The U.S. Navy Blue Angels arrived at Republic Airport in East Farmingdale on Wednesday ahead of the Jones Beach Air Show. The team landed in F/A-18 Super Hornets with gold and yellow trim after a low pass over business parks and shopping malls, drawing hundreds of onlookers around the airport.
Republic Airport on Wednesday
The landing began with a formation flyby before the jets came down one by one, giving spectators at Republic Airport and the surrounding roads a close look at the aircraft. Cody Farrell of Mastic Beach, the Blue Angels crew chief, called being back on Long Island an "absolute honor and privilege."
Navy Lt. Chris Houben, Blue Angel No. 3, said after landing, "I can already tell within the first few minu". The team’s arrival sets up the FourLeaf Air Show at Jones Beach, where the Blue Angels are headlining for the 11th time.
Kimberly Rinyu at the airport
Kimberly Rinyu of West Babylon said she would be at the airport all weekend with her school-age children. She said, "I’ll be here all weekend," adding that she likes to watch the jets take off and land and prefers the airport view to the beach.
Gabrielle Maccarino of Massapequa brought her children to the outside of Republic Airport’s main terminal to watch the landing. She said, "I’ve never been to anything like this.... It’s like really cool to like see it so up close, and they look so small in the sky, but they're really huge," as the jets came in.
FourLeaf Air Show schedule
The FourLeaf Air Show runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. This year’s show moved to the July Fourth weekend as a tribute to the nation’s semiquincentennial, a shift from its usual Memorial Day weekend timing.
The Royal Canadian Air Force’s Snow Birds are also scheduled to perform, and the weekend schedule gives Long Island spectators two full days to watch the show after the Blue Angels’ arrival at Republic Airport.
