The Atlantic City Air Show…
The Atlantic City Airshow starts 11:35 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, over the beaches and Boardwalk of A.C. and its neighboring communities. It is preceded by a noon to 3 p.m. practice session Tuesday, Sept. 1, and the annual Atlantic City Salutes the Armed Forces Parade kicks off the festivities at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, on the Boardwalk.
The Geico Skytypers are a squadron of six restored World War II aircrafts piloted by a rotating team of about a dozen former military pilots, current or retired commercial airline pilots, and/or flight instructors. They will scrawl messages across the sky starting 1:27 p.m. Wednesday, and also Tuesday during practice runs.
“Atlantic City’s like a home game for us, it’s so close to our home airport (in Farmingdale, New York),” says 16-year Geico Skytypers pilot Steve Kapur, whose team participates in about 15 airshows annually around the country.
“The planes we’re flying are vintage World War II aircraft built in the early 1940s, but we use the latest technology to do our skytyping and navigation. So we’re really combining old and new technology.
“The skytyping system itself is run off a touch-screen computer tablet that we have pre-set to type a message. The job for us is to fly wingtip to wingtip in a perfect formation, and the computer puts out puffs of smoke. What you end up with looks like the old dot-matrix printers — they’re dots of smoke that can be six to eight miles long and as high as the Empire State building. One of the guys joked that we’re sending the original text messages.
“This is different and faster than skywriting,” Kapur adds. “A skywriter can twist and turn and spell out maybe a three- to five-letter word in about a minute. (Skytypers) can do about 20 to 30 characters in a minute. And as we go across the sky, people on the ground are always trying to figure out ahead of time what we’re writing.”
Years before it actually happened, the Greater A.C. Chamber tossed around the idea of hosting a summertime airshow on Atlantic City’s beaches during a time of the week when business was less brisk. In 2003, stars aligned and the show came to fruition, but nobody today could say with a straight face that they knew it would draw Woodstock-like crowds from its outset and every summer since.
“There were a few airshows at the (A.C. International) airport in the past, but our idea was to do one over the ocean,” says Kelly. “That first show 13 years ago, Borgata was just opening and their organization had strong ties, via Las Vegas, with the (U.S. Air Force) Thunderbirds.
“I believe that during a casual conversation between Borgata leadership and the Thunderbirds, it was asked if the Thunderbirds would ever consider going to Atlantic City. They ended up getting a very quick yes, and we put the first show together in the course of about three months.”
The estimated crowd at last year’s show was around 800,000 people, although Kelly says attendance figures are nearly impossible to determine.
“When somebody asks me how many people see the show, I always defer to emergency management because I honestly don’t have a good way to estimate,” Kelly says. “I can tell you that based on what I’ve been told from some of the performers — the pilots who are looking down at the crowds from the vantage point of an airplane — many of them have said that this is among the largest shows they’ve ever perform in, crowd wise. And this much is a certainty: it’s the largest midweek airshow on the East Coast, if not the country.”
The fact that the show is hosted in a resort town makes it a drawing point not just for the spectators, but also the participants. The A.C. Airshow is also unique in that it is free, and can boast vantage points that literally stretch for miles.
“I think our strength is that we try to take advantage of what our greatest asset is, and that’s the ocean,” Kelly says. “And the venue makes it unique. Our stage starts in Brigantine and ends up in Ocean City. That’s a pretty big stage.”
Jim Beasley, Jr., is a Philadelphia-based attorney and civilian pilot who summers in Ocean City. He has been part of the A.C. Airshow since its inception, and will be doing a WWII-era P-51 Mustang demonstration at 12:54 p.m. Other civilian stunt pilots, sky divers and multiple demonstrations are part of the draw, but the show’s biggest stars are the elite jet pilots of the U.S. military. In 2006, the show included both the Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the latter of whom will make their first return to A.C. in nine years on Sept. 2.
“In 2006 the Blue Angels joined the Thunderbirds as part of the Angels’ 50th anniversary,” Kelly says. “That’s why both appeared at the same show. But for every show that one of these major teams say yes to, there’s hundred that they’re saying no to. There’s that much of a demand, so locally we should never take for granted our ability to attract major teams to this event. Hopefully it’s because we’re doing things right that they keep coming back.”
