Country U.S.A. Attendance 2,200,000 (2005) Genre Air show | Established 1959 Location Chicago | |
Organized by Mayor's Office of Special Events Similar North Avenue Beach, Montrose Beach, Fourth Presbyterian Church of, Oak Street Beach, Navy Pier | ||
The Chicago Air & Water Show is an annual air show held on the shore of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois. The show has been held each year since 1959 and is Chicago's second most popular festival. In 2005, 2,200,000 watched the Chicago Air and Water Show.
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Attractions
The air show is a free event that showcases daredevil pilots, parachute teams, and jets flying in formation, as well as a water-skiing and boat-jumping component. Because of its proximity to city beaches and skyline, the demonstrations are visible from almost everywhere along the Chicago lakefront. Grandstand seats for the water show are located at North Avenue Beach. WBBM AM (780) broadcasts both days of the event every year.
The air show features both civilian and military pilots. Flying teams have been sponsored by companies including Oracle and Red Bull. Many of the Air Show performers utilize Chicago's third airport, the Gary/Chicago International Airport in nearby Gary, Indiana, for ground support. The U.S. Army Golden Knights have participated each year for several years running. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds alternate annually as headliners.
History
The show was first held in 1959 under the name "Lakeshore Park Air & Water Show," on a budget of $88. The event featured a Coast Guard Air Sea Rescue demonstration, water skiers, a water ballet, games and a diving competition. The following year, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and Golden Knights Parachute Team were added to the show.
Since 1989, corporate sponsorship participation has underwritten production costs of the air and water show. The event has been managed by the Mayor's Office of Special Events since 1994.
The 2008 50th Anniversary Show
In 2008, for the 50th annual show, the event was extended from two days to three. The Friday show, which is typically an unofficial preview and rehearsal show, became a part of the scheduled performances. Actress Florence Henderson opened the airshow with the singing of the American National Anthem. The show featured Chicago theater alumni Bill Murray, who parachuted in to the event with the Golden Knights in promotion of the United Service Organization, and Gary Sinise, who performed a live concert with his Lt. Dan Band. The concert concluded with a B-1 bomber fly-by and an evening of fireworks. Several freestyle jet skiers also competed at the 2008 show. LXF Pro Tour champion Gary Burtka lead Team Twangled teammates Greg Brock, Mike Hoffman, and Michael Niksic. The Mayor's Office of Special Events estimated that the show drew a record crowd of approximately 3.1 million spectators.
Safety Precautions
Aircraft take off and land at Gary/Chicago International Airport in Gary, Indiana. All pilots perform stunts over the water in a set area known as a "safety box". This area extends from the lakefront shoreline out to a section on Lake Michigan where recreational boats and kayakers line up for an alternate vantage point.
Organizers work closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and city departments on safety procedures. Each day, before flying, all pilots and air personnel must attend morning meetings to receive weather and safety updates. Additionally, the event employs its own air traffic controller who oversees the downtown air space during show hours.
In 2005, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds ended their demonstration halfway through their routine. During a diamond formation slow-roll pass, the tip of the missile rail on the right wing of the slot (#4) aircraft contacted the left stabilator of the right (#3) aircraft. A four-foot section of the missile rail snapped off, while the #3 aircraft sustained damage described by one of the Thunderbirds pilots as a "medium deep scratch" to the red paint of the stabilator. Amateur video later broadcast on local television news programs showed the missile rail falling into the safety box. No injuries were sustained, but the demonstration was immediately terminated and all aircraft returned to Gary International Airport. The Thunderbirds did not return for the second day's demonstration.
Criticism
The Chicago Reader recently described the show's accompanying noise as a "horrible buzzing" and that it was "back to annoy you for another year."
The Chicago Tribune thinks the "anachronistic" and "perverse" show's "cheap thrills" should be retired.
On August 16, 2015, an Army parachutist died from injuries suffered after colliding with another parachutist during the 2015 Air and Water Show, on Saturday, August 15, 2015. The death of Master Sergeant Corey Hood has strengthened calls to discontinue the show, which positions jets and parachuting daredevils within hundreds of feet of dozens of buildings, as well as pedestrians, all up and down Lake Michigan.