The Blue Angels mission is to enhance Navy and Marine Corps recruiting efforts and to represent the naval service to the United States, its elected leadership and foreign nations. The Blue Angels serve as positive role models and goodwill ambassadors for the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps. A Blue Angels flight demonstration exhibits choreographed refinements of skills possessed by all naval aviators. It includes the graceful aerobatic maneuvers of the four-plane Diamond Formation, in concert with the fast-paced, high-performance maneuvers of its two Solo Pilots. Finally, the team illustrates the pinnacle of precision flying, performing maneuvers locked as a unit in the renowned, six-jet Delta Formation. Since its inception in 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 427 million fans.

Michael Goulian is one of only a few aerobatic aviators who are popular on a global scale. Michael is living a childhood dream of performing in front of millions of fans each year at over twenty venues around the world. On most weekends from April through November, Michael can be seen flying a mesmerizing and intense high performance solo aerobatic display accompanied by a high tech choreographed music system that leaves spectators emotional and wanting more. Flying is, Goulian likes to say, a high-performance sport. So he lives his life along those lines: he pays close attention to nutrition and works out almost every day with a personal trainer. The thirty nine year old Goulian has over two decades of experience performing at the world’s top airshows, having started in the business at age eighteen. Although he enjoys his reputation as a great aviator with a flawless safety record, he is also a dedicated professional with his fans. After his flight, you can find Michael signing autographs and interacting with the spectators along the flight line.

To Patty Wagstaff the sky represents adventure, freedom and challenge. A six-time member of the US Aerobatic Team, Patty has won the gold, silver and bronze medals in Olympic-level international aerobatic competition and is the first woman to win the title of US National Aerobatic champion and one of the few people to win it three times. Patty flies one of the most thrilling, low-level aerobatic routines in the world. Flying before millions of Airshow spectators each year, her breathtaking performances give spectators a front-row seat view of the precision and complexity of modern, unlimited hard-core aerobatics. Her smooth aggressive style sets the standard for performers the world over.

John Mohr has been thrilling crowds for more than 25 years. He is the recipient of both the “Bill Barber Award for Showmanship” and the “Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award” (2000). He and his wife, Lyn, are from Minnesota, where family tales of his Grandfather Fred (who knew Lindbergh) barnstorming across the Midwest after World War I, and his father Bob motivating and teaching him to fly at the early age of 5, destined John to be the aviator he is today. Mohr’s explanation for the success of Mohr Barnstorming, which he owns with his wife Lyn, is simple: “We found a niche in the industry that enabled us to turn our passion into a profession.” He is currently a commercial airline pilot, a helicopter pilot and collector of vintage planes. Even though he is a captain, check airman, and FAA designated examiner for a major airline, half of his 25,000 hours come from light airplanes and helicopters. You won’t believe what he can make that Stearman do!

By day, Bill Leff excites the crowd with the roar of the radial engine; the flash of the sun off the polished aluminum surface, and; the volumes of smoke coming off the engine as he does precision aerobatics staying show center all the time. It all starts with the roar of the engine as Bill lifts off the runway and does a roll on take-off. The next thirteen minutes of low-level aerobatics include barrel rolls, inverted flight, loops, four point rolls, and Cuban 8s all thrilling both the novice and enthusiast alike. By Night---the Starfire Night Skyshow will bring the crowd to its feet, as the graceful silver bird dances on the end of streams of sparkling light in sync with the music. The Starfire Night Show is 16 minutes of spectacular night aerobatics with special lighting and firework effects on the plane.

Manfred Radius began his career in flying sailplanes in 1961 at age 17 in Hamburg, Germany. He has logged in excess of 4,000 flights and accumulated over 1,900 hours in at least 60 types of sailplanes. Manfred is a top professional air show performer who ushered in a new era in sailplane demonstrations. He has the distinction of having introduced world championship-level performances to air shows in North America. His award-winning main act 'The Ultimate' contains samples of all aerobatic maneuver families, including unique maneuvers performed only by Manfred with a glider at air shows. The grand finale of 'The Ultimate' is the spectacular inverted ribbon cut. Performed by a sailplane without the benefit of engine power, this difficult stunt leaves the audience in awe and amazement. In addition to his daytime demonstrations, Manfred also performs at night with his sailplane. His spectacular night act has been enjoyed by millions in North America and in Australia. Manfred's extensive background in glider aerobatics and competing in world-class aerobatic championships enables him to demonstrate the capabilities of his fully aerobatic glider to the fullest

