The annual Ocean City Air Show happened over the weekend and if you’re somehow unfamiliar with the event, fighter jets and other military aircraft take over the skies for two days and fly and perform over spectators on the beach and boardwalk. It’s a marvel that’s unlike anything else in Ocean City, and I was lucky enough to attend for the first time this year. Below are the photos by BL and me (admittedly, mostly BL) and a little bit about our first Air Show experience. We took a bunch of shots but there are 6 of our favorite Ocean City Airshow Photos.
This stunt plane was the first one we saw as we headed down the boardwalk, and it was doing some incredible tricks in the sky – flips and turns and loops that made me nauseous just looking at it. It was hard to take my eyes off the performance, but the boardwalk was so packed on Saturday that I needed all of my focus to weave in and out of the crowd.Another stunt plane. By this point, we’d arrived at our location – the rooftop of a hotel where we have connections with one of the maintenance guys (shh, don’t tell anyone!) – and the view was spectacular. Plus, there was a bar downstairs, so we were sipping on fruity cocktails while we watched the show. It was heaven.Here, a Coast Guard Helicopter conducted a simulated rescue operation, and at first we were worried that someone really did need rescuing. Luckily, the key word here is “simulation,” and it was pretty cool to see, especially when you know someone’s not really in dire need of rescue.I honestly have no idea what this thing is, but it looks intense. As you can tell by the clear, blue sky behind every plane, it was a beautiful day. It would have been perfect if it was just a few degrees cooler, but I really can’t complain. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring sunscreen and my nose is still red from the sun beating down on us all afternoon. Air Show pro tip: come prepared with sunscreen, sunglasses and maybe a sun-shielding hat.Overall, the Air Show was a really neat experience, and I’ll be sure to go again next year. I never thought I’d say this, but it’s worth sitting in traffic and facing hoards of people for.Pictured above are plumes of smoke from descending skydivers. The camera died before we could get any pictures of the famed Blue Angels, but I have a feeling they’ll be back again next year.
Kristin is a writer and photographer in Ocean City, Maryland, and is the content manager for OceanCity.com and other State Ventures, LLC sites. She loves getting reader-submitted stories and photos, so send her an email anytime. She also works part-time at the Art League of Ocean City and the Ocean City Film Festival and lives just off the peninsula with her dog and fiancรฉ. Her photos can be found on Instagram @oc_kristin.
