Those are four of the Blue Angels, photographed today from Duwamish Head by David Hutchinson, Wherever you were in West Seattle, you likely heard and/or saw a pass or two during the Seafair airshow (which is mainly aimed at people watching from Lake Washington). In north West Seattle, you might also have seen/heard a military helicopter circling (thanks to JayDee for the tip), apparently waiting for its airshow turn, while over south West Seattle, you likely noticed a lot of civilian air traffic overhead, especially between about 1 and 2:30 pm. As online flight trackers verified, that was commercial jet traffic being diverted because of the air show, which is on a similar schedule tomorrow, so be ready for another round of sound. The lineup can be found on the Seafair website and the Museum of Flight website – the MoF is again having its Jet Blast Bash all weekend, which includes (with admission fee or membership) the chance to watch the Blue Angels take off from Boeing Field before their performances, scheduled to start just after 3:30 pm both days this weekend.

(Thursday photo by Jamie Kinney)

Thanks to Jon Anderson for that video recorded from Airport Way as Blue Angels jet #7 arrived at noontime today. The six regular performers arrive tomorrow (Wednesday, July 30), ETA 1:30-2 pm at Boeing Field, preceded by support plane “Fat Albert” around noon. This year’s officer (pilots and support) lineup is here. They’re scheduled to be up 11 am-1 pm and 3:30-4:40 pm on Thursday, and then at 3:35 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The full Seafair air show schedule is here. You can watch for free from Seafair Festival grounds on Lake Washington on Friday, but Saturday and Sunday there’s an admission charge.

(Blue Angels and West Seattle, photographed from Queen Anne last year by Monica Zaborac)

Yes, it’s that time of year, already. The Blue Angels are based at nearby Boeing Field while in Seattle for the Seafair Air Show, so we usually publish info about their schedule for those who want to be forewarned, whatever the reason. Usually one jet arrives early for media and dignitary ride-alongs, but the main group arrival has been announced by Seafair as around 1:30-2 pm on Wednesday (July 30). Their practice shows will be Thursday and Friday (July 31-August 1), and their official shows as part of Seafair’s big weekend will be Saturday and Sunday, August 2-3. This year they’ll be the airshow finale both days so they’re not scheduled to fly until around 3:35 pm. The Museum of Flight is having its annual Jet Blast Bash both days (admission is charged unless you’re a member) and that will include a view of the runway as they take off, but they’re not parking the jets out in the open south of the museum any more – they’ll be elsewhere at Boeing Field, where Seafair is selling tickets to their famous “walkdown” ceremonies Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

(August 2023 photo by Jamie Kinney)

We’re just under seven months from this year’s Seafair airshow, but the stars of the show – the U.S. Navy Blue Angels – are sending one of their jets to Boeing Field tomorrow (Monday, January 13). The occasion: The winter meetings preparing for Seafair. The Blue Angels FA-18 jet #7 is expected to arrive 1:30-2:30 pm Monday; it’s the two-seater jet, and will be piloted by Navy Lt. Commander Lilly Montana and Marines Major Scott Laux. No public access but we’re mentioning it because you might see/hear the jet, given that tomorrow’s forecast is for partly clear skies.

The Blue Angels left Seattle just after 10 am today. Before we all forget about them for another 11 1/2 months, we have some images to share courtesy of West Seattle photographers. First, from Kevin Freitas:

He describes these images as “stacked frame”:

Meantime, Joe Cruse shared this edited video compilation – with on-screen commentary – of the view “from a West Seattle deck”:

Monica Zaborac photographed the Angels while looking toward West Seattle, from Queen Anne:

And Greg Snyder shows us the support aircraft “Fat Albert” against the downtown skyline:

According to their schedule, they’re in Chicago next weekend; next year, the Seafair shows are August 1-3.

The Blue Angels have one more Seafair show, scheduled to start just after 3:30 pm Sunday. While the show is intended for spectators along Lake Washington, you can get glimpses from West Seattle – photos like Monica Zaborac‘s above, from Harbor Avenue, and the one by David Hutchinson featured in our daily highlight list today are proof. One reader has gone even farther and documented what they saw today – reader J. Newquist shares this:

On Saturday 8/3/24 I took note of “significantly loud” passes over West Seattle by the Blue Angels. As we know, by the time you hear them, it’s too late. The following is a short list of the best times to look up, if you are staying around home for the show. For reference, my viewpoint is roughly the “jog” at the north end of the West Seattle Golf Course; the corner of SW Avalon Way and SW Genesee St. Naturally our geography means it doesn’t take much to get better, or worse views, but the roar we hear are about the same. All times are based on the satellite times of cell phones, but are still approximate. Sunday’s show is expected to follow the same times as these recorded Saturday times.

3:30 pm “Fat Albert,” the C-130, turned from the north over West Seattle on its way back south. While not as loud as the jets, it is a closer view.
3:55 pm: After an over-the lake formation, one plane headed towards downtown while the other headed east towards West Seattle before turning north to regroup.
4:01 pm: Following a similar flight path to the previous entry, another solo plane headed east before turning, creating another loud roar.
4:11 pm: A diamond formation of 4 headed north towards downtown, then looped back to the west, then south, giving us the view in the included photo.

