Blue Angels canceled: Sequester, spending cuts grounds Blue Angels

The Blue Angels canceled news has millions of Blue Angels fans wondering whether the U.S. Navy’s renowned flight squadron will appear at this year’s scheduled shows or whether the Blue Angels will be grounded due to the sequester budget cuts. On March 1, 2013, MSN News reported that according to the Blue Angel team's spokeswoman, Lt. Katie Kelly, “Some shows featuring the Blue Angels already have been called off in the face of budget uncertainties.”

Before the sequester, the Blue Angels had scheduled a performance of their precision flying aerobatics in more than two dozen cities between April and September.

However, due to the $85 billion in automatic budget cuts that took effect on Friday, the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels performances are among the programs that will feel the sequester’s consequences. Other programs include airports, national parks, healthcare, immigration and border security, and education.

While for many Blue Angels fans the cancellation of the U.S. Navy’s flight squadron is a sentimental loss, the program has to take a back seat to "making sure ships are seaworthy and planes are airworthy for the war fighters who are operating overseas," according to Lt. John Supple, spokesman for the Chief of Naval Air Training in Corpus Christi, Texas.

So far, the Blue Angels air shows that were scheduled for May at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, and for June in Indianapolis, have been canceled.

The schedule for the 2013 Blue Angels performances are listed on the Blue Angels website. To follow any cancellation posts and information, Blue Angels fans can check the “Blue Angel canceled” Facebook page for the most updated information.

Many Blue Angels fans would agree with one U.S. Navy flight squadron fan who was interviewed about the news that the Blue Angels are being canceled and grounded.

"People plan their annual family trips around the shows and the impact on business is phenomenal. If the Blue Angels end, it's going to be a sad, sad day for not just us, but for millions of people all over the country."