File:US Navy Blue Angels enter Baltimore Harbor 120616-N-CG900-015.jpg

English: A U.S. Navy Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team F/A-18 Hornet aircraft begins generating smoke over Baltimore Harbor, off of historic Fort McHenry, where 16.500 people were among the crowd of 75,000 people, watching the show during the city’s Star Spangled Sailabration, which commemorated the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the writing of the national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." The beginning of a smoke trail can be seen approaching the leading edges of the plane’s wings from the forward part of the aircraft. As part of the Navy’s commitment to being good stewards of the environment, the smoke poses no hazard to the environment and is made by pumping biodegradable, paraffin-based oil directly into the exhaust nozzles of the aircraft where the oil is instantly vaporized into smoke. The smoke provides a traceable path for spectators to follow, so they can see the flight profile that has been flown. It also enhances safety of flight by providing a valuable means by which the solo pilots can see each other during opposing maneuvers and conditions of lowered visibility or haze. Naval vessels from the United States and other maritime nations are commemorating the Bicentennial. The F/A-18 Hornet aircraft and other aircraft types in the Navy and Marine Corps inventory are a component of the assets that enable the Navy’s ability to operate forward and ensure freedom of the seas for commerce, travel and basic human rights, which is a fundamental mission of the U.S. Navy, Marines and Coast Guard. (U.S. Navy photo by Joseph P. Cirone/Released)