Ocean City Air Show Takes Off This Weekend

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Despite discussion this week of possible effects from Hurricane Florence on the Ocean City area, it doesn’t appear as though there will be much rain. Visitors and residents will still want to keep their eyes on the sky, though, as the Ocean City Air Show takes center stage.

The Ocean City Airport Festival will kick things off on Saturday, Sept. 15, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The festival features a ground display of unusual airplanes ranging from World War II to the present. The event will feature a parachute jump from Team Fastrax, “America’s Skydiving Team.” It also will include food, music, classic cars and kids’ activities, including the Ocean City Board of Realtors’ popular Bubble Mania.

The skydiving team will perform at the Airport Festival at some time after noon, depending on wind and weather conditions. The National Weather Service is calling for mostly cloudy skies, with east winds of 15 to 17 mph on Saturday.

The new half-mile “Runway Run” will return and is open to all ages. It offers a chance for anybody to cover ground normally traversed only by planes.

The festival takes place at the Municipal Airport at 26th Street and Bay Avenue. Additional parking for the festival will be available at Shelter Road (off Tennessee Avenue) with free shuttle service provided.

The Parachute Pyrotechnic Show debuted during last year’s festival, and will return at 8 p.m. on Saturday. The show consists of several highly trained and specially licensed Team Fastrax parachuters exiting an aircraft 6,000 feet above Ocean City’s beach and boardwalk. Brilliant white or multi-colored projectile pyrotechnics are then ignited as the parachuters fly in formation, creating a dazzling display for spectators on the ground. The jump will end with a landing on the Seventh Street Beach and will be viewable along the entire Boardwalk.

• Fastrax Parachute Team with National Anthem: teamfastrax.com
• Redline Aerobatic Team Teaser
• Texan Flight – Jersey Jerks 4 Passes
• Kevin Russo: kevinrussoairshows.com
• N.J. Air National Guard UH-60 SPIES/FRIES Demonstration
• U.S. Coast Guard MH-65D Dauphin Search and Rescue Demonstration
• Paul Dougherty: doughertyairshows.com
• David Windmiller: windmiller.com/home
• Mark Murphy FG-1D Corsair “Godspeed”
• Redline Aerobatic Team Full Show - Jon Thocker & Ken Reider: redlineairshows.com

Thousands typically soak up some of the final days of the calendar summer as they watch the spectacle from the beach and boardwalk. The show is best viewed from the area between Fifth Street and 14th Street. There is no rain date for any of the shows, and air performances may be canceled if weather conditions do not allow for safe flying.

The full forecast for the whole weekend can be found below:

Saturday
Mostly cloudy, with a high near 78. East wind 15 to 17 mph.

Saturday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. East wind 13 to 15 mph.

Sunday
Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. East wind around 13 mph.

Sunday Night
A slight chance of showers after 3am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

The attached images were provided by Ocean City Public Information Officer Doug Bergen