| Senior week down at the shore
got a lot louder than usual as the inaugural OC Air Show took place as a
rare mid week airshow Tuesday and Wednesday June 10-11, 2008. This first
time event was kicked off on practice day Monday June 9 by the famed U.S.
Navy Blue Angels executing their Delta Flat Pass down the shore line. The
Blues had left MCAS Cherry Point en route to the Quebec City airshow, and
they had agreed to make a pass at Ocean City. There were a lot of people
on the boardwalk and in the sand anticipating the Blues fly over, and
audible clapping was heard as they turned their smoke on for the pass down
the beach. It just wouldn’t be a proper beach show without some kind of
U.S. Navy participation!
After the Blues flyby, a trip to the
Ocean City Airport was in store to view the performers planes, and other
aircraft on display there at this unique open house. The unfortunate part
of the open house was a timing issue. By the time I left to go back to
the beach for the practice show, many of the performers had not yet
arrived at the airport.
This show had a nice mixture of
performers in store for a very anticipating public featuring both civilian
and military aircraft. Three very different civilian teams were in
attendance. The Geico Skytypers in their six SNJ-2’s performed maneuvers
that were taught to Naval aviators back in WWII smoking up the skies above
Ocean City. The Firebirds performed some wild looking, seemingly out of
control maneuvers along with formation work that made this team very
exciting to watch. Firebird team leader Jack Knutson in an Extra 300 was
joined on his wing by Rob Holland in his MX2. Jack laughed at the
performers party Tuesday night when I informed him that the announcer
called them the Radical Firebirds. A new team on the circuit, The Yak
Attack, performed in three different Yak aircraft looping and rolling in
the blue skies. Not to be out done, there were several civilian solo
demonstrators on hand. Ed Hamill was living the dream in his U.S. Air
Force Reserve biplane performing both old barnstorming maneuvers along
with some unbelievable tumbling maneuvers from this era. David Windmiller
gave a very dynamic display in his Watermiller sponsored Edge 540. Rob
Holland returned solo executing some seemingly impossible maneuvers. Not
to be out done, Matt Chapman in his Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
sponsored Cap Eagle 580 looped, rolled, and tumbled around the blue skies
above Ocean City.
The USCG performed a series of rescue
maneuvers each day, including a basket to boat transfer from a MH-60J
Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City. Dover AFB was
represented both days by both aircraft that are stationed at the base.
Tuesday featured a flyby of the newest aircraft in Dover’s inventory, the
C-17 Globemaster III. Wednesday featured a flyby of the C-5 Galaxy, a
long standing resident of Dover AFB. Wednesday also featured a couple of
passes by a NASA P-3 Orion from Wallops Island.
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