Jeri Jacquin

Currently showing at the Fleet Science Center San Diego and selected IMAX theatre locations national wide from producers J.J. Abrams and Glen Powell, directed by Paul Crowder is the story of those who fly THE BLUE ANGELS.

The history of the Blue Angels comes from its beginnings as Admiral Chester Nimitz wanted to keep the focus for the public on Navy aviation in 1946. He asked LCDR. Butch Voris, who would become the first Blue Angels Boss, to create a team that would do just that. Admiral Nimitz could never have possibly imagined how far and how high these Blue Angels would have come. This 45-minute documentary follows the elite Flight Demonstration Squadron for a year with immersive footage putting viewers directly into the cockpit!

In El Centro, California, is a base where jets that are recognized around the world are being maintained. It is also the place where pilots and crew prepare for the air shows that have taken audiences to amazing heights. It is the job of the flight leader Capt. Brian Kesselring, Commanding Officer of the Blue Angels, to get it right. Major Frank “Chomps” Zastoupil, Blue Angels #4, is in his final year and believes he has the best seat in the house.

LCDR Monica “Doc” Borza is also in her final year as the flight surgeon and is the ground safety officer. She is in the know of everything that needs to be watched, especially with new pilots on the team. There are decisions she must make as to what she sees and how to address it with the new pilots when they meet on the ground. She makes it her business to be straight forward to give the pilots their greatest chance of success. That includes monitoring Lt. Scott “Jamamy” Goossens who is in his first year as Blue Angel #3.

It is a daily routine of wake up, fly, fly, fly, meet, study, sleep only to wake up and do it all over again. A motivating factor in what they do is with someone like Capt. (Ret.) Greg “Boss” Wooldridge, a former Blue Angel boss who recalls his time as “chasing excellence”. It is in the formations that the Blue Angels continually strive for that excellence. The amazing formations, such, as the Diamond Formation, are practiced time and time again and at such close range that it is jaw-dropping.

The toll of it all is not only mental, but physical as well as LCDR Julius “Whiskers” Bratton, a third year #6 Blue Angel, understands this and Doc Borza speaks about. She explains that they use their entire bodies to control and maneuver the aircraft with intense G-force. These pilots must practice maneuvers for their bodies to know exactly how to react. LCDR Cary “Chewy” Rickoff is in his final year as Blue Angel #5 and is well aware that what they do in the air is dangerous and that is where debriefing comes in.

The film documents one week before the first show of the season and coming together is even more important to work out the details for the pilots to tighten up the maneuvers. They are focusing on their aerial work that the past weeks have taught them. At the briefing, Boss goes over each and every plan in a language that only the pilots could possibly understand.

As the first air show of the season begins, the arrival of those coming to watch begins to enter the air field. Each pilot prepares themselves to blot out what is around them and focus on what their goal is – excellence. In the air is nothing more than what is called “Blue Angel magic!” Now, they must repeat that for the next eight months for 32 cities and 61 shows. Thirty thousand pounds of cargo and personnel make the shows possible as each person is responsible for keeping the show like a well-oiled machine and focused. Each knows that they represent something special as well as representing those who have gone before them. Now, it is time for Kesselring to choose his replacement and the process is set with certain requirements and his choice is Capt. Alex “Scribe” Armatas. There is also a process of who will become the next Blue Angel pilot and they are looking for the best to carry on the traditions and that came with the first female pilot in Lt. Amanda Lee as well as LCDR Thomas “Franz” Zimmerman.

As their season comes to an end and replacements are chosen for the next season in many of the positions in the Blue Angels group, it is also a chance to finish in a memorable way that is nothing short of spectacular.

LCDR Monica “Doc” Borza, who is involved in such a high level with the Blue Angel pilots, has the duty of observing what the pilots are able to handle and being clear not only explain that they have a lot to learn but what those involved are getting themselves into. I have the opportunity to talk with Borza about her time with the Blue Angels. A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, LCDR Borza grew up in a beach town with Navy fighter jets flying over her childhood home every day. Hand selected in August 2020 to be the Flight Surgeon for the Blue Angels; she is only the fourth female in their history to hold that position.

I had the wonderful opportunity to speak with LCDR Borza of her experience with the Blue Angels:

Good morning, I am so honored to speak with you today. My father was in the Navy for over 32 years and every year when the Blue Angels came, he would pack up the family in the station wagon and off to Mira Mar we went to see the Blue Angels. So, speaking to you today about them is also a part of my own history with them.

