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Blue Angels Spark Interest in Aviation
Aired December 01, 2003 - 14:46 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, ANCHOR: It was 100 years ago this month that Orville and Wilbur Wright became famed fly boys, inventing what they call a flying machine. We know it now as aviation.
It's been a century since the Wright brothers developed the airplane, and we have gone from being in awe to shock and awe.
The Wright brothers' biplane demonstrated airborne freed, paving the way to strike fighters that now protect our freedom. This is what the Navy's elite Blue Angels represent, the power and progression of aviation today.
I had the privilege to fly with the Blue Angels in the final show of their season as they wowed thousands of fans and honored 100 years of flight. On that team, Lieutenant Commander Dan Martin, lead solo pilot for the Blue Angels. He joins us live in the studio to take your e-mail questions and talk about a job that he still can't believe he gets paid to do.
What a pleasure.
LT. COMMANDER DAN MARTIN, BLUE ANGELES: Thanks for having me.
PHILLIPS: You bet. All right. Let's just talk about 100 years of aviation.
MARTIN: Sure.
PHILLIPS: And kind of how it started and where we are now, and I guess why it means so much to all of you guys.
MARTIN: Well, it's just absolutely phenomenal. And I think if we look back 100 years where Wilbur actually took that first flight, airborne for eight seconds and 120 feet, Orville busting his mark later that afternoon.
Only three years later did Eugene Eli take off from the first naval ship, the USS Birmingham. Three months later, he landed on it, where they stretched a wire rope across a flight deck with sandbags tied to the end of it.
You know, in just that short of a time, three years, we went from learning how to fly and get airborne with powered flight and then landing on an aircraft carrier. And we have grown that fast over 100 years. It's incredibly significant.
And I personally think of just all of the famous naval aviators out there, the John Glenns and the Alan Shepherds and the Jim Lovells. It is just absolute phenomenal to me.
PHILLIPS: I'm thinking that's your next step...
MARTIN: Yes, right.
PHILLIPS: ... is you'll be an astronaut, right?
Now the Blue Angels, how did that come about? And lot of people don't know what the Blue Angels are really supposed to represent.
MARTIN: The team came about in 1946, and it was an idea from Admiral Chester Nimitz after World War II. Naval aviation played the most important role in the Pacific theater. And he did not want to lose that momentum.
So he commissioned a young officer by the name of Lt. Cmdr. Roy Horace, "Butch" was his call sign. And he said, I want you to travel the country, and I want you to form up this flying club, this Navy flight demonstration squadron. And I want you to just keep Naval aviation in the minds of everybody -- of Americans across the country.
And that he did. And we've been doing it ever since, since 1946. Only one time did we stop flying, and that was for the Korean conflict. And that was it. But the core of the team has stayed the same. The ideals of the team have stayed the same over the last 57 years.
PHILLIPS: I've got to tell you, it was such an honor and a privilege to fly in this show, as I'm looking at the video. But I want to give folks sort of a look, an inside look at what takes place inside the cockpit.
MARTIN: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: And this is me and Lieutenant Commander Jerry Darin (ph), who was my pilot. You were my wingman there on my left. Let's take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up. 375. 375.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 365. 360.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: When people take a look at my face and take a look at J.D.'s face, they're probably wondering why are you grunting? Why are you squeezing? That looks painful. So would you explain to folks G- force?
MARTIN: It is painful.
PHILLIPS: And you guys don't even wear G-suits, and I was a little freaked out about that.
MARTIN: That's true. That's true.
PHILLIPS: But we did OK. But explain that to folks.
MARTIN: What he's doing is trying to restrict the blood flow, you know, prevent its motion as it wants to go completely south down and pool in his lower extremities and yours as you flew.
And all he's doing is what we call a HIC (ph) maneuver, and it's something that we learned in aviation physiology, through our annual training. We're very aware of it. So we don't want to what we call G-lock, or induce loss of consciousness. And that's what happens when all the blood up in your head drains down and pools in your lower extremities, and your blood shuts down.
You're trying to prevent that. So you squeeze the lower muscles in your legs. You squeeze your abdomen. And then you go into controlled breathing, and what that does is just keep the blood flow up around your heart, up in your head. And then you maintain consciousness under high G.