Thanks to J. for sharing those observations! (Reminder that while they’re up, SEA airport takeoffs are redirected, so there’s bonus jet noise over southern West Seattle.) The full Seafair airshow schedule is here (you may hear/see some of the other aircraft earlier).

12:14 PM: As mentioned in our daily event list, this is the biggest practice day for the Blue Angels before their Seafair shows the next few days. In West Seattle – particularly the south end – that means other aircraft noise too, as SEA takeoff patterns are temporarily changed while the Blue Angels are up. They’re scheduled to fly most of the time between now and around 3:15 pm; then for each of the next three days, one show starting around 3:45 pm. (Those times, courtesy of the Museum of Flight‘s Jet Blast Bash page, are subject to change.)

4:59 PM: Thanks to Mike Russell for the two photos added above!

1:39 PM: In case you missed the mention in our daily event list, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels are due to arrive at nearby Boeing Field this afternoon. Their main Seafair practices and airshows are later this week. The Museum of Flight has just updated their ETA to 1:55 pm. Again this year, they’ll be based out of Boeing Field, rather than to the south of the MoF; new this year, Seafair is selling tickets to see the pilots’ pre-airshow “walkdowns” Friday-Sunday. The MoF also is having its annual Jet Blast Bash (membership or ticket required) with special events Saturday-Sunday.

2:03 PM: The Museum of Flight reports their arrival, tweeting video of the jets taxiing. (added) And thanks to Jon for the photo:

(added) And thanks to Angelo for this photo!

Blue Angel #4 is Lt. Cmdr. Amanda Lee, the team’s first woman F/A 18 demonstration pilot.

(August 2023 photo by David Hutchinson)

Yes, that’s Blue Angel, singular, though our file photo shows them all. Just a heads-up, especially for the eastern West Seattle residents/workers who have eyes on Boeing Field, that one of the U.S. Navy demonstration team’s jets will be visiting next Monday (January 8). It’s the annual wintertime visit to look ahead to the Seafair Air Show (this year’s dates are August 3-5). The jet’s expected arrival on Monday is 3:45 pm, though a Seafair spokesperson notes that time is approximate.

The Blue Angels‘ final 2023 performance in Seattle is over as of three-plus hours ago. We have reader photos to share – above, Monica Zaborac‘s classic view of their downtown flyby, from West Seattle; below, Erin Szekely sent a view from Seacrest:

From Christie B., some of the people who gathered at the Jack Block Park overlook to watch:

West Seattle photographer Jerry Simmons went to the show’s intended viewing area on the east side, and describes this image as a “vapor cone” around the jet, resulting from higher humidity:

Next weekend the Blue Angels perform in Montana, at the Yellowstone International Air Show.

(Photo by Jamie Kinney, from Blue Angels’ Seattle arrival on Wednesday)

12:26 PM: Particularly if you’re in south West Seattle, you’ve likely noticed the increase in air traffic the past hour and a half or so. No, it’s not just the Blue Angels, but it’s because of them – route changes for Sea-Tac takeoffs. Today is the longest practice day for the Blue Angels, so this will be happening through 3 pm or so. (And for those who have asked, no, the practices do NOT require I-90 bridge closures any more, so this isn’t affecting traffic on the ground.) The full Seafair airshow, with other visiting aircraft, happens Friday-Sunday – schedule here.

ADDED THURSDAY EVENING: A closer look from Alki photographer David Hutchinson, in a popular viewing spot – the Costco parking lot:

Thanks to David Hutchinson for the photo above – he sent it just before 2 pm, noting, “Just watched the Blue Angels circle out over Puget Sound and fly past Alki Beach on their way back toward town.” About an hour before the U.S. Navy demonstration team’s fighter jets arrived, their support plane Fat Albert touched down – Jamie Kinney sent this from Boeing Field:

This is the first time that Blue Angels’ history-making #3 pilot Lt. Amanda Lee, will be flying over Seattle. The Blue Angels go up for practice tomorrow, then airshows Friday-Sunday – the schedule is on the Seafair website.

ADDED: One more view from Jamie Kinney at Boeing Field, as #1-#6 arrived:

Just got a reader text about what appeared to be a sighting of Blue Angels jet #7, seen from the West Seattle Bridge. Indeed, subsequent checking reveals that #7 was due in this afternoon at Boeing Field for the Seafair winter meetings. The Museum of Flight just tweeted arrival video. This year’s Seafair airshow will be August 4-6; for the first time, this year’s team of demonstration-jet pilots includes a woman, U.S. Navy Lt. Amanda Lee.

One more day for the Blue Angels’ return to Seafair. Tonight we have a few photos from today’s airshow courtesy of West Seattle photographers – above and below, by Monica Zaborac, from Harbor Avenue:

That’s the Blue Angels’ support plane “Fat Albert,” which David Hutchinson also photographed:

Again watching from Ruby Chow Park at the north end of Boeing Field, David also caught this formation:

And a closeup:

(added) Thanks to Vicky Piston for this view:

Jerry Simmons watched from Seward Park and sent this photo of one of the other, shall we say, loud planes in the airshow:

That’s an F-35A piloted by Maj. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe, Commander of the Lightning II Demonstration Team from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah.

