Each and every year, the nation’s best military fliers amazed audiences around the U.S., including the people of the Ft. Lauderdale area, with the annual Ft. Lauderdale Air Show. The show attracts thousands of people from the surrounding area, leaving not even a single square-inch of beach unoccupied. Last year, before students even knew they were coming, the F/A-18 Hornets’ blaring sound wave hit students’ ears, seemingly out of nowhere, cancelling out every sound around them. For about a week, students in many upper-school classes couldn’t help but drop everything and race outside to watch the Angels’ constant fly-by practices over our campus. We stared in jaw-dropping wonder as they rolled, dived, and curled away.

But as recent headlines have informed us, that final curl could have been their last, at least for a while. After the long, drawn-out sequester business, the federal deficit cuts finally hit, cutting out  many federally funded programs including the military fliers. Being a part of the U.S. naval forces, the Blue Angels were left with little funding, canceling the entire 2013 program in many states. Luckily, the Ft. Lauderdale show will not be completely cancelled, but will unfortunately go on without the Angels and other US military acts. This news came as an utter shock to people of all ages who looked forward to the annual show. While it was well-known that the deficit cuts had been implemented, the effects of which were not noticed in most cases- until now.

Now, the child who may have dreamed of one day flying among these heroes will never see these men, except in past footage. The short break students may have gotten to go outside to watch theses heroes might now be spent continuing to listen to lectures on the Bolshevik revolution or analysis of how the flower in that poem was way more meaningful than just a blue flower– not that there is anything wrong with that.

With the legacy of some of our favorite high-flying heroes in potential danger, one can only hope the Blue Angels flight is not completely over, and that our memories of their spectacular skills at the Air Show will always soar.  The Lauderdale Air Show will take place this weekend on April 20-21 and will feature the Spanish Air Force, Lakeland’s Black Diamond Jet Team, the Geico Skytypers, the Red Bull Helicopter, and other minor acts.  Please visit lauderdaleairshow.com for more information.

Sources:

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2013-04-16/business/fl-lauderdale-air-show-tourism-20130416_1_bryan-lilley-lauderdale-air-show-black-diamond-jet-team

http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/09/us/military-air-shows