Inside the Only Carrier Landing in Blue Angels History

This is Absolutely Historic!

In November 1998, just days after taking command of the team, newly appointed Blue Angels commanding officer Patrick Driscoll made history by landing an F/A-18 Hornet aboard the USS Harry S. Truman. It remains the first and only time a Blue Angels jet has ever been trapped aboard an aircraft carrier.

While this moment was officially recorded in the team’s history, the footage had never been made public—until now.

Former Blue Angels pilot Dave “Silky” Silkey, who served as the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) during the recovery, offers a rare pilot’s-eye perspective of the event. He walks us through the landing step-by-step, breaking down the radio calls, the technical challenges, and offering behind-the-scenes insight into one of the most unique moments in Blue Angels history.

It’s not every day you see a Blue Angels jet hitting the deck of a carrier—and now, we finally get to see how it happened.