The Geico Skytypers are a squadron of SNJ trainers that have operate out of New York and travel to air shows all over the United States and Canada, demonstrating their precision flying and Skytyping abilities to millions of people each year. The Skytyping process utilizes five airplanes that fly abreast, 250-feet apart and "type" up to 30 character messages in a dot-matrix-like pattern. When Skytyping, the airplanes create messages in the sky that are 5 miles long, as tall as the Empire State Building and can be seen for 15 miles in any direction or nearly 400 square miles. During the show, crowds will be delighted by the Geico Skytypers 6-plane aerial demonstration. The roar of 6 Pratt & Whitney 550 horsepower engines and the skytyping smoke generators will provide a thrilling backdrop for the Geico Skytypers precision formation maneuvers and daring solo aerobatics.

Over a 26-year career in Naval Aviation, Dale “Snort” Snodgrass had moved from being the first student pilot to trap an F-14 on a carrier to commanding the US Navy's entire fleet of Tomcats as the Commander of Fighter Wing Atlantic. Now retired, Snort is on the air show circuit, flying a wide range of aircraft, from the F4U and P-51 to the F-86, MiG-15, and MiG-17. The crowd will be amazed by Snort’s daring acrobatic maneuvers in the North American F-86 Sabre, a subsonic combat fighter jet developed for the US Air Force. Snort will fly his F-86 literally to the edge of the performance envelope in speed, turning capability, climb rate and altitude. Don’t miss this absolutely one-of-a-kind performance in this vintage fighter.

Dale “Snort” Snodgrass and Ed Shipley will once again team up to perform the historic Dueling Sabres routine. You won’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see not one, but two of these storied fighters in the air at the same time. Snort and Ed will perform multiple passes as they put their F-86s through their paces!

The U.S. Navy Parachute Team is a fifteen-man team comprised entirely of U.S. Navy SEAL and SWCC commandos. Each member comes to the team for a three-year tour from one of the two Naval Special Warfare Groups located on the east and west coasts. On completion of the tour, members return to operational units. The parachute team began in 1969 when Navy SEALs and Frogmen volunteered to perform at weekend air shows. The team was officially commissioned as the U.S. Navy Parachute Team "Leap Frogs" in 1974 by the Chief of Naval Operations and assigned the mission of demonstrating Navy excellence throughout the United States. The Leap Frogs support Navy recruiting efforts and promote the Naval Special Warfare community to the American public.

The Red Devils were formed in 1964 and became the official British Army parachute display team in 1979. All team members are serving soldiers in the Parachute Regiment, of which there are three regular Battalions. Team members must have a minimum of two hundred jumps before being qualified to participate in public displays. Within each team is a dedicated cameraman whose task it is to capture each display on film and also to produce still photography such as seen on this web site. There is also a rigger within each team; he is responsible for the care and maintenance of the teams parachute equipment. The team enjoys high profile media coverage including many television and magazine appearances. In addition they are seen throughout the year at a variety of sporting and other public venues.

The Shockwave Jet Truck, driven by Les and his son Kent Shockley, runs over 300 mph racing airplanes at air shows. Shockwave holds the world record in a quarter mile for trucks at 256 mph in just 6.36 seconds and holds the world record for full size trucks at 376 mph as recorded by Guinness Book of World Records. At 36,000 horsepower, the Shockwave Jet Truck has enough power to accelerate at 3 Gs vertically, a force equal to that felt by astronauts during the launch of the Space Shuttle!

Rich Gibson has added an "explosive" dimension to modern military and World War II simulated attacks at air shows throughout the United States and in fact the world. This husband and wife team, along with their very experienced crew, create the "booms" and "fireballs" you will see, hear, and even feel at air shows and special events. Utilizing hundreds of gallons of fuel and countless explosive charges, Rich and his crew provide the smoke and noise that are such an important part of the Oceana air show.

