::: Part 2 of the MCAS Miramar Airshow 2003 Series ::: Taken at MCAs Miramar down in San Diego, California during the annual airshow (October 18, 2003) These rather famous aircraft are the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Team, the 'Blue Angels.' The aircraft they are using are Boeing (originally McDonnell Douglas) F/A-18 Hornets. The Blue Angels started shortly after World War 2 in 1946 commanded by Butch Voris. They started with Hellcats and thei first airshow was in Jacksonville Florida on June 15, 1946. Since then the Blue Angels have gone through many aircraft from prop Bearcats and Hellcats to jet aircraft like Panthers, Cougars, Phantoms, Skyhawks, and the Hornet in 1987. The Blue Angels will typically fly a mere 18 inches apart in some cases during the diamond formation. In this photo, the 'Blues' are splitting off one by one from the formation to make their final approach to land. Camera is a digital Minolta Dimage 7hi (5 MP). This image has been shrunk down to 33% of the original full size. Manual Focus, custom White Balance, Priority to Shutter mode (1/2000), and custom contrast/exposure value settings to help in the harsh sunlight.