Article: On the same day, two jets from the military's premier flight, demonstration squadrons, the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds, crashed. One pilot survived, but the other died reportedly maneuvering his aircraft away from an apartment building before it crashed. Now some are asking are these elite fighter jets a threat to safety, and should they be allowed to fly over civilian areas?
Military pilots crash hours apart
Following a flyover at the U.S. Air Force Academy commencement ceremony in Colorado, attended by President Barack Obama, a Thunderbird F-16 flown by pilot Maj. Alex Turner of Chelmsford, …show more content…
Jeff Kuss, shortly after he chose not to eject. Kuss, didn’t eject, so that he could reportedly maneuver his plane from an apartment complex. Kuss was practicing for the upcoming Great Tennessee Air show, according to The Associated Press. He joined the elite aerobatics team in 2014 and accumulated more than 1,400 flight hours. Before joining the Blue Angels, Kuss had previously served in Afghanistan. Apparently, five other F/A-18 jets landed safely moments after the crash.
"It's hard to put into words right now, but it's beautiful that a person can live and die engaged in their life's pursuits," said his grandfather, Dolph Kuss, reached at his home in Durango. "This was his dream since he was a child, to be an aviator, a flier."
San Francisco bans the Blue Angels
Both squadrons, celebrated for their aerial acrobatics and skilled pilots, have been performing at air shows across North America for decades. But Thursday’s double disaster raises some questions regarding their future. Since the launch of The Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds in 1946 and 1953, respectively, both squadrons have been in a number of