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The Blue Angels fly during the 2012 NAF El Centro Air Show. (DENNIS JACOBELLI FILE PHOTO / March 9, 2013) |
Though some appearances have been canceled, the Blue Angels are still set to soar next Saturday for the annual air show at Naval Air Facility El Centro.
Unfortunately, a number of other demonstrations, including the VFA-122 Super Hornet, have been grounded as the federal government deals with sequestration cuts and an uncertain budget future.
“(The Blue Angels) They’ve announced the intent to cancel the April shows, but because we fell before the April 1 cutoff, we will still have the Blue Angels,” said Michelle Dee, Naval Air Facility El Centro public affairs officer and Navy Region Southwest Air Show director. “The real effect will be the impact of the other military demonstration.”
It’s becoming hard to come by military aviation demonstrations, with others canceling their performances, she said. The Air Force has canceled all of its participation in the local air show, and between 10 and 15 military static displays have also canceled, including a B-52 jet-powered bomber and MQ-1 Predator drone.
There will still be military participation, with the Wall of Fire and more. A number of civilian and historical planes are also going to take flight next Saturday, she said.
“It’s still going to be a great show,” Dee said. “It’s just going to be different.”
A number of local favorites are still set to come back, with Metal Mulisha scheduled to perform as well as a number of vintage military aircrafts on display.
The cuts to military aviation demonstration comes as part of sequestration, a series of automatic, across-the-board cuts to government agencies, totaling more than $1 trillion through a 10-year period.
The automatic budget cuts that started March 1 require Blue Angels air show performances from April 1 to Sept. 30 to be canceled, said Blue Angels Public Affairs Officer Lt. Katie Kelly. However, a memo sent last week indicated the Navy would only start by canceling shows in April, with other dates to be decided as they come. The reason for the rolling cuts is the Navy doesn’t want to make any decisions or cancellations too far into the future that can’t be reversed in hope that Congress passes a spending bill.
The Navy’s flight demonstration team is still set to perform at two air shows in March, one at Naval Air Facility El Centro and one at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla.
It is still unclear as to whether the Blue Angels will be practicing come April 1 though, Kelly said.
While the Navy is still moving forward with its El Centro air show, other branches of the military have canceled upcoming air shows. The Air Force has also chosen to cancel its flight demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, performances for this year, said John Cudahy, president of the International Council of Air Shows. If a budget deal happens, a portion of the season may be reinstituted.
The Air Force is being required to cut 18 percent of its flying hours for front-line pilots, he said. Because of this, they are scrambling to find flying hours wherever possible, and that includes redistributing them from the Thunderbirds to those that need to stay combat-ready.
The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds are national icons, not only here but around the world, he said. This could be a situation that threatens their existence.
“They are national icons that remind people about what this country is and how it came to be,” he said. “It is disturbing in the extreme to see their very existence threatened because of such a short-term political problem.”
It’s not clear what’s going to happen, but the threat is that this could become the new norm, he said. The only real solution is to fix the problem.
Digital Media News Editor can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
Unfortunately, a number of other demonstrations, including the VFA-122 Super Hornet, have been grounded as the federal government deals with sequestration cuts and an uncertain budget future.
“(The Blue Angels) They’ve announced the intent to cancel the April shows, but because we fell before the April 1 cutoff, we will still have the Blue Angels,” said Michelle Dee, Naval Air Facility El Centro public affairs officer and Navy Region Southwest Air Show director. “The real effect will be the impact of the other military demonstration.”
It’s becoming hard to come by military aviation demonstrations, with others canceling their performances, she said. The Air Force has canceled all of its participation in the local air show, and between 10 and 15 military static displays have also canceled, including a B-52 jet-powered bomber and MQ-1 Predator drone.
There will still be military participation, with the Wall of Fire and more. A number of civilian and historical planes are also going to take flight next Saturday, she said.
“It’s still going to be a great show,” Dee said. “It’s just going to be different.”
A number of local favorites are still set to come back, with Metal Mulisha scheduled to perform as well as a number of vintage military aircrafts on display.
The cuts to military aviation demonstration comes as part of sequestration, a series of automatic, across-the-board cuts to government agencies, totaling more than $1 trillion through a 10-year period.
The automatic budget cuts that started March 1 require Blue Angels air show performances from April 1 to Sept. 30 to be canceled, said Blue Angels Public Affairs Officer Lt. Katie Kelly. However, a memo sent last week indicated the Navy would only start by canceling shows in April, with other dates to be decided as they come. The reason for the rolling cuts is the Navy doesn’t want to make any decisions or cancellations too far into the future that can’t be reversed in hope that Congress passes a spending bill.
The Navy’s flight demonstration team is still set to perform at two air shows in March, one at Naval Air Facility El Centro and one at Naval Air Station Key West, Fla.
It is still unclear as to whether the Blue Angels will be practicing come April 1 though, Kelly said.
While the Navy is still moving forward with its El Centro air show, other branches of the military have canceled upcoming air shows. The Air Force has also chosen to cancel its flight demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, performances for this year, said John Cudahy, president of the International Council of Air Shows. If a budget deal happens, a portion of the season may be reinstituted.
The Air Force is being required to cut 18 percent of its flying hours for front-line pilots, he said. Because of this, they are scrambling to find flying hours wherever possible, and that includes redistributing them from the Thunderbirds to those that need to stay combat-ready.
The Blue Angels and Thunderbirds are national icons, not only here but around the world, he said. This could be a situation that threatens their existence.
“They are national icons that remind people about what this country is and how it came to be,” he said. “It is disturbing in the extreme to see their very existence threatened because of such a short-term political problem.”
It’s not clear what’s going to happen, but the threat is that this could become the new norm, he said. The only real solution is to fix the problem.
Digital Media News Editor can be reached at evarin@ivpressonline.com or 760-337-3441.
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