LONG POND, Pa. (August 22, 2019) – The Great Pocono Raceway Air Show takes flight this weekend, with two show dates featuring the same incredible performances, on Saturday, August 24 or Sunday, August 25. Each day’s four-hour program will consist of 15-plus performances including jets, historical reenactments and military demonstrations. Adult tickets start at $15. Kids, ages six and under, are FREE while children, ages 7-12 are half price in the 100 and 200 Levels of the Grandstand. Ages 12 and under are half price in the Shaded 300 Level.
The Raceway encourages guests to purchase their tickets ahead of the event and to select the print-at-home or mobile ticket delivery upon checkout. This will allow ticketed guests to save time and to avoid potential long lines. The facility anticipates a large crowd for both show dates due to the great weather forecast and excitement surrounding this inaugural event. Guests should also bring cash as parking is $10, per vehicle. Parking lots and the Gate 8 Box Office will open at 8 a.m., Gates/Grandstand/Fan Fair will open at 10 a.m. and the Air Show program will begin at Noon each day.
All ticketed guests will be able to visit Fan Fair between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Fan Fair will feature a FREE Carnival, military aircraft, artillery vehicles and demonstrations, historical reenactors, various interactive displays and live music at Pocono Raceway’s Fan Welcome Center. Guests can also pay-to-participate in tethered Hot Air Balloon Rides, Huey Helicopter Rides or the StockCar Racing Experience rides. More details about the pay-to-participate activities are included below.
Pocono Raceway and the Mattioli Foundation will host a 50/50 Raffle to benefit the American Red Cross Eastern Pennsylvania throughout The Great Pocono Raceway Air Show weekend. One lucky fan will win half the pot with the rest of the proceeds benefiting the mission and programs associated with the American Red Cross Eastern Pennsylvania. Be on lookout for roaming 50/50 sellers who have large signs and will be wearing red American Red Cross vests.
Guests attending The Great Pocono Raceway Air Show are permitted to bring pack backs, sunscreen in plastic containers or aerosol cans, strollers and non-professional camera equipment. Coolers, glass, outside food and beverage, professional cameras, drones, weapons, animals other than ADA-defined service animals, laser pointers/pens, wagons, skateboards, model aircraft and masks are not permitted. For a full list of approved and prohibited items, please visit www.poconoraceway.com/airshowguestinfo.
Long Pond Road from Gate 1 (Earnhardt Road) to Gate 5 (Andretti Road) will be closed intermittently this week on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Pocono Mountain Regional Police will control traffic patterns and, in accordance with FAA regulations, the road closure will occur as the T-33 and A-10 jets make passes over the Raceway. The road closures are scheduled to take place from 1:15 – 1:25 p.m., 2:05 – 2:50 p.m. and 3:30 – 3:50 p.m. on Friday, August 23. Long Pond Road will also close, between Gates 1 and 5, from 12:30 – 12:40 p.m., 1:00 – 1:45 p.m. and 3:45 – 4:05 p.m. on Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25. For directions to Pocono Raceway, please visit www.poconoraceway.com/directions.
For more information about The Great Pocono Raceway Air Show, including where to purchase tickets, guest information and a full schedule of events for each day, please visit www.PoconoAirShow.com.
THE GREAT POCONO RACEWAY AIR SHOW SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Note: The same schedule applies to Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25.
8:00 a.m. Parking Lots Open For Guests
10:00 a.m. Grandstand and Fan Fair Gates Open
11:50 a.m. Opening Ceremonies Begin
12:00 p.m. National Anthem and The Great Pocono Raceway Air Show Begins
12:08 p.m. U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Exhibition
12:15 p.m. Paul Dougherty Eagle Aerobatics
12:30 p.m. Acemaker T-33 Demonstration
12:38 p.m. SNJ/T-6 Warbird Formation Flight
12:48 p.m. Kevin Russo SNJ-6 Aerobatics Demonstration
1:02 p.m. U.S. Air Force A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration
1:27 p.m. Greg Koontz Comedy Routine
1:45 p.m. Justin Lewis FLS MicroJet Demonstration
1:59 p.m. U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 D Dolphin Search & Rescue
2:09 p.m. Matt Younkin Beech 18 Aerobatics
2:23 p.m. Delaware State University Hornet Flight Team
2:31 p.m. David Windmiller Edge 540 Aerobatics Demonstration
2:45 p.m. David Windmiller Edge 540 vs StockCar Racing Experience’s NASCAR Stockcar
2:49 p.m. U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Demonstration
3:24 p.m. Tora! Tora! Tora!