Atlantic City Airshow Schedule:
11:35 a.m.: Airshow tow banner flybys
11:37 a.m.: Jim Beasley III, L4 flyby
11:40 a.m.: Jim Beasley Jr., SNJ Texan Aerobatics
11:50 a.m.: U.S. Army Golden Knights, flag jump with National Anthem
11:58 a.m.: US.. Army Golden Knights, mass exit show
12:06 p.m.: Andrew Wright, Giles 202 aerobatics
12:19 p.m.: FAA William J. Hughes, aircraft flyby
12:21 p.m.: Jack Kelly, Bell 47D1 helicopter flybys
12:22 p.m.: AtlantiCare, medical helicopter flybys
12:23 p.m.: MidAtlantic, medevac helicopter flybys
12:25 p.m.: FAA William J. Hughes, aircraft flyby
12:26 p.m.: Chopper 6 (WPVI, Channel 6 ABC)
12:28 p.m.: NJ Army National Guard, UH-60 flyby and combat insertion demonstration
12:39 p.m.: Raiders Aerobatic Demonstration Team
12:54 p.m.: Jim Beasley, P-51D Mustang demonstration
1:02 p.m.: U.S. Air Force, F-22 Raptor demonstration
1:17 p.m.: U.S. Air Force, Heritage Flight (F-22 and P-51)
1:27 p.m.: GEICO Skytypers
1:42 p.m.: GEICO Skytypers race against Miss GEICO speedboat
1:47 p.m.: Mike Wiskus, LUCAS Oil Pitts aerobatics and skydivers
2:06 p.m.: Andrew Wright, Giles 202 world-record attempt, inverted flat spins
2:16 p.m.: U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue demonstration
2:31 p.m.: U.S. Army Golden Knights, mass exit show
3 p.m.: US Navy Blue Angels, C-130T Hercules
3:10 p.m.: U.S. Navy Blue Angels
The Wright stuff
Andrew Wright is a self-professed computer geek, which is a lifestyle that tends to lend itself to avoidance of anything death defying. But on Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 2:06 p.m., however, the computer securities specialist from Texas will pilot his Giles 202 (G-202) single-engine plane about three miles into the sky, then hurdle earthward in a series of spins that could earn him a Guinness World Record at the Atlantic City Airshow. Wright has been flying competition-and-airshow aerobatics in a G-202 since 2001.
“One of my mentors was Wayne Handley, who broke the world record for the most consecutive flat spins in a G-202 with 78 in 1999,” says Wright, whose love for flying grew out of a gift from his wife to take glider lessons, and somehow evolved into passion for aerial acrobatics. “Last year the record was broken (by Spencer Suderman with 81 spins, flying a Pitts Special biplane). I planned to try to beat it in April at the Corpus Christi (Texas) Airshow, but it was too overcast and I never even got off the ground.”
So Corpus Christi’s loss could be A.C.’s gain — if conditions are right. Wright, who has more than 1,000 hours flying a G-202 in airshows, will climb to an altitude of 23,000 feet and begin his spinning descent. The attempt requires special FAA permission, as climbing any higher than 17,900 feet without a waiver is a violation, and Wright will need to employ an oxygen tank in the cockpit to compensate for the lack of it at that altitude.
“It will take about 20 minutes to get up there, and about two-and-a-half minutes to get down,” he says. “Ideally you want a clear blue sky with no clouds anywhere, and the wind will need to be right. If there are clouds here and there it’ll be OK, but the wind is crucial.”
There will be a camera onboard the aircraft to verify the number of spins, and the plane will emit a smoke trail so that airshow attendees can witness the potential record breaking.
“It’s a 22-foot wingspan airplane, so it’s not going to be too easy to see it when I first start the spin, but you should be able to see the smoke trail most of the way down,” he says.
While jet-fighter pilots, such as the show’s headlining Blue Angels, have to compensate for a positive-G force that pins a pilot to his seat, Wright will be dealing with a negative-G force that makes a body feel weightless in flight.
“If I went a month without flying it would be brutally hard, but as long as I’m in condition it’s not so bad,” he says. “It’s like going to a gym and getting your body used to a routine. (Jet pilots) always have to contend with positive-G forces and never negative. Negative-G is just a different world that only crazy competition pilots contend with.”
Atlantic City Salutes the Armed Forces Parade and free Airshow practice day
Two pre-events leading up to the A.C. Airshow are the fifth-annual Atlantic City Salutes the Armed Forces Parade and the free Airshow practice day. The parade kicks off 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 31, rain or shine, at New Jersey Avenue on the Boardwalk, and concludes at Albany Avenue. There will be several motorcycle contingents, representatives of military and civic organizations, active and retired military members, local dignitaries, representatives from local police and fire departments, marching bands, floats and more. Then from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1, visitors will be able to witness a shortened flight schedule of many of the Airshow’s top acts flying over the beaches and Boardwalk. Because of smaller crowds and more parking availability, many believe practice day to be the better time to see the Airshow. Go to AtlanticCityNJ.com or AtlanticCityAirshow.com.
