Chicago Air & Water Show thrills fans as Golden Knights, Blue Angels take to the sky

Phones went toward the sky as the Army’s Golden Knights descended on North Avenue Beach during the 2024 Chicago Air & Water Show Saturday morning, wafting through the air like smoke from the grills spread across the sand.

Boats dotted the water 3,000 feet from the shore, with parts of the horizon covered by boats and their sails.

Among the jumpers was Staff Sgt. Nickolas Orozco, a member of the Army Parachute Team and Golden Knights, who stopped to take pictures with crowd members after landing on North Avenue Beach.

It was his third time jumping in the show, and he said he looks forward to it every year in part because he gets to meet and talk to so many people, but mostly because of the view.

“The magnitude of the lake that looks like an ocean from 9,000 feet, mixed with the skyline, is an unbeatable view,” Orozco told the Sun-Times Saturday.

“It’s not a view, even people in the city here, get to see often, so I’m grateful for that.”

The event, which typically draws a crowd of about 1 million to the lakefront, was moved a week earlier than normal to accommodate the Democratic National Convention, scheduled for Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.

Orozco said the massive size of the crowd is something he can see even from thousands of feet in the air.

“All we see is our landing area sand, and everything else is people. You can’t even make out the different parts of the beach when everyone’s out here, I love it.”

Among the crowd on the beach was Phillip Beckham, a 27-year-old Loop resident, who had once dreamed of flying in the show.

“I always wanted to join the Navy or Air Force, but as a diabetic, I can’t,” he said. “So this is what I can do, come out and enjoy my day.”

He said attendees should look out for the Navy F-35C, a military stealth fighter capable of going more than 1,200 mph. He said that’s the plane he would’ve aimed to fly if he had been able to enlist.

Beckham’s interest started young, when he first attended the show at age 2, and he has attended almost every one since.

“This is my favorite weekend, I had to be out here,” he said.

While the show saw some new additions this year — veteran stunt pilot and aerobatics expert RJ Gritter on a Decathalon 150 CS and the Trojan Phlyers team with two North American Aviation T-28B aircraft — they were all civilian pilots, and Beckham is more interested in military craft.

But, he said all additions were good additions.

Beckham would love to see the F22 Raptors added to the spectacle.

“If [the F22s] ever show up here, people have to come see them, they’ll literally shake you out of your body,” Beckham said, eyes wide with excitement. “But as long as the show keeps growing, it’s just better for Chicago.”

Throughout the day, planes zipped through the sky, often leaving trails behind them. A new Chicago police helicopter was also shown off in addition to a staged water rescue exercise.

One duo, Bill Stein and Kevin Coleman, opened the plane portion of the show together, drawing a heart in the sky. The two took over the sky, seemingly out of control at times while tumbling nose over tail — drawing some concerned voices from the crowd — just before the pilots took back over and put themselves into a nosedive.

Not everyone had to brave the crowd to get the views though.

Laura Lewis, an Old Town resident who splits time between Denver and Chicago, set up some folding chairs in the shade on the other side of DuSable Lake Shore Drive with her niece Allie Berg, who lives in Lincoln Park.

The two had gotten sandwiches from the deli in Lewis’ apartment building and packed snacks for their shady viewing spot.

“They come screaming down North Avenue, and we’ve got tree canopy here for shade,” Lewis said.

Lewis, who lives just blocks away, has lots of experience with the air show and offers some advice to future attendees on when to come to the show: the day before to watch the practice when the beach is empty.

“That’s the best time to come to this,” Lewis said. “There’s no one here, they’re all working. I had an unobstructed view. … Honest to god, pro tip, come the Friday before the show.”

The Blue Angels, the centerpiece of the show, performed awe-inspiring tricks in unison, with some fans even donning shirts with the planes in formation.

Lewis and Berg were so enthralled by the group that they planned on seeing them again in just a few weeks at another air show in Colorado Springs.

Lewis said the show mostly consisted of older aircraft, but that the Angels were refreshing.

“The classics are there,” Lewis said. “But I’ll get double Blue Angels.”