3:41 p.m. Tora P-36 Demonstration
3:49 p.m. Acemaker T-33 Demonstration
4:04 p.m. Warbird Review Pass Featuring Beech 18, SNJ-6 and T-6’s
4:10 p.m. The Great Pocono Raceway Air Show Ends
*All dates, times and performers are subject to change without notice.
ACTIVITES FOR THE GREAT POCONO RACEWAY AIR SHOW TICKET HOLDERS:
- Military Aircraft, Displays and Reenactors – Fan Fair will be filled with several military aircraft, artillery vehicles, displays and demonstrations. Be sure to check them out, upon entering the gates to enjoy all Fan Fair has to offer. And, before you enter Fan Fair, check out the historical reenactors that will be located around the large American Flag flagpole by Gate 8.
- FREE Carnival – Located in Fan Fair, the FREE Carnival will include five, fair-style fan favorites including the ‘Round-Up’, ‘Tornado’ and ‘Umbrella,’ as well as, a slide and swing. These rides are free to all gate admission ticket holders over the three-days of race festivities. There will also be a few classic, pay-to-play arcade games.
- FREE Kids’ Areas – Kids can visit Tricky’s Kit Kamp, a soft play area for young children located behind the Grandstand and next to Gate 8, and the Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital Kids Zone inside Fan Fair for FREE. Both have complimentary events and programs for children. Visit poconokidsfree.com for more details.
- Hot Air Balloons Rides – Air Show guests can take a ride in a Hot Air Balloon prior to the Air Show. Rides will be $15 for adults and $10 for kids, ages 11 and under. Guests can also walk around inside a Hot Air Balloon for $2, per person. The Hot Air Balloon will be located to the left of the giant American Flag.
- Huey Helicopter Rides – Those attending the Air Show can ride in a Huey Helicopter prior to the show. The cost is $50, per person, to ride and the guests should expect the entire ride, with briefing, to take approximately 20-30 minutes. Visit the Pocono Raceway Fan Welcome Center, located inside Fan Fair and between Gates 9 and 10, for more details.
- FREE Sensory Kits & Rooms – Pocono Raceway is a sensory-inclusive facility. We offer FREE KultureCity Sensory Kits and access to KultureCity Sensory Rooms. For more information, please visit poconoraceway.com/kulturecity.
- FREE Wi-Fi: Guests can access complimentary Wi-Fi hotspots near Tricky’s Kit Kamp (located behind the Grandstand at Gate 8), the midway (behind the Grandstand.)
- FREE Live Music at the Fan Welcome Center – Visit Pocono Raceway’s Fan Welcome Center, located inside Fan Fair and between Gates 9 and 10. Local musicians Joe O’Malley will perform from 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. on Saturday and Eric McClelland will play from 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. on Sunday.
- StockCar Racing Experience Rides – Want to experience the thrills of being in a NASCAR-style stockcar at Pocono Raceway? Visit 877stockcar.com to sign up for a ride around ‘The Tricky Triangle’ prior to both show dates of The Great Pocono Raceway Air Show. Rides will take place before 11:30 a.m. on both Saturday, August 24 and Sunday, August 25.
