US Navy Blue Angels Diamond Pass Formation

In this Department of Defense photo, four US Navy F/A-18s of the famed Blue Angels perform the "Diamond Pass" maneuver. You will never see planes fly any closer than this.

The Blue Angels were formed by Admiral Chester Nimitz (then Chief of Naval Operations) after World War II to promote interest in military aviation, following the example of earlier Army and Navy flight demonstration teams. They travel to air shows around the world putting on amazing demonstrations of the flying ability of the Navy and Marine Corps pilots. Nearly 100 officers and enlisted personnel are involved in the elite squadron. They always fly the Navy's hottest planes, using the McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 since 1986.

Today in WW II: 17 Sep 1939 Soviet troops invade Poland from the east. More ↓

17 Sep 1944 Thousands of Allied planes begin airborne assault on Holland, Operation Market Garden.
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