Blue Angels aviator removed from team before homecoming show
Source: Task & Purpose
Loading...Strong SignalCredibility: 81%
Report Content
A member of the Blue Angels demonstration team was removed from its roster last week, a few days before their final show of the year.
Marine Maj. Scott Laux, a Marine Corps aviator who has been with the team for two years and flew the #6 plane, is no longer with the Blue Angels, the Chief of Naval Air Training’s office confirmed.
“Blue Angel #6 was removed from the team for failing to uphold the standards expected of members of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron and will not participate in the team’s remaining performance this season,” the Navy said in a statement.
The service did not elaborate on what led to that decision or what standards Laux failed to uphold. His name was removed from the roster, with no replacement for the #6 plane listed. His biography remains online, however.
Only on rare occasions does the military provide specific reasons for why officers and senior enlisted leaders have been relieved, often using boilerplate language in statements like “loss of trust and confidence” when announcing a dismissal or relief. Typically, military leaders are fired for a variety of reasons ranging from leadership failings to off-duty misconduct, such as being arrested for drunken driving.
Although media outlets can submit Freedom of Information Act requests to learn what prompted a commander to be relieved, the process can take months, if not longer.
The Blue Angels, made up of Navy and Marine Corps aviators, are one of the military’s premier aerial demonstration teams, flying F/A-18 Super Hornets.
Pensacola News Journal first reported on Laux’s removal.
Laux was removed shortly before the team performed at the Naval Air Station Pensacola Homecoming Air Show. The event, held Nov. 6-7, was the final show for the team, at the city where they’ve been based since the 1950s. It was also meant to celebrate 80 years of the demonstration team. Only five of the usual six jets flew.
According to his Blue Angels team biography, Laux graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2012. He served with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323. His deployments included supporting Operation Inherent Resolve in the Middle East. Laux has been with the Blue Angels since September 2024, where he flew as the opposing solo.
The sudden dismissal of a team member is the latest incident with the Blue Angels in recent months. During a practice flight in July, a different pilot on the team flew low over a Pensacola beach, hitting the ground with jet blast. Pentagon social media accounts responded with image memes and video defending the move, although the Blue Angels’ commander admitted the low pass was “unsafe” and that the team never intends to fly so close to a crowd.
The post Blue Angels aviator removed from team before homecoming show appeared first on Task & Purpose.
Classification
Region
North America
Analytical Domain
Operational
Primary Category / Secondary Categories
Command & Control / Military Operations
SALUTE Report
Size
1 aviator
Activity
Removal from the Blue Angels demonstration team
Location
Pensacola
Unit
Blue Angels, U.S. Navy
Time
November 2023
Equipment
F/A-18 Super Hornet
Summary
Marine Maj. Scott Laux was removed from the Blue Angels demonstration team shortly before their final show at Naval Air Station Pensacola in November 2023. The Navy confirmed that Laux was dismissed for failing to uphold the standards expected of team members. His removal leaves only five jets flying in the performance, which celebrates 80 years of the Blue Angels.
Key Facts
- Marine Maj. Scott Laux was removed from the Blue Angels team for failing to uphold standards.
- His removal occurred shortly before the final show of the year at Naval Air Station Pensacola.
- The Blue Angels are a premier military aerial demonstration team flying F/A-18 Super Hornets.
- Laux had been with the team for two years and flew the #6 plane.
- The Navy did not specify the reasons for Laux's removal.