Thousands flock to NAS Corpus Christi for Wings Over South Texas Air Show

Tens of thousands of people made their way through the gates of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi this past weekend to watch some of the best pilots in the world perform at the 2019 Wings Over South Texas Air Show.

With the weather warm and clear, the crowds came out in force to first watch several military and civilian acts such as Randy W. Ball, 16-time world champion Rob Holland, the A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team and the world-famous Blue Angels put on a dazzling aerial display.

The Blue Angels’ heart-stopping performance lasted for nearly an hour. Fat Albert, the team’s trademark C-130 aircraft that transports equipment and support staff to their air shows, was up first with a fly-by to loud applause from the audience.

The Blue Angels then wowed the crowd by performing many of the aerobatic moves that have drawn huge crowds to their shows throughout North America, maneuvers such as the Loop Break Cross and Fleur-De-Lis.

Their knife-edge pass, where two planes come at each other at fast speeds and appear to almost fly into each other before passing in an “X” formation, drew cheers from the audience.

Jennifer and Carlos Ramirez, from Lake City, Texas, said their boys, 6-year-old Jonathan and 5-year-old Zachary, are obsessed with the Blue Angels.

“We try to make it to the show every year,” Jennifer said. “We started coming when Jon was an infant, and now it’s all these little guys will talk about. They loved the Meet the Blues event the other day, and they made sure we stayed until they could get as many Blue Angel autographs as possible.”

Thomas Dolby, a Florida native currently residing in Corpus Christi, came out to the show particularly to see the Blue Angels, whose performances he used to watch as a child.

“They’re just incredible,” Dolby said. “I haven’t seen them fly since I was a kid and my dad used to take me to shows. You’re never too old to watch these guys perform.”

The Blue Angels are scheduled to headline the 2020 Wings Over South Texas Air Show at Naval Air Station Kingsville next year.

The dates for the next air show will be released later this year on the official Wings Over South Texas Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wostairshow.

see more air show photos on pg. 6-7