Excerpted from The Power of Teamwork: Inspired by The Blue Angels
‘You stare through a
gold tinted visor, as sweat stings your eyes and blurs your vision. Over the
background engine and airflow noise, you hear through your headset, “Up we go,
a little more pull!” as you ease back on the stick in the $30 million high
performance jet fighter you’re flying.
Your eyes remain glued to the formation of five other
aircrafts merely inches away; your ears are tuned in to every word and syllable
spoken. Years of training and preparation have taught you to rely on all your
senses to make continuous corrections and maintain control of the aircraft as
it exceeds 400 miles per hour.
Your muscles become fatigued from fighting the 35 pounds of
force you are countering on the stick, and the fluctuations of the g-force
imposed on your body throughout the show. You cannot let up. You must burn
through the ever present distractions and sensations.
The physical strain doesn’t compare to the mental exertion
required. Your blue flight suit is soaked with perspiration from the intense
focus required to perform and survive. The aerial manoeuvres you perform in a
six-plane formation, wing-tip to wing-tip, exceed what other aerobatic pilots
struggle to perform solo.
Most people think of the Blue Angels team as six shiny blue
and gold F/A-18 Hornets that take to the skies, thrilling millions. But, like
all successful organisations, what goes on behind the scenes is what drives the
Blue Angels' success. The dedication of the support personnel and maintenance
crew is what keeps these high performance machines in the air.
While I enjoyed the rewards that come with being a Blue
Angel pilot, numerous other men and women with advanced skill sets sacrifice
countless hours on the road, away from their families, to ensure the team’s
success.
To see these dedicated professionals in action, day after
day, represents the true power of teamwork.’
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