R.I.P Blue angel No.6

---Blue Angel No.6 Kevin 'Kojak' Davis 1974-2007---
The United States Navy's Blue Angels (or Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron), formed in 1946, is the world's first officially sanctioned military aerial demonstration team.The Blue Angels first flew three aircraft in formation, then four, and currently operate six aircraft per show. A seventh aircraft is for backup, in the event of mechanical problems with one of the other aircraft, and for giving public relations "demonstration flights" to civilians, usually selected from a press pool.

This aerobatic team is split into "the Diamond" (Blue Angels 1 through 4) and the Opposing Solos (Blue Angels 5 and 6). Most of their displays alternate between maneuvers performed by the Diamond and those performed by the Solos. The Diamond, in tight formation and usually at lower speeds, performs maneuvers such as formation loops, barrel rolls, or transitions from one formation to another.

The Opposing Solos usually perform maneuvers just under the speed of sound which showcase the capabilities of their individual F/A-18s through the execution of high-speed passes, slow passes, fast rolls, slow rolls, and very tight turns. Some of the maneuvers include both solo F/A-18s performing at once, such as opposing passes (toward each other in what appears to be a collision course, narrowly missing one another) and mirror formations (back-to-back. belly-to-belly, or wingtip-to-wingtip, with one jet flying inverted).

At the end of the routine, all six aircraft join in the Delta formation. After a series of flat passes, turns, loops, and rolls performed in this formation, they execute the team's signature "fleur-de-lis" closing maneuver.

The parameters of each show must be tailored to local visibility: In clear weather the "high" show is performed, in overcast conditions it's the "low" show that the spectators see, and in limited visibility (weather permitting) the "flat" show is presented. The "high" show requires an 8,000-foot ceiling and visibility of 3 nautical miles from the show's centerpoint. "Low" and "flat" ceilings are 3,500 and 1,500 feet respectively.The 2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash occurred on April 21, 2007 when the Number 6 US Navy Blue Angels' jet crashed during the final minutes of an air show at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in Beaufort, South Carolina.The sole fatality was confirmed and identified as the pilot, Kevin 'Kojak' Davis, by the Blue Angels organization spokesman in a news conference on 22 April 2007.The body of the pilot and the black box have been recovered and moved to the local coroner's office.There were eight injuries reported on the ground.The cause of the crash remains under investigation and an official statement will be released in mid-May.No definitive explanation yet exists for the cause but could include pilot incapacitation among the many possibilities.Early reporting indicated that all six planes were making their final turns into the landing pattern when Blue Angel #6 flew low over a tree-line, three miles away from center stage, behind the audience and potentially clipped power lines and a tall pine tree near Shanklin Road. This was followed shortly by a large plume of black smoke, which Blue Angel #1 immediately began to circle while the others landed. A local official later came out and said that due to safety regulations, there was only a very slim possibility that the tree or power lines could have brought the aircraft down. The plane slid for two hundred to three hundred yards after it hit the ground crashing through homes and vehicles.Seconds after the crash, several rescue helicopters and local emergency vehicles responding to 9-1-1 calls went to the crash site, where much smoke was visible.The Navy has identified the pilot as LCDR Kevin J. Davis of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the opposing solo in the #6 jet.The Blue Angels returned to their home base at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, to discuss continuing their season.Sunday's air show went on as planned but, in a special tribute, the GEICO Skytypers flew the missing man formation in honor of the fallen Blue Angel.Soon after LCDR Davis's crash, the Blue Angels began performing a five-jet demonstration. The squadron also brought back former Blue Angel, LCDR Craig Olson, to fill the opposing solo position. He will begin performing after practicing with the team for a few weeks. LCDR Olson served with the squadron from 2003 through 2005 during which time he flew both solo positions.