SAN DIEGO — The world-famous Blue Angels, made up of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps service members, have been flying across IMAX movie screens since Friday.
CBS 8 joined a couple flight leaders, as well as military veterans from Warrior Foundation Freedom Station (WFFS), for a showing of the film in Mira Mesa.
"I'm so excited, I cannot wait," said Isaac Blunt, a warrior with WFFS.
“I can’t think of a better way to watch it than in this theater," said WFFS president Andrew Gasper. "You’re surrounded by 360-degree sound and watching the barrel rolls and the turns and the dog fights.”
Nearly 100 active-duty and retired service members, volunteers, and donors associated with Warrior Foundation Freedom Station attended a screening of the movie Tuesday at the Regal Edwards Cinema in Mira Mesa.
Two former Blue Angels flight leaders made guest appearances, signed autographs in the lobby, and shared their takes on the film with CBS 8.
“It’s really, really visceral, accurate, and it’s going to blow everybody away when they see it,” said retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral, Pat Moneymaker.
“It’s very true to the experience, people are going to love it because they’ve got cameras all over the airplane, and you’re going to feel like, ‘Oh man, this is what it’s like,’” said Gil Rud, retired U.S. Navy Captain and former flight leader in the late 80's.
CBS 8 asked Captain Rud how intense it was to fly with the Blue Angels and perform the elite maneuvers.
“Yes, it’s very intense, but let me tell you this," said Captain Rud. "If you can land on an aircraft carrier, you can be a Blue Angel. We’re just the lucky guys that actually got to do it.”
Rear Admiral Moneymaker told CBS 8 what it was like to train for some of the high-flying tricks he performed with the elite squadron.
“You start gradually, you don’t jump in and play six aircraft close together. You start with two, then go to four, then go to six,” said Rear Admiral Moneymaker. “What looks to be a very, very precision maneuver is one that we would continually practice all the time."
The Blue Angels Foundation has supported Warrior Foundation for 9 years, raising more than $900,000 for their transitional housing programs for medically retired service members.
Petty Officer 1st Class Miguel Laureano Garibaldi, a San Diego County native and Mar Vista High School graduate, is one of the skilled Blue Angels servicemembers featured in the documentary.
"It means so much to me to have the opportunity to proudly show my parents the part I can play in naval aviation, and then showcase the level of perfection we try to achieve with the Blue Angels to a broader audience to expand the appreciation for our military," said Garibaldi.
The movie’s one-week run in IMAX theaters will end May 23, at which point it will be available on Amazon Prime Video.
WATCH RELATED: Blue Angels fly at Miramar Air Show 2022