Fort Lauderdale Air and Sea Show 2021

Fort Lauderdale Air Show roared as it soared Saturday!

FORT LAUDERDALE — The 2021 Fort Lauderdale Air Show was a buzzing hive of activity as pilots got up close and personal with a crowd that slowly swelled along the beach as Saturday afternoon flew by.
The partly cloudy skies, stiff breeze, and temperatures in the mid-80s were perfect conditions to watch the show.

Linda Powell and her young children already had a preview.
“We live pretty close to the beach so we’ve been watching them practice all week,” she said. “We came to see them put it all together.”

Nico Tchou, 20, has been learning to fly at Pompano Airpark and is scheduled to take his first solo flight next week.
“Flying in a straight line, I can do that,” he said, after watching the aerobatic pilots perform seemingly impossible stunts.

As expected, the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels wowed the crowd for more than 30 minutes. The six F/A-18 Super Hornets’ precision passes were deafening.
“The Blue Angels are a little better than the [Air Force Thunderbirds],” said Tim Nelligan, who has been coming to air shows since 1995. “As long as I’m alive I’ll be here every year.”

The biggest applause was saved for the skydivers who floated to the beach with smoke trailing behind them.

COVID-19 precautions remained in place with contactless ticket scanning, portable hand sanitizers and hand-washing stations. Wearing a mask is recommended but not strictly enforced for spectators standing within six feet of others, and optional when separated at least six feet.

Facemasks were mostly absent Saturday. Almost everyone wore them at the air show that was postponed from May to November, last year, because of COVID-19.

Morrison had her mask handy “just to be safe,” but Powell felt safe enough without it.

There are no masks anywhere in sight,” she said. “I think we’re all far enough apart [outside].”
The Fort Lauderdale Air Show wrapped up Sunday between 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Watch the whole show live