Blue Angels Ready for Air Show

While record crowds will look to the skies this weekend in collective captivated awe, it’s no small feat to make sure the fleet of U.S. Navy Blue Angels F/A-18 Hornets stay in top shape.

Navy E-6 Petty Officer First Class Bo Tullis talked Thursday at Portsmouth International Airport at Pease Tradeport about the long hours the maintenance crew puts in during air shows.

“We’ll stay up until 3 or 4 in the morning to have the jets ready,” Tullis said. “In 60 years, the Angels have never missed a show due to maintenance.”

The Service Credit Union Boston-Portsmouth Air Show takes place at Pease Saturday and Sunday, with the Blue Angels performing at 2:30 p.m. each day.

Tullis, who has been in the Navy since 2001, said he first saw an air show in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., in 2008.

“I was flying helicopters at the time, but knew I wanted to join this squadron,” Tullis said. “It’s an honor to interview for this team."

The elite squadron, including the pilots of the Blue Angels jets, has 120 to 130 members, half of a regular Navy squadron, he said.

“I love being next to the engines and feeling the power of them,” Tullis said.

While the Hornet demo jets have General Electric engines, the workhorse C-130 has a Rolls Royce engine.

The C-130, also known as “Fat Albert,” is an aircraft that carries spare parts and equipment for the flight demonstration squadron.

This aircraft is manned by the U.S. Marine Corps and pilots must be qualified with at least 1,200 flight hours.

USMC Capt. John Herrick is piloting the C-130 for the air show.

“It’s not the original ‘Fat Albert’,” he said. “This one’s name is ‘Ernie,’ like in Bert and Ernie.”

Herrick has been on the Blue Angels team for two years.

“The C-130 carries 35,000 pounds of gear, and can carry 45 people, including the crew,” he said.

Herrick said his father fought in Vietnam and he grew up as a military kid living in different places.

“I saw how they treated the guys when they came back from Vietnam,” he said. “It’s different now. We are supported by the American people.”

Herrick said “it’s a treat to show people in 8-1/2 minutes what we can do in the demo shows.”

The Angels will conduct walk-down and circle maneuvers Thursday, and on Friday plan to speak with Portsmouth High School students.

The Blue Angels were here two years ago, and last year the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds were the highlighted performers during the air show.

The Daniel Webster Council Boy Scouts of America and the Brain Injury Association of New Hampshire are jointly producing the show.

In addition to the Blue Angels, other performers include the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights, Black Diamond Jet Team, National Aviation Hall of Fame legend Sean D. Tucker, wing walker Jane Wicker and aerobatic superstar Michael Goulian.

For more information, visit bostonportsmouthairshow.com.