:21:43+00:00\",\"description\":\"Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Jacksonville: a rare double bill drew over 200,000 to NAS Jax, filled the base by 1 p.m. and left fans in three-hour traffic.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853,\"caption\":\"Six Blue Angels F\\\/A-18 Super Hornets and six Thunderbirds F-16s flying together in a joint Super Delta formation with smoke\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85\",\"name\":\"Joseph Duncan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Joseph Duncan\"},\"description\":\"Joseph Duncan covers breaking defence news \u2014 fast, sharp dispatches on the Pentagon, procurement and the world\u2019s air forces.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/author\\\/josephduncan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville | MiGFlug","description":"Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Jacksonville: a rare double bill drew over 200,000 to NAS Jax, filled the base by 1 p.m. and left fans in three-hour traffic.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/","og_locale":"it_IT","og_type":"article","og_title":"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville | MiGFlug","og_description":"Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Jacksonville: a rare double bill drew over 200,000 to NAS Jax, filled the base by 1 p.m. and left fans in three-hour traffic.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-10-18T19:21:26+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-18T19:21:43+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":853,"url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Joseph Duncan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Joseph Duncan","Est. reading time":"10 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Joseph Duncan","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85"},"headline":"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville","datePublished":"2026-10-18T19:21:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-18T19:21:43+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/"},"wordCount":1548,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg","articleSection":["Military Aviation","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/","name":"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg","datePublished":"2026-10-18T19:21:26+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-18T19:21:43+00:00","description":"Blue Angels, Thunderbirds, Jacksonville: a rare double bill drew over 200,000 to NAS Jax, filled the base by 1 p.m. and left fans in three-hour traffic.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-super-delta-formation.jpg","width":1280,"height":853,"caption":"Six Blue Angels F\/A-18 Super Hornets and six Thunderbirds F-16s flying together in a joint Super Delta formation with smoke"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blue-angels-thunderbirds-nas-jacksonville-air-show-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Blue Angels and Thunderbirds Fill NAS Jacksonville"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner - La rivista di MiGFlug","description":"Per chi \u00e8 interessato a pilotare aerei militari e argomenti correlati all&#039;aviazione.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/b969321b26faa21775f0c40e141cdf85","name":"Giuseppe Duncan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cd6d4cc4c63e8c05a1f5db9308c285d6dd9753e6d076a39f8c5ed9a7d9f7c523?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Joseph Duncan"},"description":"Joseph Duncan si occupa delle ultime notizie in materia di difesa, con reportage rapidi e incisivi sul Pentagono, gli appalti e le forze aeree di tutto il mondo.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/author\/josephduncan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28617380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28617380"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28617380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28617484,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28617380\/revisions\/28617484"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28617352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28617380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28617380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28617380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}