This Saturday, the Ocean City Airport Assn., holds its 21st Annual Air Festival, at the Municipal Airport, 26th and Bay Ave. from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The airport grounds will be packed with unusual airplanes including Classics, Ultra Lights, Warbirds, Antiques, and Home Builts. Admission is free.
Highlight of the ground display will be a rare, World War II B-25 Mitchell Bomber that gained fame for its durability and flexibility during that conflict. It was brought to national attention in April of 1942 when General Jimmy Doolittle led fifteen B-25’s from the air craft carrier “Hornet” in America’s first attack on mainland Japan. The B-25 will take off from the Airport at the conclusion of the Festival at 3 p.m. It is made available to Ocean City by the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum.
Rows of model airplanes are another attraction at the municipal airport.
From 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. the N.J. Pine Barrens RC Club will present an exciting model airplane exhibition. Some of the miniature jets will attain speeds of 100 miles per hour while performing exciting maneuvers. An advertising banner pick-up is also scheduled for noon.
Children even get the chance to fly their creations in a paper airplane contest.
The event will be child friendly with a paper airplane making and flying contest at 11 a.m. There will be categories for children from 4-12. First place winners will receive a free ride on a real airplane, The Red Baron. There will be face painting and a paper clip sculpting contest is scheduled. The Ocean City Board of Realtors will present a Bubblemania spectacular, a peaceful explosion of bubbles of all sizes to benefit Shore Memorial Hospital’s Pediatric Wing at 1:30 p.m. Doug Jewell of Air Circus on the Ocean City Boardwalk and his crew will be flying kites.
Jack Kehoe, of Upper Township, showed off his 1954 Chevy Bel Air convertible at the 2016 festival. It was one of the antique autos displayed last year.
There will be an antique auto display, military vehicles and helicopter and airplane rides for a fee. Food vendors will be on site and a DJ will provide background music. Call (609) 525-9223 for information.
