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Blue Angels to soar in Tennessee's skies once again in 2019

The Blue Angels will appear at the Great Tennessee Air Show in 2019 -- three years after one of their pilots tragically lost his life when his plane crashed in a practice run for the same show.

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels on Tuesday announced the elite fighter jet demonstration team's 2019 schedule and updates to the team's 2018 schedule.

The Pensacola Naval Air Station-based Blue Angels will perform 59 demonstrations at 31 locations in 2018 and 61 demonstrations at 32 locations in 2019.

The 2019 schedule includes bringing the team back to Smyrna, Tenn. on June 8 and 9 for the Great Tennessee Air Show.

The show in Smyrna will return three years after the death of Capt. Jeff Kuss, the Blue Angels pilot whose plane crashed on June 2, 2016 during a practice run for the Great Tennessee Air Show.

Blue Angels Pilot Captain Jeff Kuss died in June 2016 after his plane crashed during a practice run for the Great Tennessee Air Show. 

The town of Smyrna broke ground on a memorial for Capt. Kuss in Oct. 2017 which features a retired Blue Angels F/A-18C Hornet with his number 6. A ribbon cutting for the memorial has been set for June 9, 2018.

“The Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority and the Town of Smyrna are thrilled to have been selected by this iconic flight team,” said John Black, executive director of the Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport Authority.

The news was revealed at the International Council of Air Shows convention in Las Vegas.

“The Great Tennessee Air Show is a part of the fabric of the community in Tennessee and dates back to 1970. The 2019 show will highlight the United States military and stand for the freedoms that they protect for the citizens of our great country. We are thrilled to have the Blue Angels back.”

The full 2019 air show schedule includes the following show locations and dates:

  • March 16: El Centro, California
  • March 23-24: Salinas, California
  • March 30-31: Key West
  • April 6-7: Lakeland
  • April 13-14: Corpus Christi, Texas
  • April 27-28: Beaufort, South Carolina
  • May 4-5: Fort Lauderdale
  • May 18-19: Cape Girardeau, Missouri
  • May 22: U.S. Naval Academy, Maryland
  • May 25-26: Scranton, Pennsylvania
  • June 1-2: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
  • June 8-9: Smyrna, Tennessee
  • June 15-16: Ocean City, Maryland
  • June 29-30: Davenport, Iowa
  • July 6-7: Kansas City, Kansas
  • July 13: Pensacola Beach
  • July 20-21: Duluth, Minnesota
  • July 27-28: Grand Junction, Colorado
  • Aug. 3-4: Seattle, Washington
  • Aug. 17-18: Chicago, Illinois
  • Aug. 24-25: New Windsor, New York
  • Sept. 7-8: St. Louis, Missouri
  • Sept. 21-22: NAS Lemoore, California
  • Sept. 28-29: MCAS Miramar, California
  • Oct. 5-6: Sacramento, California
  • Oct. 12-13: San Francisco, California
  • Oct. 19-20: Fort Worth, Texas
  • Oct. 26-27: Moody AFB, Georgia
  • Nov. 2-3: Jacksonville Beach, Florida
  • Nov. 8-9: Pensacola Naval Air Station

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