Blue Angels pulled their No. 6 pilot mid-homecoming. The Navy won't say why.
Marine Corps Maj. Scott Laux was removed from the Blue Angels on the opening day of the team's season-ending Pensacola homecoming show, forcing the squadron to fly with five jets instead of six. The Navy cited a failure to uphold standards and offered nothing else.
In brief
Marine Corps Maj. Scott Laux was removed from the U.S. Navy Blue Angels on November 6, 2026, the opening day of the team's annual homecoming airshow at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. The Navy cited a failure to meet squad standards, gave no further explanation, and scrubbed his photo and biography from the Blue Angels' official website. The squadron flew its homecoming performance that afternoon with five jets instead of six, an immediately visible gap in one of the most-watched military air shows in the country. That single-sentence statement from the Chief of Naval Air Training is, as of Saturday, November 7, everything the public knows.
What the Navy actually said
The Chief of Naval Air Training public affairs office said in a statement provided to the Pensacola News Journal: "Blue Angel #6 was removed from the team for failing to uphold the standards expected of members of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron and will not participate in the team's remaining performance this season."
That is the whole statement. The Navy has not said which standards were involved, what led to the decision, or whether it involves an investigation or disciplinary action. Officials did not say whether Laux's removal is connected to a disciplinary proceeding or other investigation. Newsweek noted that no flight-safety incident has been publicly linked to the removal.
The removal was first reported by the Pensacola News Journal, which received the statement from CNATRA's public affairs office. From there it spread fast, in part because the timing was so conspicuous: the homecoming show is the final event of the year, it draws a massive crowd, and it was already carrying extra symbolic weight in 2026.
Who is Scott Laux?
Laux is a Marine Corps aviator from Chantilly, Virginia, who joined the Blue Angels in 2024. A 2012 Naval Academy graduate, he joined the team in 2024 and served as its narrator last season before flying the No. 6 role.
Before joining the Blue Angels, Laux served with Marine fighter-attack squadrons at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego and deployed aboard the USS Nimitz. The Blue Angels said he had more than 1,300 flight hours and 169 aircraft carrier arrested landings.
He was later selected to transition to the F-35C Lightning II and served as an instructor pilot with Strike Fighter Squadron 125. The narrator job, which he held in 2025, is a ground role: pilots in that position introduce the show over the public address system while the formation flies overhead, learning the squad's culture and rhythm before stepping into a demonstration cockpit. Laux joined the Blue Angels in 2024 and served as the team's narrator during the 2025 season before becoming its opposing solo pilot.
The 2026 season was Laux's second with the Blue Angels. He joined the team in 2024 and served as its narrator in 2025 before moving into the opposing solo position this year.
What the No. 6 pilot actually does
The opposing solo is one of the two most demanding seats in the entire demonstration. Understanding the role explains why losing that pilot forced an immediate change to the show.
A Blue Angels demonstration runs two acts at once. Jets No. 1 through 4 fly the Diamond, the tight formation at the center of the show, while No. 5, the lead solo, and No. 6, the opposing solo, fly high-speed passes, rolls and tight turns in between. The opposing solo's signature work is done with the lead solo: head-on opposing passes and mirror-image formations in front of the crowd. Near the end of the show, both solos join the Diamond for the six-jet Delta formation.
The team's official FAQ describes solo maneuvers reaching roughly 700 miles per hour. Some maneuvers include both solo aircraft performing at once, such as opposing passes toward each other in what appears to be a collision course, and mirror formations with one jet flying inverted.
Because the opposing solo is built into many routines, losing that pilot changes the show. The team has no spare demonstration pilot who can safely replace a removed pilot without training. So the Blues flew on without a No. 6.
The homecoming show, and why this year carried extra weight
The two-day event on November 6 and 7 closes the team's 2026 season, its 80th, and also marks the 200th anniversary of NAS Pensacola, the squadron's home base.
The Navy Blue Angels' 2026 season ran from March 14 in Yuma, Arizona, through the homecoming airshow at NAS Pensacola on November 6 to 7, with 32 shows across 31 cities, in a year themed around America's 250th birthday.
The NAS Pensacola Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show is one of Pensacola's largest events, attracting over 300,000 spectators during this two-day event. This is not a small regional airshow with a modest crowd. It is a signature civic event for the Florida Panhandle, and the team's removal of a pilot on opening morning was noticed immediately by the people in those stands.
A Blue Angels pilot who performed during San Francisco Fleet Week last month was removed from the Navy's famed flight demonstration squadron for failing to meet its standards. That detail matters because it establishes the timeline: Laux was flying full demonstrations well into the fall. Whatever triggered the removal happened sometime after the San Francisco shows and before November 6.
Has this happened before?
Yes, though rarely, and the past cases all came with more explanation than this one.
In 2008, the Blues flew their last three shows of the year, one in Texas and two in Florida, with five jets after two members were removed from duty over an inappropriate relationship, a team spokesman said at the time, as reported by Fox News. Those cases came with a stated reason. In Laux's case the Navy has given none beyond its one sentence on standards, and nothing in its statement says the circumstances resemble either earlier case.
