At the end ofWorldWar II ChesterW Nimitz Chief of Naval Operations ordered the formation of a flight demonstration team The Blue Angels performed their first display in June 1946 flying the Grumman F6F Hellcat By the end of the 1940s they were flying their first jet aircraft the Grumman F9F 2 Panther After the Korean War the team reformed at NAS Corpus Christi Texas remaining there until 1954 when they relocated to their present home at NAS Pensacola Florida progressing to the sweptwing Grumman F9F 8 Cougar The ensuing 20 years saw the Blue Angels transition to two more aircraft the Grumman F11F 1 Tiger 1957 and the McDonnell Douglas F 4J Phantom II 1969 In December 1974 the Team began flying the McDonnell Douglas A 4F Skyhawk and was redesignated as the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron