During the Oct. 11-13 Fleet Week Airshow, an annual spectacle in the San Francisco Bay Area, an array of aircraft perform 10-12 acts for audiences around the bay. Aircraft perform various aerial maneuvers, including loops and barrel rolls, often in synchronization with each other. The show’s headliner is the Blue Angels, an elite navy squadron dedicated to recruitment and showcasing the power of the United States Navy. The team flies as close together as possible, sometimes only 18 inches apart at speeds of over 400 miles per hour. A staple of the show is weather interference from San Francisco’s famous fog. This year, the Blue Angels’ Saturday show was canceled due to low cloud cover, but thankfully they were able to perform for crowds on Sunday. Other highlights of the show include appearances by United Airlines and the Patriots, a civilian formation team, similar to the Blue Angels.

This story was originally published on The Pitch on October 15, 2024.