BIGGER, FASTER, LOUDER
A guide to stunts, aircraft, tickets, parking for air show
When the newly upgraded U.S. Navy Blue Angels headline this weekend’s 2021 Fort Lauderdale Air Show May 8-9, for spectators on the beach those upgrades can be expressed in a single word: loud.
How loud? Since the sextet of elite fighter jets last visited Fort Lauderdale in 2019, the Navy’s legacy Hornets flown in air shows since 1986 have been replaced by sleeker twin-engine F/A-18 Super Hornets that are 25% larger and pack 40% more power under the hood. And they kick up more raw velocity (nearly 1,200 mph), vapor trails, hairpin turns and death-defying inverted rolls than their predecessors.
“The turns are quicker and more dynamic, the aircraft are bigger, and all
that means more noise,” Air Show president Bryan Lilley says.
Joining this weekend’s daredevilry in the sky will be 11 military-grade seaplanes, stunt aircraft, helicopters and paratroopers.
Here’s everything you can expect from this weekend’s aerial fun, and don’t forget earplugs.
What’s your price for flight?
That depends on your need for speed — and your need for a comfortable viewing perch. Introduced during last November’s Air Show, which was delayed six months by
the pandemic, the Air Show’s free Air.Show livestream lets viewers watching from home ride in the cockpit with aviators and toggle between video feeds and audio commentary from the narrator’s broadcast stage.
In-person admission is also free for spectators along Fort Lauderdale beach north of Sunrise Boulevard. But if you’re angling for better seats, be prepared to splurge online, as no tickets will be sold in person this year. Drop Zone Beach passes, a prime viewing area on the shore between Sunrise and Northeast 14th Court — will cost $35-$39 online and includes access to portable restrooms and early 9 a.m. admission. Flight Line Club VIP ($179-$199) includes a personal beach tent, food and a drink, and a golf-cart valet.
Prefer aerial views? Arguably the best vantage point is the VIP Penthouse ($449, Saturday sold out) on the 10th floor rooftop balcony of the Pelican Grand (2000 N. Ocean Blvd.), which includes an air-conditioned bathroom, valet parking, open bar and bites. Also introduced last November, the Sand Boxes ($259 for Sunday, Saturday sold out) are private areas in designated boxes on the beach sand where families can sit socially distanced.
If VIP sounds steep, consider this alternative: Watch the Air Show from the patio for free at McSorley’s Beach Pub (837 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.), or pay $40 for rooftop access (children 15 and under are free).
The action will kick off each day at 11:30 a.m. and continue until 3 p.m.
Given to fly
There will be 12 performances, but keep an eye out for these mavericks of the skies.
U.S. Navy Blue Angels: Grounded in Pensacola during the off-season, the Blue Angels are known for precision flying their F/A-18 Super Hornets, landing atop each other, executing dynamic loops and flying in the six-jet Delta formation.
F-16 Viper Demo Team: This secondbilled fighter-jet team, one of four military squadrons that headlined last November’s pandemic-delayed Air Show, will pull off a three-mile inverted climb among its stunts.
Red Bull Helicopter: Stuntman Aaron Fitzgerald pilots this modified BO-105C twin-engine helicopter that can execute barrel rolls, vertical climbs, nose dives, full loops and — perhaps most dangerous of all — upside-down flying.
Coast Guard SAR Demo: Returning from their 2019 appearance, this Coast Guard search-and-rescue crew will simulate a water rescue demonstration 300 feet offshore. Rescue swimmers will dive from a helicopter hovering over a person in distress, then hoist the rescued swimmer into the helicopter.
Ms. Geico vs. the Skytyper: Which is faster, a World War II-era SNJ-2 vintage aircraft or a speedboat? Answer: It depends on the surf and wind speed. The Geico Skytypers, always an Air Show crowdpleaser for their white-smoke skywriting and aerobatic loops, will send one of their WWII aircrafts to face off against Miss Geico, a 47-foot catamaran.
C-17 Globemaster III Demo: At 174 feet long and with a wingspan of 170 feet, this cargo aircraft hogs plenty of airspace, but it’s capable of air-dropping 102 paratroopers and their equipment.
Danger zone
Of the many COVID-19 upgrades in place, the highlights include contactless ticket scanning, portable hand sanitizers and hand-washing stations. No tickets will be sold at the gate. And wearing a mask is recommended — but not exactly enforced — for spectators standing within six feet of others, and optional when separated at least six feet.