But you have to train at it. I mean, we went through extensive training in centrifuges and in the airplane to maintain that consciousness.
PHILLIPS: And of course, J.D. had his eyes open.
MARTIN: That's right. That's right.
PHILLIPS: I was squeezing everything so I didn't fall asleep and take nighty-night there.
MARTIN: That's right. That's right.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's start to the e-mails. We've got a bunch of them.
MARTIN: Sure.
PHILLIPS: OK. Let's start with this first one here. This comes from Ry in Hampton. He says, "Sir, the Blue Angels are considered a combat capable squadron. As such, has that unit ever come close to being mobilized for duty and do you incorporate any fighting tactics to your training regime?"
MARTIN: That's a great question. Not only have we come close, we have.
In 1950, the squadron was stood down and transferred over to Korea to form up the nucleus of a squadron called VF-191, Satan's Kittens. Once they performed in that conflict, only for a year, those same pilots returned to Corpus Christi, Texas, and then restarted the Blue Angels.
So only one time did it happen. Since then, I am not aware -- and we're supposed to know the history of the team very well, and I'm not aware of any time where we really came close to disestablishing the team so that we could go take part in a conflict.
I think there -- we have a reserved Navy now, and we have so many forces in place to supplement the forces that are afloat and sitting off the coast of some foreign country, ready to act our diplomacy. So no, not lately, not since 1950, but we can.
PHILLIPS: Fair enough. I know you could.
All right. E-mail No. 2, this one coming to us from Cincinnati, Ohio. "If one is interested in becoming a Blue Angel, what requirements would you need to fulfill in high school to become a Blue Angel?"
This, of course, is from a high school class. It's an area I think you know all too well. This possibly could be coming from your uncle. I don't know; it's just a guess.
MARTIN: That's right. High schoolers may not like my answer. You're going to have to study. You've got to go to college, unfortunately. And I would certainly recommend either the United States Naval Academy is a fantastic route, although it's very competitive to get into that school.
I would also recommend any school where there is an ROTC unit. And that's the way I got into it. And it was -- I had a blast doing it. I wouldn't do it any other way now.
If you go through college and get out and you get out and you're having trouble with direction, you can certainly apply to officer candidate school and where they'll train you up in Pensacola. Now, that has become incredibly competitive as well, as just those billets are shrinking. And we're getting so many more qualified guys to go and fly airplanes, guys much, much smarter than I am. Timing was on my side.
PHILLIPS: You are much too humble. You've got it all going on.
Here we go. Another question, this one coming from -- let's see. I think we're moving on -- There we are, from William in New York. "What was the most frightening experience you have had flying?"
Oh, boy. I know you've come pretty darn close to those airplanes. I've seen it myself. And I'm curious if it was with the Blue Angels or maybe another time.
MARTIN: There's quite a few times where you flinch and everything's fine.
I would say the simple most frightening experience probably for any naval aviator who's carrier qualified is the first night trap, the time where you first found yourself at 3/4 of a mile behind the ship and somehow you've got to horse that airplane aboard. And when you land and you taxi out of the landing area, and you're getting ready to go to catapult for your next one. And you look down, and your knees are shaking uncontrollably.
I think that was probably, in every aviator's mind, the single moment he will remember as his most frightening experience. Because his brain is, you know, completely shut down and now he just goes on stem power. And his hands move around the cockpit, because you know, the instructors from the best training command, training squadrons in the country have trained him to do just that. So he just goes to stem power and gets that done.
PHILLIPS: Lieutenant Commander Dan Martin. I wish that we could keep going. Let me tell you, we're getting so many e-mails. And I'd just like to tell you, it was such a pleasure to fly with all of you. I know that was not an easy task to go forward with. And it meant a lot to me, and I appreciate it.
MARTIN: I'm glad we got you in there.
PHILLIPS: We thank you for you time.
MARTIN: You bet.
PHILLIPS: We hope that more folks will show up for these air shows. It really is not that painful, I promise.
Thanks again, Dan.
