December 6 - Blue Angels Announce Key West as Their Winter Training Destination - a podcast by 43 Keys Media

At the end of World War II Chief Naval Operations, Admiral Chester Nimitz ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team to keep the public interested in naval aviation.

In a short three months, the naval flight exhibit team performed at its first flight demonstration on June 15, 1946 at their home base, Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. Lieutenant Commander Roy "Butch" Boris led the team and flew the Grumman F6- F5 Hellcat. The new Navy flight exhibition team was only the second formal flying demonstration team to have been created in the world since the Patrouille de France formed in 1931. The team was introduced as the Blue Angels at a show in Omaha, Nebraska in July of 1946. Right wing pilot Lieutenant Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll came across the name in the New Yorker Magazine and a column called Goings on About Town. Voris said, "That sounds great! The Blue Angels -Navy, Blue and Flying!". That first year the team also employed in North American aviation SNJ-5 Texan, later known as T-6, which was painted and configured to simulate a Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero and flown to simulate arial combat. It was painted yellow and affectionately named "Beetle Bomb". The team continue to use the "Beetle Bomb" in their performances, but later traded it in for a Grumman. F8F1- Bear cat, the same aircraft, the team transition to on August 25, 1946.

A big loss came to the Blue Angels when on September 29, 1946, slot pilot, Lieutenant JG "Ross" Robinson failed to recover from a dive while perform the Cuban 8, maneuver at NAS Jacksonville and was killed. Robinson died only four shows before the end of the season and became the first of 26 Blue Angel pilot fatalities in the team's 70 year history. In 1947, flight leader commander Robert "Bob" Clark introduce the now famous Blue Angels diamond formation. With the new formation the team introduced to new maneuvers, the diamond loop and the diamond barrel roll - two maneuvers that are still performed today.

The following year, in the fall of 1948, the team moved to NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. In 1949, flight Lt. Commander Rollie "Dusty" Rose designed the first official Blue Angels insignia or crest. It is nearly identical to the current design - only the aircraft silhouettes in the cloud have changed with each aircraft the team has flown.

It was today December 6, 1960 that the Navy announced that the Blue Angels the world famous precision flying team would return to NAS Key West in January for their six weeks winter training schedule.

For several years thereafter, from 1958 to 1962, the Blue Angels could be found every winter holding their trainings at NAS Key West.

And that's what happened today in Key West history. Today in Key West History is brought to you by 43 Keys Media to learn more about our glorious past and our amazing future in the beautiful Florida Keys visit h43keys.com.

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