That’s wonderful to hear your experience with the Blue Angels. The Mira Mar Airshow every year, that’s a big one and we never miss it.

Seeing what you do, I was so amazed. Here you are in this large group of guys but I noticed that your job, you are everywhere in it. What drew you to be a part of something so iconic?

That is a phenomenal question and I think it is the innate spirit we have as active-duty service members to want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, giving more than just focusing on your personal life and giving to the greater good, to society and to this nation. I was originally stationed at San Diego at Mira Mar so I know Mira Mar very well when I was a brand-new flight doc and I was with the FMAS 3-14 and they are a single seat squadron, all male at that time, I was one of the first females walking into the Ready Room with very combat-proven fighter pilots. I was very welcomed and it was like I was with them through thick and thin and we were a team. Getting that experience as my first kind of operational tour definitely set me up for success to want to continue to pursue that kind of opportunities and experiences. It was, my pilots that encouraged me to apply to become the Blue Angel Flight Surgeon. They figured I would be good for the job and they really had a big impact on me during my first tour. We are all still in touch and close. The military is amazing because you create lifelong friends that want to keep inspiring you to do something bigger than yourself.

Once you went to El Centro, knowing that the military is a very family-oriented group, how did you have to jump in? All the things you do to have to get these pilots ready, it seems like it is a very quick process so for you to jump right in, how fast did you have to adapt?

That’s a good question; we are all learning how to be a Blue Angel when we get there from day one. The Flight Surgeon on the team, not only are you taking care of their health but you are also a Safety Officer for the demonstration so you are on a headset with all six pilots. You are there, the eyes on the ground for them to keep them safe. I had to know all the different maneuvers, the altitudes, the air speeds, exactly where each jet was supposed to be at all times during that demonstration. I had different cues that I would say and speak up if something was unsafe. That way there is that little extra safety net in case they cannot see something from the ground perspective. That definitely took some training to learn the demonstration and learn the right lingo and learn more about the aircraft. Like the F-18 we were transferring to the F-18 Super Hornet the year I joined so we had a big learning experience all together where I would be out in the desert known as The Shade Tree which many naval Navy and Marine Corps. aviators know that range out in El Centro. I would spend from dawn to dusk watching them and being on a headset with them to let them know the flaps at that angle worked on a maneuver. Sometimes we had to figure it out with the new aircraft to keep them safe and to keep it looking like the Blue Angel magic that we have been showing since 1946. That was definitely a growing opportunity for me.

So, it is almost like you are doing double duty in that you are watching their physical and mental wellbeing because in the film you talk about what these flights do to their bodies. When you are choosing the new pilots and you are putting them through the paces, what are you looking for?

Any aviator that is going to apply to be a Blue Angel, we do a thorough check into their medical history and really take a look to make sure they are healthy and safe to do these high-G, physical demanding maneuvers on a daily basis. It can take a toll on the body and another fun fact is that there is a forty-pound weight on the stick to help keep counter pressure so that the jet has more fine tone movements since we are flying so close together. When we are doing a demonstration, we want fine movements and that is tough. I have never personally held a forty-pound weight for forty-five minutes straight with just one hand in the bicep active position. They definitely have to be able to do that so we go through a strength test actually before they join the time while they are trying out. It is important because that way we know that they are physically capable to be a Blue Angel. Then we go through the centrifuge training and that also is very demanding. Every Naval aviator that has flown in fighter jets, they have gone through the centrifuge before going on to the fleet. When they come to the Blue Angels, they now go through it again but this time without the G-suit. That is a big learning experience for them to learn how to engage the muscles a little more than what they are used to. It is a little bit more than what they are used to because they no longer have that active inflating and deflating suit to help keep them awake while they are flying. It is a process and you will see in the film that the incoming boss didn’t pass the first time he got into the centrifuge. The best of the best still has to work at it, practice, give it their all, fine tune their movements because it is a team effort. He couldn’t have gotten there without the great centrifuge staff that were there to help.

Have you gone through the centrifuge?

Yes, it’s a fun time.

What does that feel like?