MARTIN: You bet. Thanks for having me.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 1, 2003 - 14:46 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, ANCHOR: It was 100 years ago this month that Orville and Wilbur Wright became famed fly boys, inventing what they call a flying machine. We know it now as aviation.
It's been a century since the Wright brothers developed the airplane, and we have gone from being in awe to shock and awe.
The Wright brothers' biplane demonstrated airborne freed, paving the way to strike fighters that now protect our freedom. This is what the Navy's elite Blue Angels represent, the power and progression of aviation today.
I had the privilege to fly with the Blue Angels in the final show of their season as they wowed thousands of fans and honored 100 years of flight. On that team, Lieutenant Commander Dan Martin, lead solo pilot for the Blue Angels. He joins us live in the studio to take your e-mail questions and talk about a job that he still can't believe he gets paid to do.
What a pleasure.
LT. COMMANDER DAN MARTIN, BLUE ANGELES: Thanks for having me.
PHILLIPS: You bet. All right. Let's just talk about 100 years of aviation.
MARTIN: Sure.
PHILLIPS: And kind of how it started and where we are now, and I guess why it means so much to all of you guys.
MARTIN: Well, it's just absolutely phenomenal. And I think if we look back 100 years where Wilbur actually took that first flight, airborne for eight seconds and 120 feet, Orville busting his mark later that afternoon.
Only three years later did Eugene Eli take off from the first naval ship, the USS Birmingham. Three months later, he landed on it, where they stretched a wire rope across a flight deck with sandbags tied to the end of it.
You know, in just that short of a time, three years, we went from learning how to fly and get airborne with powered flight and then landing on an aircraft carrier. And we have grown that fast over 100 years. It's incredibly significant.
And I personally think of just all of the famous naval aviators out there, the John Glenns and the Alan Shepherds and the Jim Lovells. It is just absolute phenomenal to me.
PHILLIPS: I'm thinking that's your next step...
MARTIN: Yes, right.
PHILLIPS: ... is you'll be an astronaut, right?
Now the Blue Angels, how did that come about? And lot of people don't know what the Blue Angels are really supposed to represent.
MARTIN: The team came about in 1946, and it was an idea from Admiral Chester Nimitz after World War II. Naval aviation played the most important role in the Pacific theater. And he did not want to lose that momentum.
So he commissioned a young officer by the name of Lt. Cmdr. Roy Horace, "Butch" was his call sign. And he said, I want you to travel the country, and I want you to form up this flying club, this Navy flight demonstration squadron. And I want you to just keep Naval aviation in the minds of everybody -- of Americans across the country.
And that he did. And we've been doing it ever since, since 1946. Only one time did we stop flying, and that was for the Korean conflict. And that was it. But the core of the team has stayed the same. The ideals of the team have stayed the same over the last 57 years.
PHILLIPS: I've got to tell you, it was such an honor and a privilege to fly in this show, as I'm looking at the video. But I want to give folks sort of a look, an inside look at what takes place inside the cockpit.
MARTIN: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: And this is me and Lieutenant Commander Jerry Darin (ph), who was my pilot. You were my wingman there on my left. Let's take a look at this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Coming up. 375. 375.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow!
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 365. 360.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: When people take a look at my face and take a look at J.D.'s face, they're probably wondering why are you grunting? Why are you squeezing? That looks painful. So would you explain to folks G- force?
MARTIN: It is painful.
PHILLIPS: And you guys don't even wear G-suits, and I was a little freaked out about that.
MARTIN: That's true. That's true.
PHILLIPS: But we did OK. But explain that to folks.
MARTIN: What he's doing is trying to restrict the blood flow, you know, prevent its motion as it wants to go completely south down and pool in his lower extremities and yours as you flew.
And all he's doing is what we call a HIC (ph) maneuver, and it's something that we learned in aviation physiology, through our annual training. We're very aware of it. So we don't want to what we call G-lock, or induce loss of consciousness. And that's what happens when all the blood up in your head drains down and pools in your lower extremities, and your blood shuts down.
You're trying to prevent that. So you squeeze the lower muscles in your legs. You squeeze your abdomen. And then you go into controlled breathing, and what that does is just keep the blood flow up around your heart, up in your head. And then you maintain consciousness under high G.
