A Blue Angels pilot was removed from the Navy flight demonstration team for “failing to uphold” its standards, forcing the squadron to perform with five jets during Friday’s show.
The decision came months after a controversial low flyover over Pensacola Beach in July sent debris across the shoreline and prompted questions about public safety.
Maj. Scott Laux, a second-year member of the elite squadron, served as Blue Angel No. 6. The Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA) confirmed his removal to the Pensacola News Journal, reporting that the decision was announced Friday ahead of the team’s season finale in Pensacola.
Blue Angels No. 6 opposing solo Maj. Scott Laux, USMC, answers questions from the media at NAS Pensacola on July 16, 2026, following the controversial low flyover over the beach.
“Blue Angel #6 was removed from the team for failing to uphold the standards expected of members of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron and will not participate in the team’s remaining performance this season,” CNATRA’s public affairs office said in a statement Friday.
News Media requested additional information Sunday morning but had not received a response.
Laux had previously defended the Blue Angels’ low-level displays after the July flyover over Pensacola Beach sent tents, chairs and umbrellas into the air while sand swept along the shoreline.
“We appreciate the trust in support and it’s our privilege to be able to perform in that way,” Laux told Rolling with Madrina after the incident. “We’re gonna keep bringing the heat and continue doing it safely.”
Maj. Scott Laux spent his first year as a narrator and most of his second year with the Blue Angels as opposing solo No. 6 before being removed ahead of the squadron’s final performance of the season. (Getty Images)
Navy and War Department officials had previously stood behind the low flyovers.
“Flight debrief complete. No reprimands. No firings. No problem,” Acting Navy Secretary Hung Cao wrote on X in July. “That’s the sound of Freedom! Semper fi and Hooyah.”
War Secretary Pete Hegseth also promised continued support.
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“The flyovers will continue until morale improves,” Hegseth wrote on X.
The White House shared a photo meme of the disputed flyover through its official X account.
“It’s okay to love America,” the post said.
Marine Corps Maj. Scott Laux publicly defended the July low beach flyover, but he was notably absent from the Blue Angels’ final performance of the season. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
The Navy has not disclosed when Laux was dismissed or what conduct led to the decision. His photograph and biography have also been removed from the Blue Angels’ website team page
Laux did not take part in the squadron’s NAS Pensacola Homecoming Air Show on Friday or Saturday. Instead, the Blue Angels flew a five-jet formation rather than their customary six. As the opposing solo, Laux normally flew alongside lead solo No. 5 during head-on crossing passes and mirror-image maneuvers between routines performed by the four-jet Diamond.
Reports indicated that the team modified its routines to accommodate the missing aircraft.
Lt. Commander Ronny Hafeza, the 2026 narrator, could take Laux’s place on the 2027 team. Blue Angels officers serve three-year assignments, including one year as a narrator, as Laux did.
Laux, who is from Chantilly, Virginia, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2012 with a degree in Chinese and earned his wings in 2015, according to his biography. As of Sunday morning, the biography could still be accessed on the website even though he was no longer listed among the team members. He flew F/A-18 Hornets with Marine Corps squadrons, deployed to Japan and aboard the USS Nimitz, and supported three operations during the 2020 carrier deployment: Resolute Support, Inherent Resolve and Octave Quartz.
Laux later transitioned to the F-35C Lightning II and served as an instructor pilot before joining the Blue Angels in September 2024. Before taking on the role of Blue Angel No. 6, he served as the show’s narrator.
He has logged more than 1,300 flight hours and 169 aircraft carrier landings. His honors include two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, along with multiple unit awards.