SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco Fleet Week goes full sail Friday with the Parade of Ships, Air Show and iconic Blue Angels all set to take to the Bay and the skies above it. Fleet Week was launched in 1981 by then Mayor Dianne Feinstein and is now in its 43rd year. The purpose of the annual event is to connect the U.S. armed forces with civilians and bring revenue to the local economy along the way. Fleet Week weather: Will SF skies be clear enough to watch the Blue Angels? Fleet Week Parade of Ships Events Friday get underway at 11 a.m. with the Parade of Ships set to sail under the Golden Gate Bridge and enter San Francisco Bay. The procession of ships will be led by San Francisco Fire Department boats that will shoot jets of water into the air in celebration of the fleet's arrival. (Photo by Ray Chavez/MediaNews Group/The Mercury News via Getty Images) Fleet Week Air Show schedule Fleet Week's main event, the iconic air show, takes to the skies Friday. The air show will run daily through the weekend, weather permitting. The air show will feature the Patriots Jet Team, the Greg Colyer Ace Maker T-33, an Air Force Heritage Flight, "Fat Albert," a United States Air Force, and of course the crown jewel of Fleet Week, the Blue Angels. Hours for the Air Show are as follows: Friday, Oct. 11: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 13: 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. (AFP PHOTO/JOSH EDELSON (Photo by Josh Edelson / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images) Blue Angels SF 2024 schedule The Fleet Week Air Show headlining act and the iconic crown jewel of the entire annual event, the Blue Angels will make their first official appearance Friday. Although anyone in and around San Francisco on Thursday likely saw -- and heard -- the elite fighter jet squadron practicing. All about Blue Angels fan favorite 'Fat Albert' Based across the Bay at San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport, the Blue Angels will fly in the Fleet Week Air Show Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The team, as usual, will fly their F/A-18 Super Hornets, in their trademark close-knit formations performed at death-defying speeds. The Fleet Week Air Show runs from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The Blue Angels usually fly at around 3 p.m. following a 15-minute cameo from "Fat Albert," the C-130 Super Hercules that also transports the team's maintenance and support equipment between shows. (Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Other Fleet Week events In addition to the Parade of Ships and the Air Show, other Fleet Week events continue Friday and through the weekend. Military bands will play around the city Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Ship tours will also continue on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Other Fleet Week events on Friday and over the weekend include the Fleet Week Expo and the "Port Chicago 50 Play." Fleet Week will conclude on Monday, Oct. 14.