BRANAN FIELD THE ORIGINAL TRAINING FIELD OF THE BLUE ANGELS

During the Second World War, the Navy developed multiple airfields in Clay County, including Branan Field Outlying Landing Field (OLF). Named for the family who previously owned the land, the field was ideal for practicing dangerous maneuvers away from civilians and busy airspace around Jacksonville. After the war, in 1946, the US Navy established their Navy Flight Exhibition Team who recognized that the unique layout of the runways at Branan Field made it particularly suitable for training. Soon known as the Blue Angels, the pilots were able to develop their signature crisscross maneuvers with visualization facilitated by Branan Field’s large, octagonal shape and converging 4,000-foot runways. In 1953, the Navy sold Branan Field OLF to private owners. The site remained mostly unchanged until developers built the Oakleaf Plantation Community atop the runways in the early 2000s. The US Navy and Marine Corps pilots of the Blue Angels are known for the teamwork, professionalism, and precision that was born in the skies of Clay County and on the runways of Branan Field.