Eating saltwater taffy. Taking a dip in the ocean. Soaking in the rays on the sand. Enjoying a stroll on the Boardwalk.
    All of these are great summer traditions in Atlantic City. And, you can add another one, as the Atlantic City Airshow celebrates its fifth anniversary with another spectacular day of demonstrations on Wednesday, August 15.
    “I absolutely think it has become a summer tradition,” says Joe Kelly, president of the Atlantic City Mainland Regional Chamber of Commerce. “The nice thing about this tradition is that everybody looks forward to it. It has appeal to residents of Atlantic City, the surrounding area and visitors. And the economic impact on the entire county is substantial.”
    The best part of the airshow—billed as “Thunder Over the Boardwalk”—is that you can enjoy all of those previously mentioned summer traditions while watching fighter jets soar, parachutes unfold and harriers hover.
    The Atlantic City Airshow—a collaboration of producer David Schultz Airshows, the Chamber, the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority and the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard—is unique because onlookers can view all of the festivities from the comfort of their beach chairs, or even cooling off in the ocean. You can even walk to the Boardwalk to grab a bite to eat. Or go to the beach bars and sip on margaritas. The best part of the airshow is that it’s free, thanks to sponsors like Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, which is officially presenting the event for the second year in a row.
    “It’s so great because it’s over the beach, the Boardwalk and the ocean,” says Michael Bruckler, media relations manager for the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority. “There’s not a bad seat in the house. You can literally be anywhere on the beach and Boardwalk and have a spectacular view of the show.”
    David Schultz, president of David Schultz Airshows, says Thunder Over the Boardwalk should remain the second largest airshow on the East Coast, behind Fort Lauderdale.
    “Unlike some shows, where performers aren’t always that eager to show up because they aren’t treated great, the opposite is the case with the Atlantic City Airshow,” says Schultz, a former writer and photographer for aviation magazines who turned his passion into a full production company that produces approximately 20 airshows a year all over the world. “We have to beat them away with a stick. They want to come to Atlantic City left and right. The whole aspect of being able to go to the beach with the whole family and swim or lay on the beach is great. And there aren’t many free airshows of this magnitude. It’s an amazing event.”
    The airshow, which will run from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., will feature enough demonstrations and fly-bys to please the most avid aviation fan.
    The United States Air Force Thunderbirds will return for the fourth consecutive year to headline the festival with a 30-minute program that will kick off the finale at 3 p.m.
     “Why are the Thunderbirds such a big draw?” Schultz asks. “Well, there’s six jets during the demo, and it’s a full 35-minute demonstration that features the best of the best of the Air Force. It doesn’t get better than them.”
    The United States Marine Corps will bring its AV-8B Harrier II back to the airshow as well.
    “People love that,” Schultz says. “It’s a great demo. It hovers and flies backwards over the water.”
    With the absence of the U.S. Navy’s legendary Blue Angels this year (they made a rare joint appearance with the Thunderbirds last year), the airshow has the room to bring back the Navy’s F/A-18C Hornets, who will show off some major speed, along with the Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle and the F-16 Falcon.
    “You’ll see them hit just under Mach-1,” Schultz says. “If it’s nice and humid, you’ll see some vapor. They really move. They don’t break the sound barrier, but they are fast.”
    Schultz is particularly enthused by the presence of three aerobatic champions, Rob Holland, Matt Chapman and Matt Mancuso. Holland, of New Hampshire, will fly an MX-2 model wing plane, which Schultz says is a relatively new model of plane designed specifically for amazing aerobatics.
    “He is a great pilot, and so are Matt and Mike,” Schultz says. “Matt and Mike do solo demonstrations, then follow them with a dual formation just prior to the Thunderbirds that is one of the best two-plane formations you’ll ever see.”
    Airshow-goers will also see the Air Force’s Heritage Flight, the United States Army’s Golden Knights, the United States Coast Guard’s Multiple SAR demo and the “Skytypers,” as well as fly-bys by the Air Force’s B-2A, C-5, KC-10, C-17, EC-130J, A-10, F-16 and KC-135, the FAA’s Bombardier, the Navy’s MH-53, the Marines’ CH-46, the New Jersey State Police and the Horizon Blue Cross Blimp.
    What it takes to get all of those planes to fly over the Atlantic City beach is nothing less than remarkable. Schultz says flights will be based out of seven different airports, as close as the Atlantic City International Airport and as far away as Missouri, from where B2s will make a three-hour trip to the city.
    “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff the public never sees or knows about to make this thing work right,” Schultz says. “There’s holding points and frequencies and a lot of things going on. Last year, we were perfectly on schedule. The public didn’t know which direction to look. They were coming from behind, left and right. There was always something for people to see.”
    Schultz says he didn’t know if a tribute would be made to honor the Blue Angels pilot who died in a crash in April in South Carolina.
    “(The crash) is something that has been talked about and something that has been mentioned,” Schultz says. “I’m not sure what or if anything will be done, but I don’t think it will be a major, formal thing.
    “The pilots who are in these airshows are extremely skilled. Each one of these guys has well over 1,000 hours of airtime. They know the nuances of all these jets and have gone through more training sessions than you can count. They are flying five or six different demos just for practice. Their skills are honed; safety is not an issue.”
    Schultz stresses that the airshow is the culmination of hard work, sponsorships, organization and teamwork between his company, the Borgata, the Coast Guard, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Chamber, the ACCVA, the 177th and others.
     “Also, the city does a fantastic job of coordinating police and fire rescue to emergency service personnel,” Schultz says.
    “We have a committee of well over 20 members, and we all have ownership over particular things, and we all do those things extremely well to make sure it all comes together.” “We have well in excess of 200 volunteers that support this and make it happen,” Kelly adds. “We plan the next one the day after this one is over. It takes a 12-month commitment for this airshow to operate the way it does.
    “Between the city’s police, fire, EMS, the 177th, the Coast Guard and 50 or 60 sponsoring organizations, it is truly amazing. And if we didn’t have all of this support, we couldn’t pull it off.”
    But Schultz particularly notes the Borgata’s involvement.
    “They are extremely instrumental,” he says. “They have come to the table as the title sponsor again this year, and they are doing everything they can to promote it and be great hosts. It is a top-shelf organization. There is nothing second class about Borgata.”
    “This simply would not happen without Borgata,” Bruckler adds.
    Kelly says that while Borgata is the main sponsor, other casinos are contributing this year, proving to naysayers that casinos do support community activities and are great for the city.
    “We have casino support across the board,” Kelly says. “People should be talking about how the casinos are getting together to make sure this airshow remains the great attraction that it is. And the fact that Borgata makes such a commitment to something that happens near the Boardwalk—despite Borgata being located on the bay—shows what kind of company that is. It just speaks loudly that they are doing this for the community.”
    The ACCVA, Chamber of Commerce and others are joining Borgata to get the word out so that hundreds of thousands of people return this year like they have the last few. “We’re doing our best to let everyone know about this as much as we can,” Bruckler says.
    “We’re using the internet to attract visitors more than ever.”

