Photos: Up close with the Blue Angels

The six flying Blue Angels pilots walk out to their fighter jets at the beginning of their practice session. The practices are identical in almost every way to the formal demonstrations they do at air shows around the country. The team has seven pilots, but only six fly in the shows. The seventh takes care of many VIP functions, including escorting visitors, talking to the press, and handling organizational matters for the team, all for a year. At that point, he--there has yet to be a female Blue Angels pilot--becomes one of the main team members.

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