(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are in Colorado Springs this week and activity has been picking up in the skies ahead of this weekend’s Pikes Peak Regional Airshow.
Lieutenant Connor O’Donnell, Pilot of Blue Angel #7 and the Narrator for the squadron’s performances, took FOX21 Chief Meteorologist Matt Meister and Early Childhood Special Education Teacher, Mollie Venable, on special backseat rides Wednesday, Aug. 14, and shared what it means to be part of the team that showcases the professionalism and excellence of sailors and marines.
“It’s definitely a pinch-yourself kind of job; we all on this team, we come from the fleet, which is the Operational Navy, and when we’re done here—two to three years—we go right back into it, so it’s a pretty brief period of time we have to be on this team and all of us consider it a huge honor,” said Lt. O’Donnell. “You will see the six pilots, certainly, [but] what you will not see is the 75 maintainers that we brought with us that make this whole thing happen.”
Practice schedules for Thursday, Aug. 15, and Friday, Aug. 16 have not yet been released, but drivers should be advised of traffic impacts near the Colorado Springs Airport.
Powers Boulevard from Milton Proby Parkway to Fontaine Boulevard is scheduled to be closed for performers’ safety during certain times beginning Thursday and through Sunday, Aug. 18. More information can be found at the link above.
