Thousands lined the beach and boardwalk Sunday to watch the 2014 Ocean City Aerobatic Air Show.
The free Aerobatic Air Show in Ocean City, NJ on Sunday, Sept. 14 saw people lining the boardwalk railing from the Music Pier to the 14th Street Pier.The crowds enjoyed a sunny, cool and clear September day that showed no sign of the rain storm on Saturday that prevented one pilot (Kevin Russo in his SNJ-6) from making the trip to the show and delayed the departure of the World War II bombers that were on display at the Ocean City Air Festival at the Municipal Airport.
The annual air show is sponsored by the Ocean City Tourism Development Commission and the Ocean City Hospitality Association. It’s a free show that allows visitors to watch from the beach at a time of year when the air and ocean are both warm. It’s one of many “second season” events that help attract Ocean City visitors through the fall.
The show included eight performances featuring stunt pilots and formation teams.
In a show tradition, the Raiders Aerobatic Team paid tribute to a fallen pilot. The team honored U.S. Air Force Capt. Vincent J. Hickman, whose plane crashed in Vietnam after taking machine-gun fire on a combat mission. “Taps” played as the Raiders concluded their show with the “Missing Man Formation.”
The show’s finale featured Team AeroDynamix, flying eight planes as part of the “world’s largest air show team.” (Read more: “Behind an Air Show Display: Dreams, a Team and a Military Discipline.”
The show also included:
- Bill Gordon Flying His Stearman: Bill Gordon performed a dazzling routine in a 1930s/1940s-era biplane.
- Raiders Flight Demonstration Team: The team provided a unique and exciting three-aircraft formation aerobatic demonstration.
- Andrew McKenna P-51D Mustang: McKenna flew in the single-seat fighter plane made famous in World War II and the Korean War.
- Scott Francis MXS: There are only 12 MXS stunt planes in the world today, and Francis displayed the craft’s versatility.
- A Vintage T-6/SNJ
- Jason Flood: Flood survived a banner plane crash several years ago and put on an aerobatic performance in a Pitts S1-T plane.
