The Navy fired a Blue Angels pilot for failing to meet the elite squadron’s standards, according to a report.
Marine Corps Maj. Scott Laux was relieved of his duty, according to the Navy Times. Navy officials did not disclose the cause for the demotion.
“Blue Angels #6 was removed from the team for failing to uphold the standards expected of members of the Navy flight demonstration squadron,” the Navy told the outlet in reference to Maj. Laux.
People were interested in these podcasts
The Navy pulled Maj. Laux before its Homecoming Air Show last week at Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida.
The typical six-man team featured only five aircraft for the Blue Angels’ final show of the year at its home base.
The aerobatic demonstration team of the Navy and Marines usually participates in 60 shows each year between March and November. The unit has been in operation since 1946.
The Blue Angels were in the hub of debate over the summer when one of the squadron’s pilots flew low over a crowded Pensacola beach.
The resulting jet blast kicked up sand and blew over chairs and umbrellas, and the Pentagon’s social media team responded by defending the flyby.
The Blue Angels’ commander did say the low pass was unsafe, but the Navy didn’t issue any reprimands.
Maj. Laux graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2012 and served with Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 and Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 323, according to his biography on the Blue Angels page.
He was part of Operation Inherent Resolve, which targeted Islamic State forces in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East.
Maj. Laux joined the Blue Angels in September 2024.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.