The sudden removal of a Blue Angels pilot from the elite flight team went unnoticed until sharp-eyed spectators realized one aircraft was missing from the formation during a recent performance.
Questions about Marine Maj. Scott Laux’s departure from the Navy’s premier aerobatic squadron emerged after just five jets took part in the opening day of a homecoming air show marking Naval Air Station Pensacola’s 200th anniversary on Nov. 6, the Pensacola News Journal reported.
The Blue Angels are traditionally known for flying in a six-jet formation.
The Navy later confirmed to the outlet that Laux, 37, had been ousted “for failing to uphold the standards expected of members of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron” – and that he would not participate in any of the team’s remaining performances this season.
Military officials still have not publicly disclosed exactly when or why the second-year Blue Angel was dismissed. His photo and biographical page appear to have only recently been scrubbed from the Blue Angels’ official website.
Only more questions about the situation surfaced when the profile page for another Blue Angels officer, Marine Capt. Danielle Cribb, the squadron’s public-affairs head, was discovered to have been taken down, The Aviationist reported.
Laux and Cribb, 34, were photographed together in April at a minor-league baseball game in Pensacola, where the Blue Angels are based.
The Navy did not immediately respond to inquiries about Cribb’s employment status and Laux.
Family members of Cribb denied that her removal from the website had any connection to Laux when reached by The Post on Monday.
Laux – who married a fellow US Naval Academy cadet in 2013 – previously spoke out in support of the Blue Angels’ low-flying displays after a controversial performance over Pensacola Beach in July.
During the team’s annual “Breakfast with the Blues” flyover, Navy jets flew at extremely low altitude over the shoreline, sending tents, beach chairs and umbrellas flying amid clouds of sand.
“We appreciate the trust in support, and it’s our privilege to be able to perform in that way. We’re gonna keep bringing the heat and continue doing it safely,” Laux told Rolling with Madrina when asked about the incident.
Laux, who hails from Chantilly, Va., graduated from the Naval Academy in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Chinese before completing Marine officer training and an extensive flight-training program.
He earned his wings in 2015 and went on to fly F/A-18 Hornets, later transitioning to the F-35C Lightning II. His military career included deployments to Japan and aboard the USS Nimitz.
