US Navy Blue Angels fires pilot, team flies five instead of six jets during homecoming show: Who is Scott Laux and why was he removed?

Marine Corps Major Scott Laux was removed from the US Navy’s flight demonstration squadron, Blue Angels, officials said on Friday, November 6. The pilot, Laux, will no longer be a part of the Blue Angels’ performances that remain for the season, San Francisco Chronicle reported, citing the Chief of Naval Air Training public affairs office.

The Blue Angels, which was previously called the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, generally performs about 60 shows annually at 32 locations throughout the county. According to their schedule they will perform their last show of 2026 on November 7, before starting for 2027 in March next year.

The team comprises six pilots from the US Navy and one from the US Marine Corps, with Laux being the latter. They can be seen flying the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and also the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules. They currently have 158 active duty Sailors and Marines.


The Navy has removed Laux’s photo and profile from the list of Blue Angels pilots on its official website. The team flew five plans instead of the usual six during the November 6 show at their homecoming show in Pensacola, Florida.

Who is Major Scott Laux?

Major Scott Laux served as the Blue Angels’ number 6 opposing solo. He hails from Virginia's Chantilly. He went on to attend the US Naval Academy and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chinese in 2012, according to his Blue Angels profile.

Following his basic Marine officer training, Laux joined flight school. He completed his flight training and earned his wings of gold in 2015. He served at the Vikings of Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 and flew the F/A-18D Hornet. Laux has also flown for several operations including RESOLUTE SUPPORT, INHERENT RESOLVE and OCTAVE QUARTZ.

Laux joined the Blue Angels in September 2024. Before joining he had over 1,3000 flight hours and 169 aircraft carrier arrested landings, according to his profile. During his career he has been awarded with two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and several unit awards.

Why was Laux removed?

According to the Pensacola News Journal, officials said that Laux was removed from the team for “failing to uphold the standards expected of members of the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron.” However, the Navy is yet to reveal what Laux did.