The Blue Angels take flight in Imperial Valley

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Saturday afternoon, the Naval Air Facility El Centro put on its annual air show incorporating different demonstrations and a finale performance with the famous U.S. Navy Blue Angels.

Taylor Smith brought his sons to the weekend event.

“The boys have never seen it this close and I know they're really excited to see it today,” the Brawley father said.

This is the first year that the blue angels are using the new F-18 Super Hornet jet as part of the Navy flight demonstration squadron.

“We heard that new planes were coming over and we usually come like every year,” Christian Aguilera said.

“Just seeing, you know, the ingenuity that in all the mathematics really that go into these precision flight patterns I mean it's incredible,” Smith added.

This year things are a bit different due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The base is shut down to the general public leaving spectators to find other places to watch the aircraft.

Siblings Christian and Yareni Aguilera came prepared.

“We brought the camper to make it a better experience since we can’t be inside [the base],” Christian Aguilera explained.

“We come to just spend time with the family, we come more prepared to eat if anything because we know it's gonna be a long time,” Yareni Aguilera added.

There were also performances by the United States Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt and the Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 3.

As the adrenaline races through the pilots, some are looking up wanting to do the same thing someday.

“Nolan, when we were coming out here, was saying - dad, I want to fly a Blue Angel jet when I grow up,” Smith said.

The Imperial Valley has been experiencing heavy winds Saturday and it's unclear if weather played a role in the cancellation of the Navy Parachute Team.

This year’s festival of flight is a special one, coming up on May 1st, the Naval Air Facility will mark its 75th anniversary of training and flights.