Media Opportunity                                                                                                     

Media Contact: Robbie Schrock

Santa Rosa Island Authority

Phone: 850-932-2257

Fax: 850-932-1866

robbie_schrock@sria-fla.com

From: Katie King

EW Bullock Associates

Phone: (850) 438-4015

katie@ewbullock.com

In order to receive gate clearance and participate in the media opportunity with the Blue Angels at Forrest Sherman Field, all media must RSVP by noon on Friday, June 29, by contacting Katie King at katie@ewbullock.com. Please remember to arrive to NASP using the back gate entrance.

BLUE ANGELS FACTS

• An estimated 12 million spectators view the squadron during air shows each year.
• The highest maneuver performed in the air show is the vertical rolls maneuver, performed by the Opposing Solo at up to 15,000 feet. The lowest maneuver performed in the air show is the Sneak Pass, performed by the Lead Solo at 50 feet.
• The fastest speed flown during an air show is about 700 mph (just under Mach 1; Sneak Pass) and the slowest is about 120 mph (Section High Alpha).
• The closest distance the jets will fly to each other is 18 inches, during the Diamond 360 maneuver.
• The basic acquisition price of a single F/A-18 Hornet is approximately $21 million.
• The F/A-18 can reach an approximate speed of Mach 1.8, almost twice the speed of sound or about 1,400 mph.
• An F/A-18 weighs about 24,500 pounds empty of all ordnance and aircrew.
• The smoke is produced by pumping biodegradable, paraffin-based oil directly into the exhaust nozzles of the aircraft where the oil is instantly vaporized into smoke. It provides a traceable path for spectators to follow and enhances the safety of flight by providing a means by which solo pilots can see each other during opposing maneuvers. It poses no hazard to the environment.

The Pensacola Beach Air Show is presented by the Santa Rosa Island Authority (SRIA). Pensacola Beach is owned by Escambia County, Fla., and is under the direction of the SRIA. The SRIA was created by the Florida legislature in 1947 under Chapter 24500. The SRIA does not receive tax support from the taxpayers of the county. It is fully funded from lease fees collected from business and residences on the beach. The SRIA board is made up of six members; five are named by members of the Escambia County Board of Commissioners whose term is the same as the commissioner who appointed them. Registered voters on Pensacola Beach elect the sixth member. The elected member’s term is two years.