WXPort2004 "Thunder over the Boardwalk" Atlantic City Airshow, Atlantic City, NJ
18 August 2004
(Photos by Messrs. Greg Witmer & Dariusz Jezewski)

Despite very hazy conditions and threatening weather, the 2004 Atlantic City “Thunder Over the Boardwalk” Airshow took to the skies above the Atlantic City Beachfront on Wednesday August 18th to the delight of well over 400,000.   From the hundreds of thousands that crammed the beach starting at 8am to others that walked the boardwalk and looked from the casino balconies, everyone left with a great sense of pride in the American Armed Forces as well as educated to the fascination of flight. 

Starting at 10am, the Horizon Blue Cross Blimp made several flybys of the demonstration area and this was followed by the debut of the “Vultures” Formation Team consisting of four RV-8 and two Rutan Long EZ design aircraft in various formations flown to patriotic music.  Many of this team are current and former members of the New Jersey Air National Guard.    Following the Vultures was a flyby from the FAA William J Hughes Technical Center in Pomona, NJ in their Convair 440.    This unique aircraft is a testbed for many navigational systems and marked the first time an FAA aircraft from that facility has flown in an event.   

The airshow was officially opened by the singing of the National Anthem by a member of the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard while a member of the US Army Golden Knights brought in the Flag via parachute.   Following the brief opening ceremony, a mass exit demonstration with canopy relative work continued by the Golden Knights. 

Military flybys commenced around 11:25am with a 4-ship of F-16C Falcons from the 177th Fighter Wing followed by a flybys from a KC-135E Stratotanker from the 108th ARW, a KC-10A Extender from the 514th AMW, a C-141B Starlifter from the 514th AMW, a C-130E Hercules from the 913th AW, and a composite flyby from the before mentioned KC-135 and a pair of F-16s.   

Following these flybys, the US Coast Guard from Atlantic City and Cape Cod demonstrated a joint search and rescue off of the beachfront with two HH-65B Dauphin and one HH-60J Jayhawk helicopters.   This 8 minute demonstration showcased the abilities of each aircraft and the Homeland Security mission that the US Coast Guard now accomplishes daily.   The demonstration was capped off with a flyby from an HC-130H Hercules from CGAS Elizabeth City, North Carolina. 

A new C-17A Globemaster III assigned to the Weapons School at McGuire AFB performed at noon with various tight turns and showcasing the maneuverability of the airlifter.   This was followed by demonstrations by the USAF A-10 East Coast, USAF F-16 East Coast, and USAF F-15 East Coast Demonstration teams, a 4-ship Heritage Flight with Jim Beasley Jr. in his P-51D Mustang and a solo demonstration by Mr. Beasley in the Mustang. 

Following the conclusion of the F-15 demo, a Dover based 512th AW C-5B Galaxy did a one pass flyby with the nation’s largest airlifter.    Upon the departure of the C-5, the Starfighers F-104 took to the air for a series of high speed rolling and vertical maneuvers over the aerobatic area.  Numerous times during the demonstration, the aircraft was not heard until well after the aircraft had passed the spectator area.

Following the F-104, were the Gunfighters of VF-101 in the F-14D Tomcat.   2004 will be the last full season for Tomcat demonstrations, and Atlantic City got one of the best.    Numerous high speed passes were amplified by the fact that great vapor clouds were surrounding the F-14 during most of the demonstration. 

The US Navy continued to be showcased after the F-14 Tomcat demonstration as the rarely seen “Pioneers” of VX-1 at NAS Patuxent River brought a 3-ship of aircraft for display.   A 2-pass flyby with lots of banking and rudder work was flown by the P-3C Orion and a 3-pass flyby by an S-3B Viking also entertained the crowd.    VX-1 also brought out one of the newest helicopters with their MH-60S Knighthawk and did some hover work over the aerobatic box and a pirouette around the show center boat. 

The US Army Golden Knights performed a mass exit demonstration mid afternoon as threatening skies started to build to the south of the demonstration area.    Following the Golden Knights was the Yellow Book USA Pitts Aerobatic Demonstration performed by Doug Dodge.    This civilian performance, along with the inclusion of the Starfighters and Jim Beasley Jr. continues to grow this airshow into a great event with hours of military flying along with some of the best civilian aerobatics and demonstrations in the world today. 

The afternoon concluded with a high show demonstration by the USAF Thunderbirds as the weather cleared just as the team started their afternoon demonstration. 

The airshow was simulcast on WOND AM1400 in Atlantic City with numerous locations to see the airshow both on the boardwalk and the beachfront.   At one time there were over 300 boats around the perimeter of the aerobatic box.  Look for another airshow as this same location in late August 2005 as David Schultz Airshows LLC, the 177th Fighter Wing, the Atlantic City Regional Chamber of Commerce, and the numerous sponsors and contributors continue to grow this into the premier beachfront airshow in the United States.