Blue Angels visit OC, Wallops to prep for 2017 air show
Lt. Brandon Hempler, Blue Angel 7, and Lt. Dave Steppe, Blue Angel 8, flew into NASA Wallops Flight Facility in a Boeing F/A-18 Hornet that has been in the fleet since 1983 on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
The visit was in preparation for the 2017 Ocean City Air Show on June 17 and 18.
It will be the 10th anniversary of the Ocean City Air Show and the event promises to draw a crowd to the beachfront. For June 2016, tax revenue on hotel rooms alone came in at $2,661,210, a 2 percent increase from 2015, according to the town's monthly metric report. The tourism-specific tax revenue for June 2016 came to $9,496,689, an increase of $198,450 from 2015.
“We don’t normally release (attendance) numbers but I think it’s safe to say that hundreds of thousands of people enjoyed the air show last year,” said Catherine Bassett, director of public relations for the Ocean City Air Show.
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“This being our 10th anniversary show I think it’s going to be all the more special and the fans are really going to enjoy the lineup,” said Bassett.
Hempler and Steppe flew from Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania to meet with key officials of the event as well as representatives from the town of Ocean City and other supporting agencies to prepare and plan for the team’s performance.
"There are a lot of moving parts," said Bryan Lilley, director of the Ocean City Air Show.
"For Maryland, having the Blues is special. Everybody's been receptive to giving us signature assets for the show. I think we'll have one of our best lineups ever," he said.
It will be the third appearance of the Blue Angels and the second performance of the team.
According to their website, the mission of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels is “to showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps by inspiring a culture of excellence and service to country through flight demonstrations and community outreach.”
"We come from the fleet and go back to the fleet. We are representatives from the Navy and Marine Corps serving worldwide," said Hempler, who is the narrator for the demonstration as well as the pilot for key influencers and media personnel. It is the Kansas native's first year with the 2017 Blue Angels.
Steppe, events coordinator, has been with the Blue Angels for just about a month and the experience thus far has been humbling, he said.
"I pinch myself every day. It's a dream come true," said Steppe.
"We're on the road just basically coming to do long-term plans so when Brandon arrives on a Tuesday or Wednesday before the show starts he can then take what we've planned and run with it. And that way we have it ready to go for the week and put a great demonstration on."
For more information, visit www.ocairshow.com.