Blue Angels' first leader, Roy "Butch" Voris
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4 سال پیش
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Interview conducted by The Museum
Interview conducted by The Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA on July 25, 2003.
Website: www.museumofflight.org
Video edited by Ryan Nothhaft
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.blueangelphantoms.com
Podcast: Blue Angel Phantoms Podcast available on all major podcast platforms
Instagram: blueangelphantoms
Twitter: @blueangelf4
Growing up, I had the great privilege of hearing the amazing origins of the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team from my grandfather, Butch Voris, who served as the team's first leader back in 1946.
My appreciation for the team's history as well as its growing legacy led me to initiate the Blue Angel Phantoms project, documenting the stories of former Blue Angel pilots and crew. It is my mission to share these stories as well as bring greater awareness to the excellence that is required to serve on the team.
One of my biggest regrets was not personally documenting my grandfather's story before his passing in 2005. I was thrilled to recently discover an interview in our family's archive that was conducted and filmed by the Museum of Flight in Seattle, WA. Leveraging this footage, I've been able to cut down and create this retrospective.
ABOUT BUTCH VORIS:
Captain Roy "Butch" Voris was an aviator in the United States Navy, a World War II flying ace, and the founder of the Navy's flight demonstration squadron, the Blue Angels.
After joining the Navy and earning his wings of gold, Voris found himself in the South Pacific during the early stages of WWII aboard the USS Enterprise (CV-6) as part of Fighter Squadron 10, The Grim Reapers. Throughout his initial deployment, Voris flew the F4F Wildcat and participated in the Battles at Guadalcanal in support of the 1st Marine Division, where he would earn his first "kill" of the war, before taking enemy fire and narrowly escaping disaster.
During his second cruise, Voris served aboard the USS Hornet (CV-12), where he saw action in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Battle of Tarawa, and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. It was during these engagements in the Pacific War that he earned "fighter ace" status, recording a total of eight confirmed fighter-to-fighter kills.
In 1946, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Chester Nimitz ordered the formation of a flight exhibition team to boost Navy morale, demonstrate naval air power, and maintain public interest in naval aviation. Voris was approached and asked to scope and outline how he would operationalize such an effort . After reviewing his plans, Washington, DC officially commissioned Voris to lead to lead the team.
The new team selected the F6F Hellcat for the team's first aircraft, before transition after 5 airshows to the F8F Bearcat. Voris eventually rotated off the team before returning in 1952 to lead the team into the jet age after the Korean War.
It was during this second tour that Voris, leading the diamond formation, collided with his slot pilot, Bud Wood, during an air show at Corpus Christi. Despite suffering severe structural damage to his aircraft, Voris managed to land his plane at NAS Kingsville, only to learn that Bud Wood did not survive their collision.
Voris eventually retired from the Navy with the rank of Captain and went to work for the Grumman Corporation in Bethpage, New York, assisting in the development of the Navy's F-14 Tomcat and NASA's Lunar Module. In 1973 he accepted a position in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Office of Industry Affairs.
4 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1399/06/22 منتشر شده
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