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2011 Air Shows |
Atlantic
City August 17, 2011
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Location: Atlantic
City Boardwalk and Beach |
Admission: FREE!
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Parking: Commercial
up to $20 for the day. |
Value: Good
because it is FREE |
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Atlantic
City, NJ, the gambling and entertainment center of the east coast,
has been hosting a beach front air show since 2003. Although
this 1-day event takes place every year on a Wednesday in August,
it draws a large crowd. This year about 700,000 people packed
the shore line to watch the action over the sunny beach. The
air show is free to the public. They offer an exclusive seating
area with tents, the Flight Line Club for $30 per person, or
$50 for the VIP ticket. For those who do not like sand, one of
the best spots to watch the show is at the Caesar’s Palace
pier. For that it is best to arrive by 8 AM to get a place in
line for one of the 500 free tickets. What makes this a great
location is that since the pier extends out over the water, you
are closer to the action than if you were at the shoreline. |
The show opened with the US Army Golden Knights flag drop followed
by the Canadian Skyhawks parachute team. F-16s from the 177 th
Fighter Wing flew a 4-ship formation and also flew with the 108
th Air Refueling Wing KC-135. A KC-10A Extender and a C-17 Globemaster
III from the 514 th Air Mobility Wing also made a pass each.
There was also a flyby by C-130H from the 166 th Air Wing. The
US Coast Guard did a Search and Rescue Demonstration with two
HH-65 Dolphins. A USMC CH-46 Skynight from HMM-466 performed
in front of the crowd.
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This year the headline attraction was the United
States Air Force Thunderbirds. The new Heavy Metal Team from
Lancaster, PA, gave a great performance flying their L-39s and
Mig-17 (actually a Polish PZL- Mielec Lim-6bis). Captain Dale “Snort” Snograss
made several exciting low passes over the water. The Geico Skytypers
flew their routine with the SNJs. One SNJ also raced a Geico
racing boat
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The surprise of the show was a flying display by a MV-22 Osprey
from VMM-162. Among other top acts of the day was the F-18F Super
Hornet and A-10 East demonstration. The A-10 also flew the USAF
Heritage Flight with the P-51D Bald Eagle flown by Jim Beasley.
He also flew the Spitfire MK.XVIII.
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The list of some of
the performing warbirds at the show:
- US Air Force Thunderbirds Demonstration
- US Army Golden Knights Parachute Team Jump
- US Air Force A-10 East Demonstration Team
- Canadian Skyhawks Parachute Team
- US Coast Guard Search & Rescue Demonstration
- MV-22 Osprey
- Heavy Metal Team
- Spitfire
- F/A-18F
- and many more
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Rating:
8 out of 10 |
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Review and photos by Ricardo von Puttkammer for
AIRSHOWSREVIEW LLC. |
© 2011
AIRSHOWSREVIEW LLC. All Rights Reserved. |
All trade names, trademarks and
manufacturer names are the property of their respective owners. |
