Local Air Shows

 Most places around the country never get to go to a local Air Show but our Florida  county is having two in 2021. The first was this current weekend in April and it took place in Cocoa Beach. Tickets were being sold for prime spots along the beach, but I knew I could see what I wanted from near Patrick Air Space Base (formerly PAFB), where most of the planes would be based. The headliner were the US Air Force Thunderbirds. The second show, the Great Florida Air Show, will be in May and will have the US Navy Blue Angels as headliners. This show will be at Orlando Melbourne Airport which is less than a mile away from my home. I usually take pictures of that show from my front yard.

As I was preparing to leave and drive the 20 minutes to PASB, I saw a painted bunting in the bougainvillea. Just like the Thunderbirds they are quick and out of frame...

It kind of looked like a Thunderbird as it flew away.

When I arrived at the Block house parking lot, I went to the beach and saw this twin propeller plane flying by. I saw that they were suppose to have a Douglas C-47, but the tail does not look right. I do not know what it is...

A second shot I took as it passed by on the beach.

The Geico Skytypers were performing where the paying people were further up Cocoa Beach.

You may have seen on the news on Saturday of a WW II vintage plane going down into the ocean during an Air Show. Well, that was our local show and the plane is still in the ocean as of Sunday afternoon...There were some bystanders.

The plane had some buoyant bags attached but the waves were wrecking havoc on the plane.

Skies were somewhat clear to the south...

A B1 Bomber flew over us...

There is a lot in this photo. A B1 Bomber, a large storm wall, a sinking WW II airplane, boats attached to the plane by rope trying to pull it out a little further, beyond the breakers, and a swimmer oblivious to all the other activity.

Two of the Disney Cruise ships were anchored out where the storm was moving through...

I met and chatted with a family and the son was a pilot and he had radios. I was getting ready to leave when he yelled to me and said the Thunderbirds were preparing for take off. There was a delay because the gust front from the storm was pretty intense. A lot of umbrellas were blown down the beach. When it was time, I thought there would be just six planes but a whole bunch took off. Never mind, these were pelicans...

The first to take off were four of the jets...

Then another...

And another...this one went real quick...

The show was mostly out of view but I did get a shot of all six together.

And then they were back to four, hiding behind a sea oat blade...

My farewell as they flew back over where the paying people were.

Come mid-May, I will be ready for the Blue Angels at home...BTW, four more people will  be taking a rocket from just North of here to the ISS. Thursday, April 22, 6:11 AM.

I like living on the Space Coast...