Do’s and Don’ts
Guests are recommended to wear light clothing, sunglasses, hats and, of course, sunscreen, in sunny weather. Bring along snacks and water to stay refreshed and hydrated, as well as folding chairs, umbrellas, field glasses and beach accessories for the beach. Take an AM radio tablet and tune to WPG-AM 1450 to hear commentary of the show as you witness it live. Those accessing the show by water should be aware that there is a no-boating zone??????. Abide by the boundaries and heed directions from the U.S. Coast Guard. Parents should inform children that if they get detached from them on the beach, to go to the nearest lifeguard stand for assistance.
Cool places to catch the Airshow
Attendees can become “Flightline Members” at special on-site beach seating at Bellevue Avenue and the Boardwalk, just south of Boardwalk Hall for a $50 fee. The cost includes general admission seating in designated area, an all-you-can-eat lunch with soft drinks or water from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., portable restrooms for ticket holders only, and narration of the show at the site. Children under 6 are free. Call 609-813-2121 for more info.
Boardwalk Hall will again host a private VIP Watch Party on the Hall’s second-story loggia starting 11 a.m. Wednesday, with doors opening 10 a.m. For a $125 fee, guests will get a parking spot at Boardwalk Hall, lunch by Carmine’s Atlantic City, complimentary soft drinks, and access to Boardwalk Hall’s private restrooms. Get tickets by calling 800-736-1420, at Ticketmaster.com, or in person at the Boardwalk Hall Box Office 2301 Boardwalk in A.C..
One Atlantic at The Playground is offering a VIP party called Under the Thunder, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For $100 per person, guests get an upscale luncheon menu and perfect views from either air-conditioned luxury or an outdoor balcony. A cash bar is available.
The Hard Rock Cafe, located at 1000 Boardwalk at Virginia Avenue on the Boardwalk side of Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort, is offering two different “Fly Zone” packages. Each is $80 and includes exclusive patio seating, a four-course meal and 20 percent off a Steel Pier ticket book. The choice is either a two-hour open-bar package, or a classic T-shirt and souvenir Airshow pin. Kids are $15 each. The package deals will be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. the day of the show. Call 609-441-0007, ext. 203, or go to HardRock.com/AtlanticCity.
Top 6 fan favorites
1 The Geico Skytypers will paint the skies at 1:27 p.m., then at 1:42 p.m. a Skytypers plane will race the Miss Geico Speedboat, which is capable of hitting speeds of 200 mph. Also this year is the aforementioned Guinness World Record attempt by Andrew Wright in his Giles 202 (G-202) single-engine plane at 2:06 p.m.
2 Flag jump by the U.S. Army Golden Nights at 11:50 a.m.
3 Raiders Aerobatic Demonstration Team at 12:39 p.m.
4 U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demonstration at 1:02 p.m.
5 Lucas Oil Pitts Aerobatics and skydivers team at 1:47 p.m.
6 The Blue Angels’ grand finale starting 3 p.m.
Parking options:
Parking is available throughout the city. Rates start at $5 per vehicle but can vary with location. South Jersey Transportation Authority parking information is below.
New York Avenue Garage: 19 S. New York Ave. $5 for four hours, $1 every additional hour.
Wave Parking Garage: Located at the corner Fairmount and Mississippi avenues. $7 for up to eight hours and $10 for more than eight hours.
$20 Park and Ride: Surface lot parking will be available on the Atlantic City Expressway at Milepost 4 (eastbound) and Milepost 3.5 (westbound). Shuttles will run continuously between the lot and Boardwalk at Indiana Avenue from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the day of the show.
$20 Jitney Park and Ride: Surface lot parking will be available at Bader Field, Rt. 40 (Black Horse Pike) and Crossan Avenue in West Atlantic City. Shuttles will run continuously from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the day of the show. All shuttles will drop off and pick up at Albany Avenue and the Boardwalk.
Parking rates are subject to change. Space is subject to availability. Early arrival is recommended.
2015 ATLANTIC CITY AIRSHOW ‘THUNDER OVER THE BOARDWALK’
WHEN: 11:35 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2. Practice takes place noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1.
WHERE: In the skies over the Atlantic City beaches and Boardwalk.
HOW MUCH: Free
MORE INFO: Airshow.ACChamber.com; Facebook.com/AirshowAC. The airshow will be broadcast live on WPG 1450 AM.
