A Blue Angels fighter jet pilot was forced to make an emergency landing during an air show in Colorado on Saturday.
According to CBS4, the pilot made the emergency landing due to a flat tire that was detected shortly after takeoff at the Great Colorado Air Show in Loveland over the weekend.
Firetrucks and other emergency vehicles rushed out to meet the plane after it landed. No injuries were reported.
The five other jets that were still in the air completed their performance without any issues. Multiple replacement jets were ready on the tarmac but did not join the air show, CBS4 reported.
On Sunday, the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels performed with just five F/A-18s yet again, social media posts of the event showed.
Jim Havey, who managed the show’s public relations, said there were nearly 15,000 attendees for Saturday’s show and roughly the same number were anticipated for Sunday’s performance, as well, the Coloradoan reported.
“I’ve been watching the Blue Angels since I was a little kid,” said attendee Edd Taylor, who brought his son Blake to the air show.
“I interrupt your normally scheduled football photo coverage with… an air show! Photos from the Great Colorado Air Show from earlier today!” one Twitter user posted along with stunning photos of the event.
Another Twitter user shared video of the Blue Angels apparently rehearsing in the skies over Colorado.
“Nice to have the Blue Angels practicing right over your backyard. Living near an airport has its advantages,” the user tweeted.
Earlier this year, the Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds teamed up to fly together in combined formation, known as a “Super Delta,” for the first time.
According to an Air Force statement, the formation consisted of six F-16 Fighting Falcons belonging to the Thunderbirds and six F/A-18 Super Hornets belonging to the Blue Angles, flying over a Blue Angels C-130J Super Hercules. The combined flight is the first time the “Super Delta” formation has been flown.
“The formation grew out of a series of joint training opportunities held in 2020 and 2021, and serves as a symbol of the teamwork, discipline, and skill of the men and women of our United States military forces deployed around the globe,” the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels said in a joint press statement.
November will be one year since the Blue Angels squadron took its last flights in its legacy F-18 Hornets after using the aircraft for over three decades.