Watching in Style
Not everyone has to “rough it” on the beach, however.
    Corporate sponsors and invited guests are able to use chalets on the beach, which offer great views and other amenities.
    Hundreds of thousands of visitors to the city means booming business. Restaurants will be crowded, parking lots will be full, and lots of people will be buying everything from suntan lotion to beach chairs.
    “It is a great day for the city,” Bruckler says, “because it shows another side of Atlantic City. Everyone knows the casinos are the driving force here, but on this day, it’s about a different kind of visitor experience. It’s a special event that shows people we have more than casinos. We have a beautiful beach, Boardwalk and other businesses. It’s a day to show off the seashore.”
    Since parking is always an issue, planners are doing their best to accommodate as many people as possible. People are encouraged to take public transportation and jitneys. Borgata is offering parking at its surface lot beginning at 9 a.m., and shuttles will bring people to the Boardwalk.
    Bernie Robbins Stadium’s parking lot also will be available with shuttle service. And, of course, the casino parking lots will be open. Plan ahead and get a casino players’ club card so you won’t have to pay high parking rates, which will be undoubtedly inflated that day. Or—better yet—take your boat or watercraft out on the ocean and enjoy the show.
    If you’re looking to avoid the crowds Wednesday, go to the practice session on Tuesday, when most of the participating pilots will be flying over Atlantic City throughout the day. And after Wednesday’s event, after-parties at the beach bars and Borgata will most likely take place, although none were scheduled at press time.
    If previous airshows proved anything, it’s that August 15 will be a fun day in Atlantic City.
    “The Atlantic City Airshow is definitely more fast-paced than many other airshows,” Schultz says. “We plan so that the crowd has something to look at for the entire four or five hours they’re out there.
    “There’s always something in the sky. We call it aviation overload.”

Presented by Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, the Atlantic City Airshow “Thunder Over The Boardwalk” is a community partnership between the Atlantic City Regional Mainland Chamber of Commerce, the 177th Fighter Wing of the N.J. Air National Guard, David Schultz Airshows LLC, the City of Atlantic City (Police Department, Fire Department, Emergency Management, Public Works, Beach Patrol) and the Atlantic City Convention & Visitors Authority. Performance sponsors include the South Jersey Transportation Authority, Atlantic City International Airport and William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center and the Atlantic City Air Traffic Control Tower. Contributors include the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, NJ Military Police, Tow Boat U.S., Atlantic City Surf, Exceptional Medical Transportation, Sea Isle Ice Company, Atlantic City Housing Authority, Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, NJ Casino Control Commission, Atlantic County Emergency Management Services, Atlantic City Medical Center, Atlantic City Special Improvement District, Boy Scouts of America, Atlantic County Women’s Center, and media and chalet sponsors.

By Joseph Harrison

Joseph Harrison is a Casino Connection staff writer who covers news and trends in the casino industry as well as community related stories.

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