Hegseth Keeps Low-Altitude Flyovers After Blue Angels Beach Pass Goes Under Review
Updated
Updated · Forbes · Jul 16
Hegseth Keeps Low-Altitude Flyovers After Blue Angels Beach Pass Goes Under Review
3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jul 16
Summary
Pete Hegseth said military pilots will keep conducting controversial low-altitude flyovers "until morale improves," after a Blue Angels pass over Pensacola Beach sent umbrellas and chairs flying.
The Navy said the Wednesday maneuver is under review because one aircraft flew lower than standard arrival profiles, causing a disturbance on the beach that spread widely on social media.
Hegseth and the White House publicly backed the display, with Hegseth framing the flights as morale-boosting and the White House posting an illustration captioned, "It's okay to love America."
Hegseth has repeatedly stepped in on similar incidents, recently reversing suspensions for 8 Apache pilots in South Carolina and earlier intervening after 2 pilots flew near Kid Rock's Nashville home.
The stance comes as the military cites stronger 2026 recruiting results after years of morale, retention and recruitment strains tied to the pandemic, the Iran war and spending cuts.