Blue Angel pilot describes favorite maneuver he'll perform at this weekend's air show

Standing next to the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet reserved for him to pilot this weekend, Capt. Eric Doyle said he is most looking forward to the loop-break-cross maneuver alongside the rest of The Blue Angels squadron at the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival on Saturday and Sunday.

"It's one of the next-to-last maneuvers where we all come into the show line, we do a loop, we break out and split off into six different directions, then we come back to the center, cross again, and join back up," Doyle said.

He described it as a symbolic maneuver of the trust and teamwork the squad keeps.

The Angels do 32 shows a year, he said, with Cape Girardeau being the eighth stop on a 32-city stretch this year.

It's a dream come true for Texas native, commanding officer and The Blue Angels flight commander, to "lead this amazing team" made up of 150 people from both the Navy and the Marines.

Capt. Eric Doyle is seen Thursday standing in front of the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet he's set to pilot at the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival on May 18 to 19.Joshua Hartwig ~ jhartwig@semissourian.com

"We all individually have to fly the plane, but we all have to do it together, especially when we're in formation," he said. "We have to know that we all are going to perform and react in the same way."

Saturday and Sunday, Doyle and the rest of the Angels will get things started with a diamond takeoff maneuver, followed by solo maneuvers. Then during the last third of the show, he said, all six Blue Angels come together in the sky.

Flying is a lot of fun, but it's a lot of work, too, Doyle said. He said it requires intense concentration, especially during midair loops and rolls.

And at all times, the pilots must concentrate closely on where they are, on the show, the crowd and how each maneuver is going, he said.

"And making sure first and foremost it's a safe show," Doyle said. "And hopefully the crowd enjoys it as well."

Capt. Eric Doyle is seen Thursday standing in front of the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet he's set to pilot at the Cape Girardeau Regional Air Festival on May 18 to 19.Joshua Hartwig ~ jhartwig@semissourian.com

He said every day he looks down at his blue flight suit and thanks his lucky stars he's a pilot of these machines.

Doyle said he draws a lot of energy from the crowd, even before he performs.

"When you walk to the jet, when you see that many people, a lot of them will get really quiet ... and you can just feel the energy and anticipation," Doyle said, adding "it's almost kind of churchlike."

He said when that many people are reverent about your performance and are respectful about what you're trying to do, it's uplifting.

"We all serve two to three years on the team," he said. "About a third or 30% of the team leaves every year, and we get new folks in. It's such a blip of time for us on the team, but we try to maintain the standard that we strive for."

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He said training and turnover process is very deliberate, adding there's "73 years of history making sure that turnover happens right."

Doyle said it's neat to visit places such as Cape Girardeau where there may not be a huge Navy or Marine presence.

"I look at us as kind of a window into the Navy and Marine Corps," he said. "We get to bring this window to Cape Girardeau for the weekend, and hopefully you'll get a chance to see a little bit of what makes the Navy and Marine Corps, not just the Blue Angels."

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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