Constructability as elite performance: The Blue Angels’ approach to risk management

By

Makenna Ryan

and Marlissa Collier

Last Updated Apr 17, 2026

By

Makenna Ryan

and Marlissa Collier

In a few moments, six men in bright blue flight suits will board their F/A-18 Super Hornets and take off, performing aerobatic feats at speeds of up to 700 miles-per-hour in tight formation, just 18 inches apart. There is zero margin for error. 

But right now, they are gathered quietly around a mahogany table. They hunch forward slightly, fists clenched around imaginary joysticks. At the head of the table, the commander calls out signals in a voice that is calm but firm. 

The men respond silently, navigating the terrain in their minds — experiencing the entire flight turn-by-turn before they ever touch the cockpit.

The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels are renowned for performing precise maneuvers under enormous pressure. Their discipline is honed, in part, through "chair flying" — a mental rehearsal that exposes risks and allows them to troubleshoot mistakes in advance (you can watch an actual preflight brief here — it’s fascinating).

In construction, digital rehearsals can similarly transform complex projects from chaotic, risky endeavors into precisely orchestrated operations. For elite construction teams, constructability reviews are not a procedural formality, but a performance discipline.

'Chair Flying' the build: The power of rehearsal

Traditionally, constructability reviews were dry, static affairs, stacking 2D blueprints and hoping a sharp eye caught a pipe running through a beam. Today, modern BIM and VDC tools turn the jobsite trailer into a "chair flying" suite.

Moving from 2D drawings to immersive 3D simulations shifts from passive observation to active rehearsal. It allows every trade partner – from the structural steel lead to the MEP subcontractor – to walk through the procedure step by step.

Constructability manages risk. You can't invest enough money in constructability reviews. You literally walk through the procedure step-by-step: 'I’m going to lift it with the crane. Now I’m going to swing it. Oh, the crane can't get that far. I have to reposition. Now I set it down, but that valve is in the way.'

Makenna Ryan

Civil & Infrastructure Solutions Engineer

Procore Technologies

When identifying potential design clashes in a digital environment, the cost of correction is minimal — often just a few clicks of a mouse. In the field, that same mistake could cost tens of thousands of dollars in idle labor and rework. 

By bringing in the specific teams who will be putting the work in place, leaders force a level of buy-in that is impossible to achieve with a slide deck. When a foreman participates during the rehearsal, they aren't just looking at a model. They are visualizing their team’s safety and success.

This collaboration pays off. In the world of large EPC projects, one early conversation can save a week of field time — an ROI worth hundreds of times the initial investment.

Instrument flight: Validating field intuition with data

For the Blue Angels, "situational awareness" is the difference between a successful mission and a disaster. In construction, that awareness is a blend of veteran intuition and digital precision. Modern BIM and VDC tools allow teams to validate assumptions in 3D.

Technology enables more accurate and predictable performance, but it doesn’t replace human expertise and intuition.

Overlaying live model data with schedule and safety parameters creates a feedback loop where technology amplifies human expertise as opposed to replacing it.

Just as the Blue Angels review every formation to anticipate turbulence or mechanical variance, construction teams simulate critical lifts, sequencing conflicts, and spatial limitations. 

This process doesn’t just identify risks; it validates judgment, builds confidence, and ensures that the team moves forward in alignment, knowing they have accounted for foreseeable challenges.

Culture, morale, and the ripple effect

Investing in constructability shapes team culture. Teams that commit to thorough pre-planning operate with the calm, synchronized energy of a flight squadron. Every role is understood, every handoff anticipated, and every potential obstacle accounted for. 

This collaborative mindset cultivates foresight over firefighting, and morale rises as predictability replaces chaos.

Elite performance comes with pre-planning. If you put that effort in up front and a mistake happens, the whole team rallies because we all tried and we all missed it together. 

When constructability is treated as elite performance, it creates shared accountability and psychological safety. Team members feel empowered to flag risks early, knowing their observations are valued and acted upon, much like a wingman alerting a lead pilot to a hazard.

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Applying the Blue Angels playbook

In aviation, pre-flight visualization keeps pilots alive. In construction, preconstruction planning keeps projects safe, efficient, and predictable. Mastering constructability is not about eliminating risk: It’s about understanding and anticipating it, just as elite pilots do in formation flight. Foresight, precision, and unity become the guiding principles.

Builders who embrace this philosophy aren’t just managing projects; they are commanding a squadron. Each trade, each task, and each sequence is part of a coordinated maneuver where timing, trust, and communication matter.

When the project finally breaks ground and the "smoke is on," everyone moves in perfect formation, ensuring that the final execution isn't just a building — it's a masterclass in precision.

Written by

Makenna Ryan

Civil & Infrastructure Solutions Engineer | Procore Technologies

11 articles

Makenna Ryan is a Solutions Engineer at Procore. Prior to joining Procore, he spent seven years at McDermott International Inc. as a construction Manager and Senior Equipment Engineer. He also spent three years as a Project Engineer at Subsea7. Makenna received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and Technology from Texas Tech University. He is based in the Houston area.

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Marlissa Collier

40 articles

Marlissa Collier is a journalist whose work focuses on the intersections of business, technology, policy and culture. Her work has been featured in digital and print formats with publications such as the Dallas Weekly, XO Necole, NBCU Comcast, the Dallas Nomad, CNBC, Word in Black and Dallas Free Press. Marlissa holds an undergraduate degree in Construction Engineering from California State University, Long Beach and an MBA from Southern Methodist University’s Cox School of Business.

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