Rob Reider has announced some of the greatest aerial events in North America and loves to share the joy and freedom of flight with all who attend these shows. Rob is a multi-talented air show entertainer, pilot, Midwest television personality, singer, performer, writer, and winner of 5 Emmy awards. All of his experience makes Rob one of the best known announcers in the air show industry. "Narrating a show is a wonderful opportunity to try to put an audience into the cockpit," says Rob "Besides, when I’m announcing, I have the best seat in the house!"

The Super Hornet Tactical Demonstration, or “Tacdemo” is rapidly becoming world renowned as an awesome display of thrilling high-speed, high “G” maneuvers coupled with heart-stopping slow-speed performance. The crew from the VFA-106 Gladiators will fly this two-seat Strike Fighter as close to the "edge of the envelope" as safely possible while amazing even the most experienced aviators. The Tacdemo highlights the incredible power and grace of Naval Aviation’s newest addition, affectionately known as the “Rhino”.

The F/A-18C Hornet has been a mainstay of the Navy’s tactical striking power since the mid-80’s. The Hornet Tacdemo combines eye-watering quickness and agility with remarkable slow-speed handling performance in an aerial demonstration that will thrill and amaze you. This single-seat Strike Fighter was one of the first true multi-use weapons platforms in the Navy and was designed to replace the F-4 Phantom fighter and the A-7 Corsair II strike aircraft. It is now the standard fighter in the Navy and Marine Corps, and is also flown by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team.

The E-2C Hawkeye is the U.S. Navy's all-weather, carrier-based tactical airborne warning and control system platform. It provides all-weather airborne early warning and command and control functions for the carrier battle group. Additional missions include surface surveillance coordination, strike and interceptor control, search and rescue guidance and communications relay. An integral component of the carrier air wing, the E-2C carries three primary sensors: radar, Identify Friend or Foe (IFF), and a passive detection system.

The F-22 Raptor is a new breed of super-fighter for the 21st century. With its stealth, supersonic cruise, agility and advanced integrated avionics, it will dominate the skies over any future battlefield and bring unequaled capability into the hands of America’s Air Force fighter pilots. The world’s first stealth air-to-air fighter, the F-22 will be unseen and deadly at long range and unmatched at close-in dog fighting. Be sure you don’t miss this unique opportunity to see the Raptor up close and personal!

Make sure you have your cameras ready for this signature Oceana Air Show event! The sky will darken when this “aluminum overcast” passes over the crowd as locally based squadrons show their colors. The number and type of aircraft that participate is different every year, so you’ll just have to wait and see how loud the “sound of freedom” will be!

Watch as Oceana-based Strike Fighter aircraft demonstrate the maneuvers and tactics used to deliver air-to-ground weapons in real-world combat operations. F/A-18C Hornets and F/A-18E/F Super Hornets will fill the skies and crisscross in front of the crowd and they aggressively maneuver for simulated weapons delivery solutions. Twisting and turning to get “pipper on”, these intrepid aviators will prove they’ve got “the right stuff” to deliver diplomacy, 500 pounds at a time!

The Tailhook Legacy Flight is a dynamic flight demonstration program designed to keep Naval Aviation's ties to its proud heritage alive and viable. Under this program, vintage warbirds from Naval Aviation's past are flown along side the high-tech weaponry representative of present day Navy carrier aviation. It is through these unique formation flight demonstrations that the Navy hopes to provide inspiration for the men and women who currently serve, while attracting the best and brightest of our next generation of young Americans to join the future ranks of Naval Aviation.

The U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight Program involves today's state of the art fighters flying in close formation with vintage fighters such as the F-86 Sabre and F-4. Its mission is to safely and proudly display the evolution of the United States Air Force Airpower and to support the Air Force's recruiting and retention efforts.

Mr. Steve Myott will perform during Saturday and Sundays shows and entertain children and adults alike as he mixes and mingles with the crowd. Steve has appeared in the National Independence Day Parade in Washington D.C, NFL pre-game shows and countless festivals as Uncle Sam on Stilts. As a drama teacher, actor and director he incorporates all his unique talents into theatrical mentoring for young people. Make sure you wave and say hello to this remarkable performer.