[Scan-DC] Canadian Jet Team To Perform Over Ocean City In Late May

[Alan Henney]

Canadian Jet Team To Perform Over Ocean City In Late May

Shawn J. Soper

Managing Editor

OCEAN CITY -- Aviation enthusiasts will get an early matinee this year
after resort officials this week approved a mid-week, pre-Memorial Day
event featuring the Canadian Air Force Snowbirds Jet Demonstration Team.

The always-popular Ocean City Air Show is set for June 16-18 this year, but
the skies over the resort will be graced with a rare jet demonstration team
performance three weeks earlier this year with the arrival of the Canadian
Air Force Snowbirds. On Tuesday, the Mayor and Council approved a
performance by the Canadian jet demonstration team on Wednesday, May 23.

The request came from Special Events Director Frank Miller on behalf of
Ocean City Air Show producer Bryan Lilley. While the Canadian Air Force
Snowbirds performance on May 23 is not officially part of the Ocean City
Air Show three weeks later, it would provide an early “featurette” as the
event was referred to on Tuesday and provide a mid-week, pre-holiday
weekend boost.

“They are the Canadian equivalent to the Blue Angels or the Thunderbirds,”
said Miller. “They have a gap in their schedule and they are looking for a
mid-week stopping point.”

Miller explained the Canadian Air Force Snowbirds have an engagement
planned in Anderson, S.C. on May 19-20 and another in Wantagh, N.Y. on May
26-27 and were looking to fill a void in their schedule as they pass
through the mid-Atlantic area.

“It would be the first time the Snowbirds appear in Ocean City,” he said.
“They’ve never been here before. They looked at us and the U.S. Naval
Academy but the Naval Academy backed out. It’s a great opportunity to add a
special event with little cost to the city.”

Like their U.S. brethren, the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds, the Snowbirds
perform thrilling aerobatic performances and flyovers in Canada and across
the U.S. complete with close-quarter formations with smoke trails and other
features. The Snowbirds will fly over the resort area on a Wednesday
afternoon in May with an aerobatic box with a stage, sound system and other
amenities centered at 3rd Street.

Miller said while the Ocean City Air Show producer brought the idea to him,
the event would be coordinated by the town’s special events department in
cooperation with various allied departments. For example, the U.S. Coast
Guard will secure the demonstration area and provide vessels to mark the
area. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources may also provide
resources on the water, along with the Maryland State Police Dive Team in
the event of an emergency.

More:
https://mdcoastdispatch.com/2018/02/21/canadian-jet-team-perform-ocean-city-late-may/