Story & Photos by Chris Buff

The images displayed in this photo gallery were shot by Chris Buff at NAS Atlanta in May of 2006.  This show featured the first Atlanta appearance by the Blue Angels in 2 years and might possibly be the last. The resulting crowds were huge, the flying was impressive, and great fun was had by all. The East Coast Demo Team F-15C put on an outstanding display, one of  the best that I have seen. While the F-15 has been in service for more than 30 years, seeing an Eagle climbing in full afterburner never gets old. Dale "Snort" Snodgrass flew a magnificent performance with his F-86 and the STARFIGHTERS F-104 Starfighter reminded us of the beauty and power of the century series aircraft.

The moving Heritage Flight consisted of the East Coast Demo F-15 and F-16 aircraft along with Dale's F-86 Sabre. As often seems to be the case this year, the clouds started building just prior to The Blue Angels demonstration. Fortunately, this did not prevent the Blue Angels from performing with their trademark power, precision and grace. Of special note was the first Atlanta area static display of the Marietta built F-22 Raptor.

With base consolidation targeting NAS Atlanta for closure, I wonder if Atlanta will still get to see the Blue Angels in the future. Full size photos are available for purchase. Contact cbuff@aviationbuff.com for more details.

All photos are compressed and reduced in size for speed purposes. Broadband connection strongly recommended. All photos  ©2006 Chris Buff - www.Aviationbuff.com  Image downloads for personal use only. No redistribution or commercial sale of these images will be permitted without written authorization from Chris Buff.