FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - The Fort Lauderdale Air Show is set to soar over South Florida on Saturday after COVID-19 prevented it from taking off months ago.
The F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter, which has been called an agile, versatile and high-performance fighter jet by pilots, will be the star of the air show, but because of COVID-19, spectators should expect to see a lot of changes.
The stealth fighter will be flown by Capt. Kristin Wolfe, the first female F-35A demo team pilot.
“Anybody can be in this airplane,” Wolfe said. “The airplane doesn’t know the difference, and hopefully, I can show off a great demo, but also for them just to know there’s a female in the cockpit is pretty cool.”
Wolfe is part of the team headlining this year’s show, which had been pushed to November from May due to the pandemic, and with COVID-19 numbers still on the rise, show organizers are making adjustments.
“It will be entirely different than previous years, but we’re very happy we’re able to stage the show in a safe environment,” said Fort Lauderdale Air Show organizer Chris Dirato.
That means fewer tickets sold in the premium viewing area with masks and social distancing enforced, plus livestreams that will include narrator commentary and the flight line at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
“If we didn’t have these initiatives in place, it wouldn’t happen, frankly,” said Dirato.
“I always remembered my parents used to take me down to Fort Lauderdale Beach, same air show, seeing the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels fly around,” said senior airman Malik McKenzie.
McKenzie, who is also a Nova High School graduate, is helping to make the air show happen. He’s serving as crew chief for the F-35, and he said he’s getting advice from Wolfe about becoming a pilot.
“It’s super exciting, honestly, just to be able to just tell people I used to come to air shows as a kid, and now, I’m partaking in the air show,” McKenzie said. “I’m part of it, so it’s a really cool experience.”
“The demonstration this weekend, weather pending, we hope to give you guys a full high show, which is a series of high-performance maneuvers,” Wolfe said. “Then, a lot of different loops, aileron rolls and stuff, just kind of crowd pleasers to make the show look cool.”
If you want to watch the show from the premium seating area, you need to buy tickets ahead of time. To purchase tickets, click here.
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