One thing that struck me, which you see in the film, is this thing they do called chair flying. They literally sit in the briefing room, and they’re in the chair, imagining their left hand on the throttle, their right hand on the stick, and they fly the entire show with their eyes closed. I thought it was the coolest thing to watch how they speak to each other. These guys are flying at speeds and proximity that are unfathomable. That’s why they have to be able to fly with their eyes closed. That language has to be so baked into them, that cadence, the rhythm, these moves. It’s so precise and impressive. That is what I took from it.
The music in the movie, both the score and the songs, is so well chosen, which is not surprising given that Hans Zimmer produced it.
This is where I find that as a producer, your greatest asset is to assemble smarter people than you. We had the best in the business to come together for a common purpose and just watch the magic happen. Hans is obviously an icon, the best at what he does. I’ve had the privilege to work with him on a few movies at this point. So we had Hans Zimmer as our music producer and all of his lieutenants really guiding the musical force. And so, when you watch this documentary, musically, it puts you right in the cockpit.
There are many inspiring things that people say in the movie, but the one that really sticks with me is “Glad to be here.” What do you think that means to them, and what does it mean to you?
When I first saw the Blue Angels as a kid, it was one of the most impressive things I’d ever seen. The physics didn’t seem possible, and everyone around me had the same sense of wonder about it. But when they got on the ground, the pilots were shaking hands, signing autographs, and just being such incredible people. There’s this degree of humbleness that that defines a Blue Angel. They’re doing extraordinary things but doing it with such humbleness in their heart. For me, “Glad to be here” is such an emotional core of this documentary. Every single person who is on that plane knows what a privilege it is. They are the best of the best. They get a chance to represent the Navy and the United States and they do not take that responsibility lightly.