Air Show - Fort Lauderdale Beach, FL, May 7, 2016, 12 pm to 3 pm Event, its 22nd Year

The 2016 Fort Lauderdale Air Show will feature the best line up in North America in 2016 headlined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and Canadian Air Force Snowbirds. The event will also feature full capabilities demonstrations by the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet, U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier, Canadian Armed Forces CF-18 and first civilian air show performance of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. The flight performances for the Fort Lauderdale Air Show will begin at 11:00am on Sunday centered in front of Birch State Park on State Road A1A in Fort Lauderdale Beach.

The sequence of flight is as follows:

National Anthem – Flag Jump
Lucas Oil Jump Team
Canadian Air Force Snowbirds
U.S. Coast Guard Search and Rescue Demo
U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier Demo
GEICO Skytypers
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the Heritage Flight
Matt Chapman in the Embry Riddle Extra 330LX
U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet Demo
Brietling Jet Team
CF-18 Hornet Demo
Mike Wiskus in the Lucas Oil Pitts
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds

Lauderdale Air Show - Fort Lauderdale Beach, FL, May 7, 2016, 12 pm to 3 pm Event, Fort Lauderdale, Florida's 22nd Year

The Ford Lauderdale Air Show will be the first civilian air show in North America to feature a flight performance of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. The F-35 will fly together with the P-51 Mustang in a Heritage Flight showcasing the past and future of Air Force technology.
The F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, is single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth fighter undergoing final development and testing by the U.S. Department of Defense. The fifth generation combat aircraft is designed to perform ground attack, aerial intelligence and air defense missions. The F-35 has three main models: the F-35A conventional takeoff and landing version that will be used by the Air Force, the F-35B short take-off and vertical-landing (STOVL) version that will be used by the Marine Corps, and the F-35C carrier-based version that will be used by the Navy.

The F-35 Heritage flight will begin with a pass-in-review coming from behind show right, the best opportunity for a photo of the F-35 as the two aircraft cross in front of Show Center. The F-35 Heritage Flight will then set up for a second pass flying down the water line coming from show left. The third and final pass will come from behind the crowd with the F-35 and P-51 performing a separation maneuver to create separation between the aircraft followed a few seconds later by a single simultaneous aileron roll by both aircraft. During the flypasts there is a musical accompaniment played through the public address system. The music that is normally played is “We Remember” by Dwayne O’Brian. After the roll maneuver each of the aircraft will then enter the airfield traffic pattern, typically performing an individual pass before the crowd and then “pitching out” into an approach pattern and landing.


The U.S. Air Force Heritage Flight program presents the evolution of USAF air power by flying today’s state-of-the-art fighter aircraft in close formation with vintage fighter aircraft. t was created in 1997 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the United States Air Force. It incorporates fighters from World War II, the Vietnam War, the Korean War and other conflicts in which the USAF has been involved. There will only be 10 air shows in the nation in 2016 to feature an F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter in a Heritage Flight.

An Air Force Heritage Flight performance involves a current USAF fighter with an Air Combat Command trained military Heritage Flight pilot and flown with a historical warbird piloted by a trained and certified civilian Heritage Flight pilot. The Air Force Heritage Flight formations of modern fighters flying with World War II, Korean, and Vietnam era fighters such as the P-51 Mustang and F-86 Sabre, dramatically display our U.S. Air Force air power history and proudly support our Air Force’s recruiting and retention efforts.