It feels like someone is just pulling you down with the heaviest weight you can imagine making you sink into the seat. Once you hit a certain level of G’s, your vision does start to, what we call gray out or tunnel vision where the blood is basically being pulled from your head down to your feet. The blood vessel behind your eyes are smaller than all the other ones in your head, they are the first to lose blood and that’s why the vision is the first to be affected. That’s the first warning sign for pilots and they know that. They know that if their vision starts to be affected that they need to loosen on the reigns of that stick or do your anti-G maneuver with perfect technique. It gives them a little wake up call. When you are in the centrifuge it is demanding but you have great coaches helping you along.

I noticed that as well, you are never alone, there is always someone there talking you through it, and they have back up and they have a backup. Do you think that’s how everyone stays so cohesive, because there is such an extended back up system?

Yes, I whole heartedly believe that we would not be able to do what we do if this was not a team effort. It doesn’t only apply to the team in the blue suits and sharp uniforms, it comes to everyone contributing to our success. From the platforms that we fly, those staff that help us to really make sure we have all the capabilities possible, to the air shows staff, they are wonderful making sure that we are safe and ready to perform in their city when we get there and we don’t have to worry about anything else. We are incredibly successful because of the community and everyone that contributes to our success. It is a massive team effort and more than just the team on the flightline.

I noticed that the closeness of the jet crew on the Fat Albert, to those that pack the plane, everyone seems to focused. It is like ‘this is my job and I do it well’ and it’s handed to the next person and the next.

Yes ma’am, I’m glad you picked up on that because that is our whole goal, our mission, to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. We are just doing what we love to do but its nice to have that as an added bonus.

What is the length of time someone can be with the Blue Angels?

All the positions are orders to go to the Blue Angels but it is also an application process. There is an admin who comes out and says what positions will be hiring that year that way anyone out in the fleet who is capable and qualified can apply. It is about a six-month application process where you get to know the current team, we invite the applicant to come out and see how we operate at an airshow and interact with them. They get a chance to get to know them and get to know us and see what it’s like with that kind of high pace and high demand life style and we get it. After that whole process, when you are called and told you are selected, it is the most incredible feeling in the world. The next day you have orders and you head to Pensacola, Florida and that’s your new duty station. Certain positions on the team there are certain timelines. The pilots are typically two years, there is one pilot chosen to stay three years because we have a narrator that narrates the entire demonstration that is a pilot who then transitions on to the number on the team. They are number seven as a narrator and then goes to six going to solo and ultimately number five who has the most experience flying on the team. So, we rely on the five position a lot to lead us because half the team turns over every year. Support officer wise, it’s typically two years, my tour was two years and enlisted have a little more time on the team with three or possibly four years. We have it set up that way because the pilots, docs and administrators are on the road every week. It is so demanding that two years is perfect.

How does that work with having your own family?

I am very fortunate that my family is located in Virginia and a majority of our shows are on the east coast. They would come out to the air shows on a weekly basis and see our families all come together and enjoy the entire weekend with us. They get to see us in action and it’s a family environment and that’s not something you hear a lot of in the military. It is a really cool thing that the Blue Angels have set up for our families.

I do understand that military downtime of getting together because I did it as a kid with my own family. It was a time to share and it was really important and showed a bit of that in the film as well with their families get togethers.

We do get one day off a week per se during the thick of the air show season. That one day is incredibly special to us with our family and friends. You would think that on your day off you don’t want to see the people you work with but we do. We get together, some of the pilots live right next to each other on the base so we get to be a team even on our days off.

To sum up your experience with the Blue Angels and now seeing the film, how are you feeling?

I am grateful in all honestly. I feel an immense amount of gratitude to my fellow teammates, to the military, to the Navy, to the Marine Corps. and everyone who has put their heart and soul into this team and this mission. It is absolutely spectacular.

What would you say to anyone, after seeing the film, has thought “that’s what I want to do”?

Do it, don’t let anything stop you. I promise you that you will be in that blue suit one day, or that F-18 or F-35, working on that aircraft – just get after it because you can do it.

I think you are all amazing, I think what you do is amazing, it’s more technical than anyone who has been at an airshow would ever have thought. In this film we finally get to see some of what you do.

Yes ma’am, and I’m so happy we get to show that to everyone.

Thank you for your time and your service LCDR Borza!

THE BLUE ANGELS is currently screening at the Fleet Science Center in San Eiego, California Science Center in Los Angeles and more. To find a city near you that is playing or will be playing THE BLUE ANGELS in IMAX, please visit www.imax.com/moie/blue-angels.

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