Blue Angels fly for first time since deadly crash

The Blue Angels aviation team took to the skies Thursday for the first time since the tragic crash that killed a pilot in early June.

Capt. Jeff Kuss was killed in early June when his F/A-18 Hornet crashed in Smyrna, a town outside Nashville,Tennessee.

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The Blues flew in Pensacola, Florida, over the over Perdido Key.

Their training flight was visible to the viewing public, fulfilling their promise that their next flight would be for the people of Pensacola.

They flew in the rare “Big V” formation — with five aircraft instead of the usual six.

Kuss had been the pilot of plane No. 6.

Kuss, 32, flew in Seattle last year during the Seafair Festival, where the Blue Angels show has been a staple of the celebration for six decades.

“Everyone is here [in the Blue Angels] for a common goal, and discipline, and we like to display that across the country in form of a flight demonstration,” he told KIRO 7 News in 2015.

Kuss took anchor John Knicely along for a ride in 2015.

During the flight, they talked about his love for the Blue Angels and how it was an honor for him to fly with the team.

Kuss told Knicely he had flown multiple combat missions overseas.

Kuss joined the Blues in September 2014 with more than 1,400 flight hours to his name.

Cox Media Group