There is also the case of then-Capt. Greg McWherter, the Blue Angels' commanding officer, who was relieved of duty after a Navy investigation. McWherter allegedly allowed and in some cases encouraged sexually explicit humor, lewd speech and inappropriate comments among the famed precision flying team. "All Navy leaders, whether assigned to a highly visible unit like the 'Blues,' or to our installations, squadrons, ships and submarines, are held to the highest standards," Vice Admiral David Buss, commander of Naval Air Forces, said at the time. That standard-of-conduct language from more than a decade ago echoes the boilerplate the Navy used this week, without offering the specifics that the McWherter case eventually produced.
When Lt. Cmdr. Kevin Davis was killed in the April 2007 crash near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, the squadron called back former Blue Angel LCDR Craig Olson to fill the opposing solo position. Olson had previously served with the squadron from 2003 to 2005, during which time he flew both solo positions. That was a death, an emergency, and the Navy still found a path to keep six jets in the air. The fact that the service did not attempt something similar for Laux's replacement suggests either the circumstances of his removal made that approach impossible, or the season had too few shows remaining to justify it.
What 'failing to uphold standards' can mean in military aviation
The phrase "failure to uphold standards" in a Navy context can cover a wide range of conduct, from performance issues in the cockpit to violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice to behavior entirely unrelated to flying. The Navy did not cite a specific regulation, a UCMJ article, or a category of conduct. The Navy said Laux failed to uphold team standards but did not cite a specific regulation or UCMJ article.
Removal from the Blue Angels does not automatically mean discharge from the Marine Corps. Laux remains a Marine officer. The Navy has not said whether another pilot will replace Laux or clarified his military assignment following his departure from the demonstration squadron.
The Blue Angels, formally known as the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, hold demonstration pilots to a standard that goes well beyond flying skill. Some 17 officers serve voluntarily with the squadron, which typically selects three tactical jet pilots, two support officers, and one Marine C-130J pilot each year to replace departing members. Every one of those officers understands, when they apply and are selected, that they represent the Navy and Marine Corps publicly at every airshow, in every hotel lobby, and on every social media account. The standard is meant to be high. The question the Navy is not answering is what Laux did to fall short of it.
The Virginia connection
Laux's hometown of Chantilly, Virginia, sits about 25 miles west of Washington, D.C., in Fairfax County. That is not a reason the story is bigger nationally, but it does mean that among the tens of thousands of people who have watched the Blue Angels perform in this region over the years, some of them watched a local kid fly that No. 6 jet. His biography, which had listed his hometown and background, was pulled from the Blue Angels' website after the removal was announced. Laux's photograph and biography have since been removed from the Blue Angels' official website.
What the show looked like without him
The Blue Angels already flew with only five jets on the first day of the airshow, according to the Pensacola News Journal, which first reported Laux's removal. The Navy's statement means Laux will not fly the final day either.
For the people in the stands, the missing jet is noticeable. The opposing solo exists specifically to create visual drama: the head-on pass with the lead solo, where two F/A-18 Super Hornets close on each other at a combined speed that can exceed 1,000 miles per hour, is among the most crowd-stopping moments in any Blue Angels demonstration. Some maneuvers include both solo aircraft performing at once, such as opposing passes toward each other in what appears to be a collision course, and mirror formations with one jet flying inverted. Without a No. 6, those sequences simply do not happen.
Despite the unexpected personnel change, the Blue Angels Homecoming Airshow continued at NAS Pensacola. The two-day event celebrated the 200th anniversary of Naval Air Station Pensacola and marked the end of the team's 2026 demonstration season.
What happens next
The 2026 season is effectively over. The Pensacola homecoming was the last scheduled performance, with 32 shows across 31 cities now concluded. The team will head into its winter training cycle at Naval Air Facility El Centro in California, where pilots for the 2027 season will begin working up their demonstrations.
The Blue Angels select new officers on an annual cycle, and each new demonstration pilot must complete training before performing publicly. The 2027 roster will not include Laux. Whether that roster is announced with any further explanation of what happened this week is entirely up to the Navy, and so far the Navy's posture has been to say as little as possible.
Newsweek asked the Navy for further comment after the initial statement. It reported that Laux's photo and biography appeared to have been taken off the team's website, and that it had asked the Navy for further comment. As of publication, no additional statement has been released.
The San Francisco Chronicle, which covers Fleet Week extensively each year, confirmed the removal and noted that the Navy has not disclosed the circumstances behind his removal. Scott Laux, a Blue Angels pilot who flew during San Francisco Fleet Week last month, was removed from the Navy flight demonstration squadron on Friday. The Navy has not disclosed the circumstances behind his removal.
The Blue Angels have not issued a separate public statement beyond the CNATRA release. Their official social media channels, as of Saturday morning, have not addressed it.
What the crowd at NAS Pensacola saw on the opening afternoon of the homecoming show was five blue jets where there are always six. Five left contrails over the Gulf Coast sky. The sixth slot was empty.
Rodriquez Wright II is founder and editor-in-chief of Washington DC Magazine and founder of Leo Operations. Photographer, filmmaker, strategist and recording artist. NABJ member.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
