Budget may ground the Blue Angels

After traveling from their winter base in El Centro, Calif., the Blue Angels have arrived in Pensacola amid a storm of uncertainty. Federal budget cuts threaten to cancel the Blue Angels annual July show at Pensacola Beach and perhaps being grounded for the rest of the season. The Navy has not informed the team of the fate of their air show schedule. The Navy has so far cancelled four air shows scheduled for April, but five practices in Pensacola in March are tentatively still scheduled. The sequestration cuts for the Navy, released in January, requires cancelation of all appearances through the end of the federal fiscal year which occurs in September. This includes the July Pensacola Air Show. The cancelations save an estimated $20 million. (Source: Pensacola News Journal, 03/18/13)