Chicago’s most exciting weekend of the summer is upon us: The 2024 Chicago Air & Water Show is expected to attract nearly 1 million people on Saturday and Sunday to watch the annual spectacle along the lakefront between Fullerton Avenue and Oak Street.
Every day from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., pilots will demonstrate their planes. Crowds will gather to watch, and North Avenue Beach will be the center of the action.
The Navy’s popular acrobatic team, the Blue Angels, is back, as is the Army’s Golden Knights parachute team.
Among the civilian aircraft that will be appearing this year are some newcomers, including the acrobatics of stunt pilot RJ Gritter and the historic T-28B of the Trojan Phlyers.
Here’s a look at some of the aircraft that spectators can see soaring over the Lake Michigan skyline.
Civil aircraft
RJ Spreader
Model: Bellanca Decathlon
Engine type: Single propeller
Seating: 2
Top speed: 200 miles per hour
Original use: designed for aerobatics instruction
RJ Gritter’s Decathlon plane on display at the Chicago Air and Water Show.
Susan Dacy
Model: Boeing Model 75 “Super Stearman” biplane
Engine type: Single propeller
Seating: 2
Top speed: 200 miles per hour (approx.)
Original purpose: Training aircraft for new pilots from World War II
Ed “Hamster” Hamill
Model: Pitts Special Biplane
Engine type: Single propeller
Seating: 1
Top speed: 212 miles per hour
Original use: Designed for competition and airshow aerobatics
Ed “Hamster” Hamill flies the plane Folds of Honor.
Bill Stone
Model: Zivko Edge 540
Engine type: Single propeller
Seating: 1
Top speed: 265 miles per hour
Original use: Designed for competition and airshow aerobatics
Bill Stein flies his Edge 540 aircraft.
Trojan Phlyers
Model: T28B Trojan
Engine type: Single propeller
Seating: 2
Top speed: 335 miles per hour
Original use: Navy flight training
Kevin Coleman
Model: Extra 300SHP
Engine type: Single propeller
Seating: 1
Top speed: 300 miles per hour
Original purpose: specially built for aerobatics and stunts
Pilot Kevin Coleman flies his plane at the beginning of the year.
Michael Clark/Red Bull Content Pool
Military aircraft
F/A-18 Super Hornets of the Navy Blue Angels
Wingspan: 45 feet (approx.)
Length: 60 feet (approx.)
Top speed: 1,400 miles per hour (approx.)
Use: Multi-role attack and combat aircraft
The Navy’s Blue Angels in flight
Lauren Kelly / 507th Air Refueling Squadron
Navy F-35C
Wingspan: 43 feet.
Length: 51 feet, 6 inches.
Top speed: 1,978 km/h
Use: Stealth Fighter
An F-35C Lightning II in flight.
F-35B
Wingspan: 35 feet.
Length: 51 feet (approx.)
Top speed: 1,900 km/h
Use: Fighter aircraft with vertical takeoff capability.
Two F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters complete a vertical landing aboard the USS Wasp.
Lance Cpl. Remington Hall
Air Force C-17 Globemaster III
Wingspan: 170 feet (approx.)
Length: 174 feet.
Top speed: 518 miles per hour
Mission: Transports cargo, including a 69-ton M1 Abrams main battle tank, armored vehicles, trucks and trailers, and paratroopers
A C-17 Globemaster III of the US Air Force
Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker
Wingspan: 130 feet, 10 inches
Length: 136 feet, 3 inches
Top speed: 530 miles per hour
Use: best known for its aerial refueling capability
A KC-135 Stratotanker stands on the airfield of the Japanese Kadena Air Base.
Senior Airman Cynthia Belio/18th Wing Public Affairs
Air Force KC-46 Pegasus
Wingspan: 156 feet, 1 inch
Length: 159 feet, 2 inches.
Top speed: 570 mph (approx.)
Use: Air refueling and transport
A KC-46A Pegasus takes off from Yokota Air Base in Japan.
Yasuo Osakabe/374th Airlift Wing, Public Relations
Air Force/Maryland Air National Guard A-10 Thunderbolt
Wingspan: 57 feet, 6 inches
Length: 53 feet, 4 inches
Top speed: 420 miles per hour
Use: Close air support, search and rescue in combat operations
An A-10 Thunderbolt II at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
William Lewis/Nellis AFB – Public Affairs
Air Force B-1B Lancer
Wingspan: 137 feet.
Length: 146 feet.
Top speed: 900 miles per hour
Use: Long-range, multi-purpose, heavy bomber
A B-1B long-range bomber of the US Air Force
Army helicopter AH-64 Apache
Length: 48 feet (approx.)
Top speed: 277 km/h
Use: Multi-purpose combat helicopter
A US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter
Captain Gary Loten-Beckford/Battle Group Poland
Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin search and rescue helicopter
Length: 44 feet, 5 inches
Cruising speed: 170 miles per hour
Use: Close-range search and rescue
A U.S. Coast Guard rescue swimmer hangs from the side of an MH-65 Dolphin off the coast of Coast Guard Station Tybee Island in the U.S. state of Georgia.
Senior Pilot Sean Sweeney / 20th Fighter Wing, Public Relations
