Fat Albert won’t be at a single airshow in 2026. The Blue Angels’ C-130J Super Hercules — Bureau Number 170000, the former RAF ZH885 that served 24 Squadron between 2001 and 2017 before crossing the Atlantic in 2019 — is currently at Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge, United Kingdom, undergoing a centre wing box replacement so extensive that Marshall’s MRO Services and Solutions Director Chris Dare compared it to spinal surgery. The Navy confirmed the aircraft will be away 10 to 14 months and won’t perform at any show this season.
The Blues didn’t bury the news when Fat Albert departed NAS Pensacola late last year:
“Because this is such an extensive overhaul, she’s expected to be away for 10–14 months and will likely miss the full 2026 show season. When she returns, she’ll come back stronger than ever, with structural improvements expected to add 20+ years of service life.”
For anyone lined up at the flight line this season, the absence is real — no high-speed low passes, no steep combat climbs, no crowd-warming opener before the jets roll. Some will ask about JATO. That answer, though, has been settled for a while: the rocket-assisted takeoff ended at the 2009 NAS Pensacola Homecoming, when the team expended its last eight remaining bottles. The current C-130J was never JATO-equipped. Fat Albert sitting out 2026 doesn’t close that chapter — it closed 16 years ago.
An 80th Anniversary Season Already Running Shortened
The grounding hit an already complicated year. The Blue Angels certified for 2026 on February 23 — Commanding Officer CAPT Adam “Gilligan” Bryan called it an honor carrying “special weight” given the squadron’s 80th anniversary — but within days, Operation Epic Fury elevated force protection requirements across every U.S. military installation. Two cancellations followed almost immediately.
NAS Lemoore announced on March 3 that it was canceling its Annual Air Show scheduled for March 21–22. CAPT Shawn O’Connor, NAS Lemoore’s commanding officer, called it “an incredibly tough call” but said safety and security of sailors, families, and guests had to come first. NAF El Centro followed on March 4, scrapping its Festival of Flight, originally set for March 14, after weeks of security meetings. Public affairs officer Kristopher Haugh was direct about where things stood:
“We spent several weeks in meetings and conversations as security protocols changed, trying to see where our red line was.”
The Blue Angels’ 2026 season now opens at NAS Meridian, Mississippi, on March 28–29.
Further schedule changes remain possible as security conditions evolve. Dozens of events through November 2026 are still on the books.
Fat Albert’s Pilot — and What the Team Still Brings
USMC Capt. Olivia Bair — Fat Albert’s designated 2026 demonstration pilot, USNA Class of 2018, from Findlay, Ohio, with more than 1,000 flight hours — joined the team in September 2025 and won’t have a platform to fly in front of crowds this season. The six-jet diamond formation is fully intact, led by Bryan and including solo pilots flying the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. Confirmed maneuvers for 2026 include the Diamond Dirty Loop, the Double Farvel, the Vertical Pitch, the Fleur-de-Lis, the Opposing Knife-Edge Pass, and the Sneak Pass.
Marshall Aerospace’s Dare struck an optimistic note on the separation:
“Fat Albert’s return to Cambridge will be a moment to celebrate for the entire Marshall Aerospace team. We are grateful to the US Navy for trusting us once more with such a valuable asset.”
What’s Next
The team’s next scheduled appearance is the NAS Meridian Air Show on March 28–29. In May, the Blue Angels perform over Charleston Harbor on Saturday, May 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. as part of the 2026 Charleston Airshow — the first Blue Angels performance over the Charleston waterfront in more than a decade. The F-16 Demo Team from Shaw AFB, a C-17 demo, and the U.S. Coast Guard are also on the bill. The season closes with the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show at NAS Pensacola on November 6.
Fat Albert is expected back — and better — sometime in 2027.
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