Scott Laux
Introduction
Maj. Scott Laux, the United States Marine Corps aviator who flew as the Blue Angels’ No. 6 opposing solo pilot, was removed from the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, announced November 6, 2026, for “failing to uphold the standards expected of members” and will not participate in the team’s remaining performances this season . The removal, confirmed by the Chief of Naval Air Training (CNATRA), cost Laux his spot in the squadron’s season-ending NAS Pensacola Homecoming Air Show, where the Blue Angels flew five jets instead of their usual six . The Navy has not disclosed when the decision was made, what led to it, or whether it is connected to a disciplinary proceeding or an investigation — and Laux’s photograph and biography have since been scrubbed from the team’s official website .
Background Information
Laux is from Chantilly, Virginia, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chinese . He earned his wings of gold in 2015 and flew the F/A-18 Hornet with Marine fighter-attack squadrons based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, including a carrier deployment aboard the USS Nimitz and a unit deployment to Japan . He later transitioned to the F-35C Lightning II . His now-removed official biography credited him with more than 1,300 flight hours and 169 carrier-arrested landings; his awards included two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and multiple unit awards . Laux joined the Blue Angels in 2024, served as the team’s narrator in 2025 and moved to the No. 6 opposing solo seat for the 2026 season — the soloist who flies high-speed passes and head-on opposing maneuvers against the four-jet diamond . In October 2026 he flew with the team at San Francisco Fleet Week .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Removed for “failing to uphold the standards” — cause undisclosed. The Navy’s entire public account is one sentence: Laux was removed from the team for failing to uphold the standards expected of its members and will not fly the team’s remaining performances this season. No specific standard, no incident, no disciplinary proceeding and no investigation has been publicly tied to the removal, and nothing on this page accuses him of a crime. What is established is the removal itself, confirmed by the Navy’s own training command.
CNATRA’s public affairs office confirmed the removal to the Pensacola News Journal, which first reported it, on November 6 — the opening day of the Blue Angels’ Homecoming Air Show at Naval Air Station Pensacola, the final performances of the squadron’s 80th season and a celebration of the air station’s 200th anniversary . “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 CNATRA public affairs office said in its statement . Laux was absent from both days of the show, where the team flew five F/A-18 Super Hornets instead of the usual six and adjusted its routine to cover the missing opposing solo .
The silence surrounding the decision is what sets it apart. Officials have not disclosed when Laux was dismissed or what led to it, CNATRA could not confirm the timing when asked, and the Navy has not said whether the removal involves an investigation or disciplinary action . Newsweek, cited in AeroCorner’s account, reported that no flight-safety incident has been publicly linked to the removal . Within days of the announcement, the squadron’s website had scrubbed Laux’s photograph and biographical page . The Aviationist, comparing archived snapshots of the team site, reported that the squadron’s public affairs officer, Marine Capt. Danielle Cribb, also appears to have been quietly removed — her photo and bio were present in a Wayback Machine capture from August 7 and gone by an October 16 capture, with no statement about her case either .
Aviation coverage placed the removal against the squadron’s own precedent — and its departures from it. In 2008 the Blue Angels finished a season with five jets after two members were removed over an inappropriate relationship, and in 2014 the Navy relieved former squadron commander Capt. Gregory McWherter of a later post amid an investigation into the squadron’s command climate under him; both cases, AeroCorner noted, came with stated reasons, while Laux’s carries none beyond its single sentence on standards . Separately, in July 2026, Laux had publicly defended the squadron after a low-altitude “Breakfast with the Blues” flyover over Pensacola Beach sent tents, beach chairs and umbrellas flying in clouds of sand — “We’re gonna keep bringing the heat and continue doing it safely,” he told the Rolling with Madrina podcast at the time; no report connects that July incident to his removal .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The Pensacola News Journal’s report was picked up within a day by the New York Post and the aviation press, with every outlet carrying the same one-sentence Navy explanation . The immediate consequence was visible to the crowd: the opposing solo’s signature work — head-on passes and mirror-image formations flown with the lead solo in front of the stands — requires both solo jets, and the homecoming routine was adjusted for five aircraft . Commentary centered on the Navy’s refusal to explain, an outlier among demonstration-team removals, which historically arrived with at least a stated reason . No public statement from Laux about his removal appears in the coverage.
Current Status
As of November 8, 2026, Laux is out of the Blue Angels for the remainder of the 2026 season, which closed with the November 7 homecoming show . Whether he remains on active duty with the Marine Corps in another assignment, whether he faces any disciplinary process, and what standard he failed to uphold are all undisclosed; the Navy did not answer follow-up questions in the coverage . He has not been charged with any offense, and no investigation into his conduct has been confirmed . His photograph and biography remain absent from the Blue Angels’ website .
Impact on Their Career/Life
The removal closes the showcase chapter of a career that included carrier combat deployments, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, more than 1,300 flight hours and 169 arrested carrier landings — and it did so in the least transparent fashion in the squadron’s recent history: no stated cause, no timeline, and a team biography now findable only in news archives and web caches . For a pilot whose seat existed to fly the team’s signature opposing passes, the effect of the removal was visible to every spectator at the finale: one jet short in the delta . What follows for his Marine Corps career — continued flying duty, a disciplinary process, or an administrative separation — is not publicly known .
Sources
- *NY Post, “Blue Angels pilot Scott Laux booted from elite Navy flight team for ‘failing to meet standards’,” November 8, 2026 — source
- *The Aviationist, “Blue Angels Remove Maj. Scott Laux Ahead of Homecoming Airshow,” November 7, 2026 — source
- *AeroCorner, “Blue Angels Pilot Scott Laux Removed From Team” — source
- *@nypost on X, November 8, 2026 — source