PEACHTREE CITY, GA — The U.S. Navy Blue Angels will headline this year’s Atlanta Air Show October 31-November 1 at Atlanta Regional Airport in Peachtree City.
Other performers in this year’s show include the F-16 Viper Demo Team, the C-17 Globemaster III Demo Team, the Full Throttle Formation Team, a P-51 Mustang demo, as well as aerobatic pilots Michael Goulian and Buck Roetman.
The Blue Angels mark the return of military performers in the Atlanta Air Show following 2025’s government shutdown that grounded the show’s military aircraft.
“I can’t wait to see the crowds this weekend, and I know that they are going to be big crowds here that are excited to see the air show and this team,” said Captain Adam Bryan, Commanding Officer and Flight Leader of the Blue Angels.
Show-goers can expect to see the Blue Angels’ signature flight maneuvers, bringing their F-18 Super Hornets within inches of each other.
“What you’ll see this weekend from our team is our Diamond 360... It looks like a left-hand turn past the crowd, but it’s where our pilots will be flying with their wing tips about 12 inches apart and their head about 18 inches under my wings. There is no flight demonstration squadron in the world and no performers that fly nearly as close as us. It’s what defines us and our precision as a team,” said Bryan.
Thanks to the capabilities of the F-18 Super Hornet and the expertise of the Blue Angels, the air show audience will be able to see them take off and land from the runway at Atlanta Regional Airport. This is something that other flight demonstration squadrons are not able to do because of the runway length.
“The F-18 ENF Super Hornet is configured to fly off of aircraft carriers, which is one of the unique capabilities of our aircraft”, said Bryan. “Our planes are configured, and we have the ability to take off from a much shorter runway than a lot of other military aircraft, and we can certainly land on them much shorter,” he said.
The air show kicks off at noon, though doors open at 9AM giving the audience an opportunity to explore the vendors and displays spread throughout the tarmac.
“We’ve made this tour a more festival-like atmosphere. We have a stage area. We’ll have musical acts there. Also there will be pilot interviews being done on stage. We have a D.J.. So it becomes more than just an air show. It’s an actual spectacle,” said Chris Dirato, Director of Public Relations for the Atlanta Air Show.
Commander Lilly Montana, Blue Angel #8 and the team’s Events Coordinator has advice for first time air show patrons. “Definitely hydrate. Even though it’s later in our season, everything is outside. You’ve got static displays set up, you’ve got a fantastic performer lineup, and we’ll be finishing the show each day.”
Weather conditions are predicted to be favorable on Saturday, though there is a chance of rain on Sunday.
In the event that there is inclement weather, the Blue Angels can alter their show sequence based on the weather.
“We can actually fly with ceilings as low as 1000 feet as long as visibility is good,” said Montana. “As long as we’ve got 1,000 to 1,100 feet of weather to work with, it’ll just be a little bit shorter of a show.”
Atlanta Air Show officials recommend following the Atlanta Air Show social media pages for show updates.
Visit airshowatlanta.com for tickets and more information on this year’s show.
