The U.S. Navy has removed Marine Corps Maj. Scott Laux, the Blue Angels' No. 6 opposing solo pilot, from its elite flight demonstration squadron, days before the team's final performances of the season.
The Chief of Naval Air Training confirmed the removal to the Pensacola News Journal on Friday, November 6, as the team prepared for its annual Homecoming Air Show at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.
"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," the command's public affairs office said in a statement.
The Navy has not said which standard Laux allegedly failed to meet, and it has not publicly identified a flight-safety incident, a disciplinary offense, a misconduct allegation or any other specific reason. A public affairs officer could not immediately say when the decision was made. Laux's photograph and biography were also removed from the Blue Angels' list of officers on the team's official website.
The removal was visible on the flight line on Friday, when the Blue Angels flew five jets instead of their customary six at the Homecoming Air Show, which runs November 6-7. The show, the team's final appearance until March 2027, celebrates the Blue Angels' 80th year as a demonstration squadron and Naval Air Station Pensacola's 200th anniversary since its inception as a naval shipyard in 1826. Last year's show was cancelled during a government shutdown.
Laux, from Chantilly, Virginia, was serving his second year with the Blue Angels and reported to the squadron in 2024. He was the team's narrator in 2025. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in 2012 with a degree in Chinese, he has accumulated more than 1,300 flight hours and 169 carrier-arrested landings, and has earned two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals.