PERFORMER DESCRIPTIONS FOR THE GREAT POCONO RACEWAY AIR SHOW:
- Tora! Tora! Tora!– This historic recreation and remembrance of the attack on Pearl Harbor will feature 61 pyrotechnic features, including an estimated 2,000 foot wall of fire finale and up to 8 aircraft. The aircraft will include numerous Mitsubishi A6M “Zeros,” Aichi D3A “Vals,” a Nakajima B5N “Kates,” and a Curtis P-36 “Hawk.”
- Ace Maker Airshows T-33 – Fans will enjoy seeing the T-33 “Shooting Star” jet dazzle the skies above ‘The Tricky Triangle’ as it performs picture-perfect passes, vertical rolls, inverted aerobatics and more. The T-33 was one of America’s first operational jet fighters and trainers.
- Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation (AFHFF)– Spectators will witness the World War II Era P-51 “Mustang” flying in formation with the A-10 “Warthog.” In partnership with the USAF, the AFHFF promotes the USAF and celebrates the nation’s air power, influence and impact on America’s national security.
- David Windmiller Air Shows– An aerial ballet featuring a Zivko Edge 540 as it performs tumbles, spins, cartwheels, torque rolls and soaring feats of precision, climbing 3,700 feet in the air per second. The Edge 540 will also race against a NASCAR-style racecar, courtesy of the StockCar Racing Experience. Both will race one another in front of the crowd, down Pocono Raceway’s frontstretch.
- Delaware State University Hornet Flight Team – The Delaware State University’s (DSU) Aviation Program provides students with quality education and experience in preparation for careers in the aviation industry. With its own fleet of ten aircraft, coupled with an experienced and dedicated instructor staff, DSU is simply the best Flight Education opportunity east of the Mississippi River in the United States.
- Dougherty Airshows– Spectators will enjoy watching a 230-horsepower Christen Eagle, based in Eastern Pennsylvania, perform torque rolls, tail slides and tumbles, as well as the thrill of a barnstorming era featuring a 1930 Great Lakes aircraft.
- Greg Koontz Airshows and the Alabama Boys– The performance will include a ‘stolen’ 1946 Piper J-3 Club as it attempts to land on the back of a moving pickup truck.
- Kevin Russo Airshows– Show includes a solo SNJ-6 Texan performing multiple loops, barrel rolls, aileron rolls, eight-point rolls, 16-point rolls and more.
- Lewis & Clark Performance FLS Microjet – Dubbed the “World’s Smallest Jet,” this aircraft will thrill the crowd with an aerial display showing the FLS Microjet’s high performance and aerobatic capabilities.
- United States Army Golden Knights – The Golden Knights of the United States Army are one of only three Department of Defense-sanctioned aerial demonstration teams. The Golden Knights will showcase their highly technical skills while parachuting from the skies, often in precise formations landing on the Frontstretch of the Pocono Raceway.
- United States Air Force’s (USAF) Air Combat Command A-10C Thunderbolt II Demonstration Team – The A-10 will perform precision aerial maneuvers while highlighting the mission and professionalism of the men and women of the USAF. The A-10 “Warthog” is the USAF’s premier close air support aircraft, providing invaluable protection to troops on the ground.
- United States Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin – The U.S. Coast Air Station Atlantic City is located at the Federal Aviation Administration’s William J. Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport. It is one of the two air stations in the Fifth Coast Guard District.
- Younkin Airshows Beech 18 Aerobatics – One of the most unusual acts on the airshow circuit today, the Beech 18 performance will include Cuban eight-point rolls, loops, and several unique aerobatic maneuvers by one of the largest aircraft on the airshow circuit today. The act will conclude with a final pass, dubbed the ‘Elephant Waltz’ that you do not want to miss!
The 2019 event is under the planning and guidance of David Schultz Airshows LLC of Clearfield, PA. Schultz Airshows has coordinated airshows and provided the Air Traffic Control and Announcing for over 500 events all over North America and the Caribbean in their 25-year history. Many of their events are well known in the region including airshows along the Atlantic City Beachfront, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, Dover AFB, Binghamton, NY, and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA.
Note: All dates, times and performers are subject to change without notice. Certain terms, conditions and fees may apply for ticket purchases.
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