SUNDAY SCHEDULE: From the Seafair website:

10:35 – Aerobatic Performance
12:00 – Golden Knights Performance
12:35 – Aerobatic Performance
13:10 – F35 Lightning II Performance
13:40 – EA 18G Growler Performance
14:45 – Aerobatic Performance
14:45 – Boeing Seafair Flyover
15:05 – Blue Angels Performance

They’re all meant for optimal viewing by admission-paying Seafair attendees on Lake Washington, but some of the airshow performers – including the Blue Angels – take off from Boeing Field, and in addition to experiencing the roaring takeoff by the airport, you can also see some of the highest maneuvers from here (we watched from Westcrest Park, with binoculars, on Friday afternoon).

Thanks to David Hutchinson for photos of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in flight this afternoon. He photographed them from Ruby Chow Park at the north end of Boeing Field (across the Duwamish River from West Seattle).

Without time to leave West Seattle, we checked out the view from Westcrest Park. From the northeast side of the park’s plateau, along SW Cloverdale, you can glimpse Boeing Field, so, with binoculars, we had a decent, if partial view, including the smoke bursts before takeoff and during their landing pass.

The schedule had them up 3:05-4 pm today, tomorrow, and Friday; today was fairly close to that, with takeoff around 3:10 pm and landing around 3:55. If you are interested in seeing them this weekend without going to Lake Washington (where the full airshow, including other aerial acts, you can also check out the Museum of Flight‘s Jet Blast Bash; though the bigger new Blue Angels jets an’t park next to the MoF any more, museum visitors get a runwayside view of the takeoffs/landings and pilot meet-and-greets after they land.

1:10 PM: Thanks to Kevin for the photo (and Gill for the tip by phone) – the Blue Angels are back in Seattle. A few reminders: They’re based at Boeing Field but near the terminal, NOT in the publicly viewable areas of years past, because of the bigger new jets and the equipment required for them … They’ll be practicing Thursday (added: times)

Thursday, August 4
11:00 AM – #1-4 Practice Flight
12:00 PM – #5-6 Practice Flight
2:20 PM – #1-6 Practice Flight
3:20 PM – Fat Albert Practice Flight

And they’ll be flying their performance routine Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (3:05 pm is the scheduled time those three days) … no freeway closures but you’ll likely notice different air-traffic patterns over West Seattle when they’re flying … the Museum of Flight has a special (admission required) Jet Blast Bash event (with pilot-autograph sessions promised) all weekend.

ADDED 2:53 PM: Thanks to Monica Zaborac for sending these photos:

(That middle photo is “Fat Albert,” the Blue Angels’ support plane.)

(2019 photo by David Hutchinson)

ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: You probably know by now that the U.S.Navy’s Blue Angels are performing at Seafair this Friday-Sunday, and practicing Thursday. Since they’re based at nearby Boeing Field during their Seafair visits, their arrival is also a matter of West Seattle interest, and we’ve received a few questions about the arrival schedule.

During their last visit in 2019, they came here directly after the previous weekend’s air-show appearance in Colorado. This past weekend, they were at an airshow in Dayton, Ohio, but instead of heading here, they went back to their home base in Pensacola, Florida, last night. So when do the Blue Angels get here? According to Ted Huetter of the Museum of Flight, which hosts a big weekend Jet Blast Bash centered on their visit: The #7 advance plane arrives sometime 12:30 pm Tuesday (and will be providing “influencer rides” – like the ones that result in the TV “what it’s like to fly with a Blue Angel” stories every year – starting Wednesday morning). The other six are due in around 1:30 pm Wednesday. Times are always subject to change. One note: Instead of parking at the Museum of Flight, this year the Blue Angels’ jets will be by the Boeing Field terminal. As the MoF notes on this page, you can watch the takeoffs from their parking lot Thursday and Friday, but Saturday and Sunday the MoF lot will be an admission-only zone as part of Jet Blast Bash.

P.S. In case you’ve wondered about this, no, I-90 will NOT be closing for Blue Angels flights/practices. Starting in 2019, they made changes to avoid having to do that.

TUESDAY NIGHT UPDATE: Seafair says the other 6 Blue Angels are due in closer to 12:30 pm Wednesday.

1:57 PM: Thanks for the tips. Took us a while to confirm, but yes, a Blue Angels jet (#7) is due in at Boeing Field any time now for the Seafair winter logistics meetings. The Museum of Flight is hosting as always. The full team is scheduled to perform during Seafair’s biggest weekend, August 5-7.

2:49 PM: From the Museum of Flight via Twitter:

Monica Zaborac caught that view from West Seattle today, the Blue Angels plus a bird. We believe it’s a Caspian Tern – those seabirds whose eerily prehistoric cry is often heard as they fly over the peninsula, to and from the Duwamish.

P.S. Also by Monica, a birdless view: