© 2024 WLRN
MIAMI | SOUTH FLORIDA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Air And Sea Show Takes Flight Over Miami Beach For Memorial Day Weekend

Miami Herald
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels fly over Miami Beach during the 2019 Hyundai Air & Sea Show on Saturday, May 25, 2019.

Thunder cracked and roared over Miami Beach this weekend, but there wasn't a drop of rain for miles. The sound that rang out above the city came courtesy of the jet engines and shining wingtips of the U.S. Navy and Air Force. 

Thousands of people came to watch the third annual Hyundai Air and Sea Show, which showcased the military's Blue Angels and left people awe-struck across the island as they watched the deftly executed aerial manuevers overhead. 

“The speed, the proximity that they have to each other... it’s just amazing how they are so precise and they’re just able to stick to the plan,” Miami Beach resident Lucy Delgado said in reference to the Navy's F/A 18 Blue Angels.

Glouco Simon of Miami added that he was most excited about watching the B2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, one of the most distinctive and intimidating looking aircrafts in America's fleet.

“The design is amazing. I’ve never seen it [in person]. I’ve only seen pictures,” said Simon who was at the beach on Saturday with binoculars and a camera.

Other planes included a B52 Bomber, an F35 Lightning and an A10 Thunderbolt.

The show also featured demonstrations by military parachute teams, as well as powerboat racing, music concerts, a lumberjack show and a freestyle motorcross event.

Some said it was their first time attending the event. Other enthusiasts, like Craig Bussey of Miami Gardens, said watching air shows is a ritual. 

"Even when [the shows] are out of town, we go and travel up there and watch them," said Bussey, who attended with his nephew and wife and wore a Blue Angels t-shirt. "I even got a big [model] plane myself... I just like planes." 

Mickey Markoff, the executive director of the show, said the event is meant to pay tribute to the men and women that Memorial Day honors.

“Memorial Day has become a lost holiday. There are people out there dying for our freedom. And rather than it being just a weekend about barbecues,” Markoff said, “we figured we should stop and say thanks... and remember the fallen.”

More On This Topic