Harrier Added To June’s Air Show Performer List

Harrier Added To June’s Air Show Performer List
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OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Air Show announced this week it will be one of only six events in the nation that will feature a demonstration by the U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier during this summer’s event.

The Harrier is one of the most sought after military aircraft demonstrations because of its unique ability to hover and perform a vertical take-off and landing. A Harrier demo at an oceanfront venue is dramatic because of the spray it creates when it descends vertically to hover just a few hundred feet above the surface of the water.

The 7th Annual OC Air Show to take place June 14-15 will be the only air show of the year in the mid-Atlantic region to feature a Harrier demo. The U.S. Marine Corps is the third branch of the U.S. military to announce support for the OC Air Show. The U.S. Army Silver Wings Parachute Team will also perform and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will headline the event.

“We’re honored the U.S. Marine Corps have selected the OC Air Show to demonstrate the Harrier,” Bryan Lilley, president of the OC Air Show, said. “We are fortunate to have such great support from multiple branches of the military in such challenging times.”

The Ocean City Air Show announced in December the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds jet team will be returning to headline the event this summer.

The Thunderbirds last performed at the OC Air Show in 2012. The Thunderbirds were grounded all of last year until the Pentagon announced late last year it was reinstating the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and other military demonstration units following the one-year hiatus.

The OC Air Show in June will mark the Thunderbirds’ only performance in the mid-Atlantic region in 2014.
“We’re glad to be back,” said Thunderbirds Commander and lead pilot Lt. Col. Greg Moseley at that time. “Right now, we’re focused on training. While we’re excited to know we’ll be able to tell the Air Force story on the road, we’re completely focused on ensuring we have a safe show season.”
The Blue Angels confirmed an Ocean City Air Show stop on its schedule for 2015. The Blue Angels plan their air show stops and other appearances in a two-year cycle and the last cycle was completed in 2012, meaning their plans for 2013 and 2014 were already in the books. The Blue Angels were set to appear last June in Ocean City before the federal government cancelled the season.
The Harrier and Thunderbirds will headline a full line-up of some of the nation’s top military and civilian performers at the Ocean City Air Show in June, according to Lilley.

“The OC Air Show keeps getting bigger and better thanks to the support of the Town of Ocean City and the hundreds of thousands of spectators who come out to make it a success some from as far away as New York, Ohio and the Carolinas,’ Lilley said.