In preparation for the 2024 Pikes Peak Regional Airshow, an advance team from the Blue Angels visited Colorado Springs on Thursday to meet with event officials and volunteers.

Navy Lt. Cmdr. Brian Vaught and Lt. Connor O’Donnell flew one of the precision flight team’s F/A-18 Super Hornets to Jet Centers of Colorado on Aviation Way, just down the street from the National Museum of World War II Aviation.

The Blue Angels will headline the PPRA for the first time ever in August.

The naval pilots — who were delayed by snow on an airport runway in Reno, Nev. — landed smoothly in Colorado Springs despite high winds.

“We’re really excited to be here,” Vaught said after landing.

The visit was a homecoming of sorts for Vaught. An Englewood native and Cherry Creek High School graduate, Vaught attended the University of Colorado in Boulder and worked in professional sports marketing before joining the Navy and earning a commission in 2011. A naval aviator since 2012, Vaught joined the Blue Angels in September 2022.

Lt. Connor O’Donnell pilots the Blue Angel No. 7 as it is pulled out of a hangar Thursday at the Colorado Jet Center. The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet and the Blue Angels will be featured at the Pikes Peak Regional Airshow in August.

Christian Murdock, The Gazette

“It’s a dream come true,” he said of returning to the Centennial State. I grew up here, and Colorado will always have a special place in my heart. It’s really nice to be back. I’m excited to show the rest of the team what this state has to offer.”

For more than a decade, air show officials have been trying to bring the Navy’s precision flight team to Colorado Springs, but Blue Angels leadership has been reluctant because, as air show President Bill Klaers said. “This has always been Thunderbird country.”

“It’s been a struggle, but they’ve finally recognized that this is a big show, and they want to be a part of it,” Klaers said.

“We’re obviously excited to have the Blue Angels here,” said Colorado Springs Sports Corp. spokeswoman Lauren DeMarco. “They will be an awesome addition to an already awesome show.”

The Blue Angels, who perform about 60 shows a year, typically send an advance team to work with event officials in identifying and addressing potential logistical and safety issues, Vaught said.

“Luckily, we have several months to plan,” he said. “Safety is the No. 1 goal, so all the attention to detail that will go into planning this air show will be totally worth it, and we’ll put on a safe demonstration for the crowd here in Colorado Springs.”

Vaught said the Blue Angels’ relationship with the Air Force’s Thunderbirds is competitive, but congenial.

“We have a nice, healthy rivalry,” he said. “Obviously they want to be better, we want to be better, but at the end of the day, we’re all on the same team.”

When asked which is the superior precision flight team, Vaught smiled.

“We’ll let you guys decide in August.”

The Pikes Peak Regional Airshow is scheduled for Aug. 17-18. Tickets are on sale now at PPRAirshow.org. People looking to volunteer for the event can also sign up on the air show’s website, DeMarco said.

“For people who want to get involved with the air show, there are lots of opportunities to volunteer,” she said. “We’re going to see 30,000 people over the course of two days, so we need tons of volunteers for every aspect of the show — from parking, to the entrance, to the vendors and everything in between.”