But you have to train at it. I mean, we went through extensive training in centrifuges and in the airplane to maintain that consciousness.
PHILLIPS: And of course, J.D. had his eyes open.
MARTIN: That's right. That's right.
PHILLIPS: I was squeezing everything so I didn't fall asleep and take nighty-night there.
MARTIN: That's right. That's right.
PHILLIPS: All right. Let's start to the e-mails. We've got a bunch of them.
MARTIN: Sure.
PHILLIPS: OK. Let's start with this first one here. This comes from Ry in Hampton. He says, "Sir, the Blue Angels are considered a combat capable squadron. As such, has that unit ever come close to being mobilized for duty and do you incorporate any fighting tactics to your training regime?"
MARTIN: That's a great question. Not only have we come close, we have.
In 1950, the squadron was stood down and transferred over to Korea to form up the nucleus of a squadron called VF-191, Satan's Kittens. Once they performed in that conflict, only for a year, those same pilots returned to Corpus Christi, Texas, and then restarted the Blue Angels.
So only one time did it happen. Since then, I am not aware -- and we're supposed to know the history of the team very well, and I'm not aware of any time where we really came close to disestablishing the team so that we could go take part in a conflict.
I think there -- we have a reserved Navy now, and we have so many forces in place to supplement the forces that are afloat and sitting off the coast of some foreign country, ready to act our diplomacy. So no, not lately, not since 1950, but we can.
PHILLIPS: Fair enough. I know you could.
All right. E-mail No. 2, this one coming to us from Cincinnati, Ohio. "If one is interested in becoming a Blue Angel, what requirements would you need to fulfill in high school to become a Blue Angel?"
This, of course, is from a high school class. It's an area I think you know all too well. This possibly could be coming from your uncle. I don't know; it's just a guess.
MARTIN: That's right. High schoolers may not like my answer. You're going to have to study. You've got to go to college, unfortunately. And I would certainly recommend either the United States Naval Academy is a fantastic route, although it's very competitive to get into that school.
I would also recommend any school where there is an ROTC unit. And that's the way I got into it. And it was -- I had a blast doing it. I wouldn't do it any other way now.
If you go through college and get out and you get out and you're having trouble with direction, you can certainly apply to officer candidate school and where they'll train you up in Pensacola. Now, that has become incredibly competitive as well, as just those billets are shrinking. And we're getting so many more qualified guys to go and fly airplanes, guys much, much smarter than I am. Timing was on my side.
PHILLIPS: You are much too humble. You've got it all going on.
Here we go. Another question, this one coming from -- let's see. I think we're moving on -- There we are, from William in New York. "What was the most frightening experience you have had flying?"
Oh, boy. I know you've come pretty darn close to those airplanes. I've seen it myself. And I'm curious if it was with the Blue Angels or maybe another time.
MARTIN: There's quite a few times where you flinch and everything's fine.
I would say the simple most frightening experience probably for any naval aviator who's carrier qualified is the first night trap, the time where you first found yourself at 3/4 of a mile behind the ship and somehow you've got to horse that airplane aboard. And when you land and you taxi out of the landing area, and you're getting ready to go to catapult for your next one. And you look down, and your knees are shaking uncontrollably.
I think that was probably, in every aviator's mind, the single moment he will remember as his most frightening experience. Because his brain is, you know, completely shut down and now he just goes on stem power. And his hands move around the cockpit, because you know, the instructors from the best training command, training squadrons in the country have trained him to do just that. So he just goes to stem power and gets that done.
PHILLIPS: Lieutenant Commander Dan Martin. I wish that we could keep going. Let me tell you, we're getting so many e-mails. And I'd just like to tell you, it was such a pleasure to fly with all of you. I know that was not an easy task to go forward with. And it meant a lot to me, and I appreciate it.
MARTIN: I'm glad we got you in there.
PHILLIPS: We thank you for you time.
MARTIN: You bet.
PHILLIPS: We hope that more folks will show up for these air shows. It really is not that painful, I promise.
Thanks again, Dan.
MARTIN: You bet. Thanks for having me.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
