“The VMI education provides the structure and the opportunities that give people of strong character, drive, and ambition every chance to reach their goals.”
- Jack Keilty, fighter pilot with the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron
As a young child, Jack Keilty always dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot. It’s not often that dreams come true as imagined, but in Keilty’s case, he’s achieved all he has dreamed of and more as a member of the Blue Angels, officially known as the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron.
Keilty is a 2010 graduate of Virginia Military Institute, a top-ranked college in the mountains of western Virginia known for its strong track record of producing highly qualified and successful military officers, and as Blue Angel No. 2, he’s one of just 17 elite fighter pilots who make up the squadron. Performing daring aeronautical maneuvers in their crowd-thrilling airshows, the Blue Angels are a crowd magnet across the United States, and the pilots themselves are ambassadors for the sea services wherever they go.
Knowing that VMI would have the Naval ROTC preparation he needed for his chosen career, Keilty came to the Institute ready to work and learn.
“[VMI] has an amazing history, and its alumni have made significant contributions to the country,” Keilty stated. “Its ROTC program was one of the most prestigious in the country. Moreover, it is something distinct in American higher education. Finally, it is an experience that consistently and comprehensively challenges you, and that made it something that I knew, after graduation, I’d be proud to have done.”
When he graduated from VMI, Keilty received what he’d worked so hard to earn: A coveted slot to be a naval aviator.
After paying his dues and working his way up through the ranks, Keilty was selected for the Blue Angels in 2023. “It was a huge surprise,” he remembers. “Again, I was older and more senior in rank than the aviators the squadron usually chooses.” During winter training with the Blue Angels, Keilty was selected for early promotion to commander — the same rank as the squadron’s commanding officer — which he pinned on in October 2024. His experiences training for the Blue Angels also appear on the big screen in an iMax documentary “The Blue Angels” that released Jan. 17, 2025.
Flying for the Blue Angels may look glamorous, but behind the scenes, it’s endless work and preparation. Except for 10 days off at Christmas, practices are held year-round, and the aviators fly two to three times a day, six days a week.
During its 2024 season, which started in March, the squadron performed hundreds of times, including 64 public demonstrations in 32 cities across the United States. Between these demonstrations, the squadron’s aviators conduct “outreach,” e.g., paying visits to schools and hospitals. “Practice is essential to our continued success and, more important, safety,” explained Keilty. “Flying, especially the precise flying we do, is like any other performing art. You must keep the reps up to keep your skills sharp.”
As he enters his second and final year with the Blue Angels — tours of duty are capped at 2 years — Keilty is thankful that VMI gave him the chance to pursue his dream.
“My cadetship was fundamental to my success,” he said. “VMI gave me a vector that I have followed since I was in barracks. I tell high school students that anything they want to do starts with an aspiration, a dream, a goal. The VMI education provides the structure and the opportunities that give people of strong character, drive, and ambition every chance to reach their goals.”
For more information, visit vmi.edu.
