JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Blue Angels are still not in Jacksonville, three days out from this weekend’s scheduled performance at Jacksonville Beach’s Sea and Sky Air Show, and a decision on whether they ultimately perform won’t come until Thursday night.
Action News Jax was told by the city Tuesday night that a planned ride-along with the Blues scheduled for Wednesday morning was canceled.
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
Even still, the Blue Angels have not officially canceled their performance, despite the ongoing government shutdown already forcing them to cancel two air show performances in the past two weeks.
According to the city, if Congress approves a deal to reopen the federal government Thursday night, the Blue Angels would still be able to make it into town to practice on Friday and perform on Saturday and Sunday.
“We love having them there. Obviously, many of us were inspired by big jet teams,” Jeff Shetterly, a pilot with Radial Rumble Airshows, said.
RELATED: ‘That’s a shame’: Blue Angels performance not canceled yet, but at risk if shutdown continues
Unlike two years ago, when insurance issues grounded all civilian acts that had planned to fly, this year five civilian acts, including Shetterly and his T-6 Texan, will take to the skies.
While he’s disappointed the Blues may not be able to fly, Shetterly argued there are still plenty of reasons to come out this weekend.
Along with his own performance, Mini Jet Airshows, Redline Airshows and Adam Baker Airshows will all perform.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
But Shetterly said he’s most excited about the Titan Aerobatic Team.
“They are the absolute best in the world, in my opinion. They’re the tightest, most entertaining group that I have ever seen, and they’ve been doing it almost 40 years,” said Shetterly.
As far as the potential economic impact for Jax Beach if the Blues aren’t able to fly, Shetterly said he doesn’t think turnout will be an issue.
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
“This year, I just left Houston, actually. The Wings Over Houston Show was supposed to have the US Air Force Thunderbirds and they were unable to make it. Houston had a record turnout,” Shetterly said. ”It was an incredible show, and so, it is possible to have an airshow without one of the big jet teams.”
And Shetterly argued the civilian acts can inspire crowds in some unique ways.
“You really get to kind of focus on being able to see, you know, something that’s a little more graspable. You know you’re much closer to being able to fly a civilian aircraft that’s powered by pistons than a jet,” Shetterly said.
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
