The famous Blue Angels have cancelled a performance this weekend after a deadly crash Thursday.
Captain Jeff Kuss died when his aircraft went down in a ball of flames during a practice run in Tennessee. It's the first Blue Angels crash in nearly a decade.
The Blue Angels have performed in Sioux Falls numerous times over the years and are scheduled to fly again at the Sioux Falls Airshow next month. Organizers we talked with Friday are confident the Navy aerial team will still fly without one of their fallen angels.
The Blue Angels and its F/A-18 Hornets are part of the Navy's elite flying force.
Thursday, they suffered a tremendous loss, when Captain Jeff Kuss' plane crashed during a practice run.
"Our hearts and prayers go out to Captain Kuss and his family," Sioux Falls Airshow chairman Ron Mielke said.
Retired Brigadier General Ron Mielke of the South Dakota Air National Guard is the chairman of the Sioux Falls Airshow this year.
He says the Blue Angels are in a holding pattern while the crash is being investigated.
"They'll stand down for a period of time, then depending on what they find, they'll have to decide I guess what they'll do in terms of the rest of the airshow season," Mielke said.
Mielke says the Sioux Falls Airshow board met this morning to talk about what happens now with their event.
"We made the decision, we are moving forward with the airshow, we contacted our major sponsors, they are in agreement with and supportive of that," Mielke said.
While the Navy and FAA investigate the crash, Mielke wants to reassure anyone who is planning to attend the Sioux Falls Airshow, safety of the pilots and the spectators is a top priority.
"The show line is always offset from the crowd and so all of the aerial acts that are performed are done inside a box, there's nobody allowed inside that box during the airshow performance," Mielke said.
A performance that promises to be spectacular with or without the Blue Angels.
The Sioux Falls Airshow is July 23rd and 24th at the South Dakota Air National Guard.