Here's what you need to know about the Cocoa Beach Air Show
Flying in diamond formation, four U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds roared into view from the west on Brevard County's barrier island, then soared amid clouds over Cocoa Beach, Merritt Island and Suntree neighborhoods — accompanied by two Thunderbirds flying noisier low-altitude passes.
Then the red, white and blue F-16 Fighting Falcons landed one-by-one on the Patrick Space Force Base runway about 4 p.m. Thursday before a group of media camera operators. The popular aerobatic squadron arrived in town to headline this weekend's Cocoa Beach Air Show.
"They're going to see the absolute finest formation-flying on planet Earth," said Lt. Col. Justin "Astro" Elliott, the squadron's commander and lead pilot. He flies Thunderbird 1.
Local pilot will star: Melbourne-born female pilot nicknamed "Mad" to fly A-10 in Cocoa Beach Air Show
What's going on this weekend? Here are our top 10 picks for April 14-20
More: Remnants of Bumper blockhouse from 1st Florida rocket launch unearthed by UCF students
"The Thunderbirds have worked very, very hard this year to refine our formations. And to refine our air show to be a very aggressive, emotional air show that hits you with a lot of maneuvers very quickly," Elliott said, standing alongside his F-16.
"We try to get something in front of the crowd every 17 seconds. We're rewritten our show entirely in the last couple of years to make it a very emotional experience for the crowd," he said.
Air show schedule details
The Cocoa Beach Air Show takes place Saturday and Sunday. Opening ceremonies kick off at 11 a.m. — and in case of late-afternoon rain, flight performances should start early at 11:15 a.m. rather than 11:30, promoter Bryan Lilley said.
The Thunderbirds are scheduled to take to the skies from 2 to 2:45 p.m. The military lineup also features the U.S. Navy EA-18G Growler, A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team, B-52 Stratofortress long-range bomber, C-17 Globemaster III and an Air Force Reserve 920th Rescue Wing combat search-and-rescue demonstration. Civilian stunt performers will also fly.
"We've got bombers. We've got fighters. We've got a heavy: the demo by the C-17. The B-52," Lilley said, standing near the Patrick Space Force Base runway while the Thunderbirds were landing.
Lilley noted that Merritt Island pilot John Black will fly his Super Decathlon during the show as well.
Where to watch and park
Air show admission is free. Centered at Lori Wilson Park off State Road A1A, the air show's "aerobatic box" viewing area stretches across two miles of sand from the Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier to Minutemen Causeway.
The Cocoa Beach Air Show website, cocoabeachairshow.com, recommends that spectators leave 45 minutes to an hour early to find parking.
"Significant exiting traffic means that it may take 1-2 hours to depart from the area at the conclusion of each day’s show," the website says.
"We ask that guests please be patient and abide by all instructions provided by the Florida State Troopers and parking attendants on site to guide guests," the website says.
Lori Wilson Park will host premium-ticket zones ranging from $34 for the “Drop Zone Beach” with food and beverage stands to $199 for the “Flight Line Club” VIP experience. For ticket information, visit cocoabeachairshow.com.
Pilots with Space Coast ties
The A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team landed amid dreary rain Wednesday at Melbourne Orlando International Airport in advance of the air show. The squad is commanded by U.S. Air Force Capt. Lindsay "Mad" Johnson, a Melbourne native who earned an online Master of Science in aviation safety from Florida Tech.
From 2015 to 2017, Elliott flew F-15E Strike Eagles from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida's Panhandle to the 10,000-foot-long Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Skid Strip to conduct unusual flights testing the guidance systems of U.S. Navy Trident missiles.
"It spends two weeks with that missile strapped to its wing, flying rocket-launch profiles — literally pushing the jet to its absolute limits," Elliott said.
"It's some of the best test-flying I've every done. Very, very exciting stuff," he said.
Rick Neale is the South Brevard Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1
Support local journalism. Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Cocoa Beach Air Show: Where to watch Thunderbirds, stunt planes
