MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Calling all thrill seekers.
Imagine sitting in the cockpit of an F/A-18 Super Hornet, engines roaring, flying just feet away from the Navy’s Blue Angels at hundreds of miles an hour.
The National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola is opening an interactive simulator called “Fly with the Blues.” It’s designed to put visitors as close as possible to the feeling of flying in formation with the elite flight demonstration team.
At the center of the attraction is a full-scale replica cockpit of an F/A-18 Super Hornet — the same jet the Blue Angels fly.
The experience uses three-axis motion simulation, meaning the cockpit physically moves, pitching and rolling so your body feels each bank and turn. A high-definition visual system surrounds riders, recreating the sights and sensations of tight formation flying.
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Participants taxi, take off and maneuver alongside the Navy’s precision flying team, threading past some of the Gulf Coast’s most recognizable landmarks.
The Naval Aviation Museum Foundation says the attraction was more than two years in the making. The goal, CEO Kyle Cozad said, is to “put everyday people as close to the real thing as technology allows.”
Riders take the virtual seat of Blue Angel No. 4, right in the heart of the formation — ideally without needing an emergency bag.
Fly with the Blues opens to the public May 29th inside the National Naval Aviation Museum. There is an additional fee for the simulator. Details at navalaviationmuseum.org.
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