San Francisco-raised Blue Angel pilot set to enjoy last air shows soaring over his hometown
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Blue Angels have begun rehearsals for their three weekend air shows during San Francisco Fleet Week, but for one pilot, it's his last chance to see his hometown from a different perspective.
"This is the show I have circled on my calendar every single year," Lcdr. Scott Goossens told CBS News Bay Area.
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For the last time as a Blue Angel, Goossens will be flying over the city he grew up in.
"Getting up in the jet flying over the Bay, seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, seeing my house, high school, all that was just an incredible, incredible opportunity. It felt like a dream, you know? A dream come true, if you will," said Goossens, looking back on his first year as a Blue Angel in 2022.
Piloting jet number 4, Goossens will be flying down memory lane, roaring over the City by the Bay.
"I remember being in school, looking out the window and the jets would be whizzing by and the teachers had no chance of keeping our attention on them," Goossens said of his time attending Saint Ignatius High School. "So they let us go outside and watch the jets. And I just remember thinking it was the coolest, coolest thing in the world."
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It's a bittersweet experience for Goossens, who will be returning to his fleet after the Blue Angel season wraps. But even more special this year, he says, is flying in honor of the late senator and former San Francisco Mayor Dianne Feinstein who brought Fleet Week to San Francisco in 1981.
"This whole weekend is pretty much in her honor," Goossens explained. "She is a major reason why Fleet Week came to San Francisco. Not only someone who loved her country, but really loved the city of San Francisco and did so much to get Fleet Week here. So we're incredibly honored to be a part of it."
The team this year includes the first female Blue Angel, Lcdr. Amanda Lee. After Goossens' season ends, she'll be flying in his number four position next year.
"She's here because she's qualified. She's not here because she's a woman. She's incredibly qualified. She's a great pilot. That's why we selected her," said Goossens.
For Goossens, Lee is more than just a new member of the team. She is a role model for his own young daughter.
"I have a daughter, two years old now so. it's incredibly great to see. And for my daughter to be able to kind of look up and see somebody in this role and know that that's something that they can do," he said.
It's a message he shares with any aspiring pilot, as he says goodbye to the job he calls an honor of a lifetime.
