U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Mychael Kisling, a former Middle Tennessee State University student, knew he was destined to be part of the Navy’s Blue Angels the first time he saw them fly.
“From there, I knew I wanted to make that team because they are the best of the best in the Navy and Marine Corps for flight demonstration,” said the Murfreesboro native, who was joined by U.S. Marines Maj. Josh Horman to speak on campus Friday, June 6, ahead of the weekend’s Great Tennessee Air Show in nearby Smyrna, Tennessee.
Founded in 1946, the Blue Angels are the Navy’s elite flight demonstration squadron known for their high-flying maneuvers and precision aerobatics. The mission of the Blue Angels is to showcase teamwork and professionalism of the Navy and Marine Corps through the performances and community outreach.
Kisling, an aviation electronics technician on the Blue Angels team, and Horman, pilot of the Blue Angels’ C-130J “Fat Albert” gear transport cargo plane, shared details about serving on the Blue Angels team to the standing room-only crowd gathered that included MTSU students, faculty, and staff as well as local scouts and Civil Air Patrol cadets at a lecture hall inside MTSU’s McWherter Learning Resource Center.
“Being a part of the Blue Angels, especially over the past two years, has taught me … there’s always going to be somebody there who has your back,” said Kisling, a 2008 Siegel High School graduate who came to MTSU in 2010 before joining the Navy in 2015. “Now it’s my turn for everyone who comes behind me to teach them from what I’ve learned.”
While Kisling’s job ensures the Blue Angels are safe in flight, Horman is at the helm of the team that gets them to the shows and in the air to perform.
“We transport 38,000 pounds of gear and 45 of my closest friends to and from 32 show sites every year,” said Horman, a Missouri native who joined the team as pilot of “Fat Albert” last year. “It’s a great time and we get to do a lot of cool things.”
The Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron team consists of six pilots who perform air shows across the country and 120 practices during the winter in the skies over the naval base in Pensacola, Florida. The entire team is comprised of 160 members, including support members like Kisling, whose four-man crew of aviation technicians works on mission computers, navigation, communication and any kind of electric flight controls for the pilots.
“I get the joy of working with planes. I get to work on them, hands-on, every single day,” Kisling said. “We learn fast and we learn a lot, and I definitely enjoy it.”
Following their presentation, Kisling and Horman took questions from nearly two dozen members of the crowd.
Prior to the Blue Angels’ talk, College of Basic and Applied Sciences Dean Greg Van Patten spoke about the university’s well-respected Aerospace Department programs — including the renowned professional pilot training — offered at MTSU.
Then MTSU’s retired Army Lt. Gen. Keith Huber, senior adviser for veterans and leadership initiatives, talked about veterans services at MTSU’s Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center.
Possibly the biggest fan of the day was 9-year-old future pilot Oliver Moreira of Smyrna, who was dressed in a pint-sized flight suit.
“I love them because of their cool aerobatics,” said the young Blue Angels fan, who also donned a cardboard Transformers-style Blue Angels jet made by his mother, Lorena Moreira, as a Halloween costume last year.
Murfreesboro native and MTSU alumnus Ted Rozell also appreciates the high-flying maneuvers and “military precision” of the Blue Angels.
“I’ve gone many times to watch them practice in Pensacola,” Rozell said.
Nancy DeGennaro
