The Blue Angels fly in front of the Golden Gate Bridge. (Sagar Pathak)By Stuart J. Faber

Everyone, including me, loves the Blue Angels.  Through the years, I have attended a number of their spectacular performances.  My enthusiasm increases with every new airshow I see. Recently, a few journalists and I were gathered around the Hyatt at Fisherman’s Wharf where most of the Blue Angels pilots were billeted and hanging out.

While enjoying a buffet lunch of sandwiches, tapas and sweets at Knuckles Bar and Grill at the Hyatt, we were thrilled to meet up with two of the Blue Angel officers for a preflight get-together.  Marine Captain Tyson Dunkelberger is an information officer with the Blue Angels. Navy pilot Lt. Ben Walborn flies aircraft number seven and is one of the narrators and advance men for the 35 airshows the group performs each year. Ben is a 29-year-old pilot who began his flight training in a T-34 and transitioned to jets via the T-45. He completed his flight training in the F-18 Hornet, then did a tour in Japan before he joined the Blue Angels. These two friendly, yet all-business guys shared our culinary largesse while graciously answered all of our questions.