A landmark year for American patriotism meets the supersonic sounds of freedom at this year’s Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale, the stunt-packed thriller returning to the skies over the beach.
For the second consecutive year, the free air spectacle on May 9-10 has shortened its usual bill of a dozen-plus performers to just seven, an intentional move that Air Dot Show spokesperson Chris Dirato says is meant to “emphasize quality over quantity.”
“These are active-duty folks who are protecting our freedoms every day, and there’s heavy scheduling for them all over the country for the 250th anniversary of the United States,” Dirato says. “We’ve got so many attention-grabbing acts this year, it’s like we have multiple headliners.”
Dirato’s not wrong. The two-day bonanza of aerial stuntmaking will be headlined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds on a bill that also features the Navy F-18 Rhino Demo Team with a similar type of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets that headliners U.S. Navy Blue Angels flew at the 2025 event.
The Thunderbirds and Super Hornets will soar alongside the Red Bull Helicopter, F-22 Raptor Demo Team, SOCOM Para-Commandos, Red Bull Air Force and Racers Jet Team L-39, each performing on both days.
Air Dot Show (ex-Fort Lauderdale Air Show) now has eight stops on its national tour, including Cocoa Beach and Orlando, Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Ocean City, Maryland; and Orange County, New York.
Here’s a comprehensive guide to stunt crafts, high-flying somersaults, prices and parking.
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The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly F-16 Fighting Falcons, aka Vipers, over the beach in 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
Practice runs
Watching the Thunderbirds and other jets (and hearing them, from practically anywhere in Fort Lauderdale) as they practice their barrel rolls and Delta formations is a tradition on the Friday before Air Show weekend. Schedules are still being firmed up, but check Facebook.com/airdotshow and Instagram.com/airdotshow for flight updates from organizers.
Aces high
U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds: The headlining Ambassadors in Blue pack 30,000 pounds of thrust apiece under the hoods of their six F-16 Vipers, enabling them to pull 9 Gs (nine times the force of gravity). This elite sextet of fighter jets will be pulling off a delta formation flight punched with upside-down twirls, massive vertical climbs, smoke trails and stomach-churning synchronized dives at 1,000 mph, their Viper wingtips often as close as 4 feet apart.
U.S. Air Force’s F-22 Raptor Demo Team: Among the most advanced fighter jets in the world, the stealthy, sleek Raptor can cruise at supersonic speeds (up to Mach 1.5), climb vertically and stop in mid-air — the only time they don’t appear as gray blurs to the naked eye.
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The United States Special Operations Command Parachute Team, known as the Para-Commandos, perform in the Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale in 2025. The event returns May 9-10 to the skies over Fort Lauderdale beach. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Navy F-18 Rhino Demo Team: This twin-engine beast deserves your full attention. It will pump out 44,000 pounds of thrust during the Navy’s dynamic 15-minute demo of its workhorse carrier-fighter.
U.S. Special Operations Command Parachute Team: Better known as the Para-Commandos, these paratroopers are composed of volunteers from every military branch.
Red Bull Helicopter: Stunt pilot Aaron Fitzgerald flies this modified BO-105C twin-engine helicopter that can execute barrel rolls, vertical climbs, nose dives, full loops and — perhaps most dangerous of all — upside-down flying.
Red Bull Air Force: Wearing multicolored wingsuits, this base-jumping crew of performers freefall and glide across the ocean with a series of aerial stunts.
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel
Spectators watch Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale from the roof of the Pelican Grand Beach Resort on Saturday, May 3, 2025. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Racers Jet Team L-39: Retired Air Force Lt. Col. and fighter pilot Jerry “Jive” Kirby — come on, how baller is that call sign? — flies the sleek Aero L-39 Albatros, a subsonic jet trainer that screams earth-quaking power with fast turns and tail slide maneuvers. (Fun fact: Tom Cruise trained in L-39s for “Top Gun: Maverick.”)
Listen to her howlin’ roar
Do you mind sitting in the… danger zone? (Cue ’80s guitar riff.) OK, it’s technically called Drop Zone Beach, and it’s a prime reserved viewing area with craft zooming overhead (BYO beach chairs and umbrellas) on the shore between Sunrise Boulevard and Northeast 14th Court that costs $26 to $37.50 and includes access to portable restrooms and early 9 a.m. admission. And if you just happen to be blasting the “Top Gun” soundtrack in your designated area, well, you’re Air Show-ing better than most of us, Iceman.
If you’re angling for even better treatment, be prepared to splurge. Sand Boxes (starting at $299 for four people) up the ante with provided beach chairs in designated boxes on the sand. Flight Line Club (opens 10 a.m.; $169-$199 per person) includes a personal beach tent, catered lunch, restroom trailer, live show narration and VIP parking passes.
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The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds fly the F-16 Fighting Falcons over the beach during their last headlining performance at Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale in 2024. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
Prefer aerial views? Arguably the best vantage point is the VIP Penthouse ($599 a person) on the 10th-floor rooftop balcony of the Pelican Grand (2000 N. Ocean Blvd.), which includes an air-conditioned restroom, valet parking, open bar and bites.
If VIP sounds steep, here are two backup options: Watch the Air Show for free from the patio at McSorley’s Beach Pub (837 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.), or pay for all-ages rooftop access plus unlimited buffet food and drink ($200 per day via Eventbrite.com). Meanwhile, The Atlantic Hotel & Spa (601 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.) will have a fifth-floor rooftop viewing deck, including a welcome drink and lunch ($105.93 via Eventbrite.com).
For extra ticketing information, email lauderdaleairshow@completeticketsolutions.com or call 954-241-7937.
Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel
The Red Bull Helicopter flies upside-down during a recent edition of the Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)
Getting there, parking and road closures
As usual, State Road A1A is expected to be closed between Sunrise Boulevard and Northeast 19th Street from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days, so find alternate routes if commuting. (The Sunrise-A1A intersection will technically be open, but be prepared for heavy congestion.) A checkpoint for residents living on the Birch Park Finger Streets will be posted at Northeast 20th Street.
One suggestion: Park at The Galleria mall on Sunrise Boulevard, which charges a $20 flat fee, and cross the Intracoastal to the beach. Alternately, there are many parking lots, garages and metered spaces near the beach between Oakland Park Boulevard and Southeast 17th Street.
For locals, we recommend the Water Taxi, offering weekend pickups and drop-offs at every stop including Birch State Park. A day pass is available for $18-$38 a person. Visit watertaxi.com.
Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale will be from 11:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, May 9-10 at Fort Lauderdale beach, north and south around Sunrise Boulevard. The event is free to watch, but preferred seat packages are available. Visit Air.Show or call 954-241-7937.
Staff writer Phillip Valys can be reached at pvalys@sunsentinel.com or on X/Twitter @PhilValys.
Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel
In this 2025 photo, beachgoers watch stunt aircraft perform in the Air Dot Show Fort Lauderdale. The supersonic thriller returns May 9-10. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)