Blue Angels, Flight Demonstration Squadron, United States Navy

The show's narrator flies Blue Angel 7, a two-seat F/A-18B Hornet, to show sites. The Blues use this jet for backup, and to give demonstration rides to VIP civilians. Three backseats each show are available, one of them goes to members of the press, the other two to Key Influencers. The No.4 slot pilot often flies the No. 7 aircraft in Friday's "practice" shows.
The Blue Angels use a United States Marine Corps C-130T Hercules, nicknamed "Fat Albert", for their logistics, carrying spare parts, equipment, and to carry support personnel between shows. Beginning in 1975, "Bert" was used for Jet Assisted Take Off (JATO) and short aerial demonstrations just prior to the main event at selected venues, but the JATO demonstration ended in 2009 due to dwindling supplies of rockets. "Fat Albert Airlines" flies with an all-Marine crew of three officers and five enlisted personnel.