FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Aircraft participating in the annual Fort Lauderdale Air Show practiced maneuvers in front of beachgoers at Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Pilots practiced their routines for the weekend air show, Friday.
Attendees will have the chance to see the military’s most powerful weapons such as the $150 million, 1,500-mph F-22 Raptor fighter jet.
Retired U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Cl. Duncan Bossle said he couldn’t wait to see the F-22s practice their routine.
“That’s a brand-new, tactical military fighter that is far superior at almost anything we have,” Bossle said. “He can flatten it out, and then roll it over and come down, go straight up, and then almost stall it, and then roll it over. It’s an incredible airplane.”
The U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels will return to the air show for the first time since 2006.
“It makes you proud,” Rich Compillo said. “You hear the thunder and the roar. All the work that these guys do make it look simple, but it’s a lot of power, and like I said, it makes you feel proud to be an American.”
F-18 Hornets will also fly over the beach.
Organizers describe the air show as a family event.
“They’re amazing. I’ve never seen this stuff before. This is my first time,” Attia Rodriguez said while watching the planes fly by.
Pilots like Tom Daly hopes Rodriguez’s reaction is the one they will receive as they fly by.
“Shows like this are an inspiration,” Daly said. “It’s why we encourage people to bring children. Many of these kids make their decision to be a pilot when they’re 8 years old.”
When asked if she wanted to become a pilot someday, Rodriguez said, “Maybe. Maybe.”
Weather permitting, the Fort Lauderdale Air Show will run on Saturday and Sunday over Fort Lauderdale Beach. Gates are scheduled to open at 9 a.m.
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