60th anniversary of one of the world's foremost precision flight units. In 1946 the Blue Angels first took wing; a team of four pilots flew the Grumman F6F, in daring air shows conceived by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Chief of Naval Operations. And in the 60 years since then, "V" and "Echelon" formations gave way to awe-inspiring "Diamond" maneuvers and solo tricks like the "Dirty Loop" and the "Tuck-away Break." The six-man teams moved into the jet age with the McDonnell Douglas IA-18 Hornet. More than 350 million spectators around the world have thrilled to the Blue Angels' precision flying. Arriving on the Blue Angels' 60th anniversary, this book is a fitting tribute to these representatives of naval aviation and international ambassadors of good will. In soaring words and photographs, "The Blue Angels: A Fly-By History" celebrates the popular unit's feats, key figures, and aircraft from Flight Leader Roy "Butch" Voris' first outing in 1946 to the time of the Korean Conflict, when the Blue Angels formed the nucleus of a fighter squadron known as "Satan's Kittens"; from 1974, when the team donned a new aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II, to the breathtaking air shows of today.