Planes leave their mark on the Chicago sky. (City of Chicago photo)

This year’s Chicago Air & Water Show will be held Saturday, Aug. 10, and Sunday, Aug. 11, along the city’s lakefront.

This year’s show will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days along Lake Michigan from Fullerton Avenue to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach serving as show center.

Established in 1959, the Chicago Air & Water Show is the largest free admission event of its kind.

Headliners of this year’s show are the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the Golden Knights, the U.S. Army’s parachute team.

New this year are stunt pilot RJ Gritter aboard his acrobatic Decathlon 150 CS and the Trojan Phylers who will show off their North American Aviation Co. T-28B aircraft.

The Blue Angels return to the Chicago Air & Water Show, which takes place during Chicago Navy Week this year, flying their F/A-18E Super Hornets. They are the oldest flight demonstration squadron in the United States, having first flown in 1946.

Also returning this year are the men and women of the Golden Knights, the U.S. Army parachute team, who will jump out of an aircraft 12,000 feet above the earth’s surface to a target landing on North Avenue Beach.

Show announcer Herb Hunter, the “Voice of the Air and Water Show” for more than 35 years, also returns this year to narrate and guide spectators through each performer’s aerial choreography.

“The Chicago Air & Water Show is a grand spectacle unique to our great city, pairing the world’s best pilots and sailors against the backdrop of beautiful Lake Michigan and our stunning Chicago skyline,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “We are thrilled to again welcome the roar of the jets and millions of spectators to the lakefront for this annual show, which is part of the quintessential Chicago summer experience.”

“Every year our team at (the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events) is proud to present hundreds of free events throughout the city, from the neighborhoods to the parks and lakefront,” said DCASE Commissioner Clinée Hedspeth. “Like many of our iconic annual events, the Chicago Air & Water Show brings together residents and visitors to share in the joy and awe of live entertainment.”

The event features military and civilian performers and aerial demonstration teams with pilots performing their aerobatic maneuvers along Chicago’s lakefront.

Featured military performers are:

• S Navy Blue Angels: The team is composed of Navy and Marine Corps pilots, and their performances include maneuvers, formations, and precision flying, which demonstrate naval aviation’s capabilities. The Blue Angels fly F/A-18 Hornets.
• S Navy F-35C: The F-35C is the first and world’s only long-range stealth striker fighter designed and built explicitly for Navy carrier operations.
• S Marine Corps F-35B: The F-35B maintains the ability to demonstrate unparalleled maneuverability and showcase cutting-edge airpower.
• S Air Force C-17: The C-17 Globemaster III is the most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area.
• S Air Force KC-135: The KC-135 Stratotanker provides the core aerial refueling capability for the U.S. Air Force and has excelled in the role for more than 60 years. It provides aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and allied nation aircraft.
• S Air Force KC-46 Pegasus: The KC-46 Pegasus is a military aerial refueling and strategic military transport aircraft designed to replace the older KC-135 Stratotanker and provides enhanced capabilities for the U.S. and allied forces.
• S Air Force B-1B: The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a supersonic variable sweep-wing, heavy bomber, with wing/body configuration, variable-geometry design and turbofan engines combined to provide greater range and high speed.
• S Army Golden Knights: The Army Parachute Team, nicknamed the Golden Knights, is a demonstration and competition team, drawn from all branches of the U.S. Army.
• S Army AH-64: As the original production attack helicopter, the Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with tailwheel-type landing gear and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two.
• S Air Force/Maryland Air National Guard A-10: The Maryland Air National Guard, the aerial militia of Maryland and a reserve component of the U.S. Air Force, will demonstrate A-10 flyovers. The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt IIs are a single-seat, twin-turbofan, straight-wing, subsonic attack aircraft, commonly referred to as the “Warthog.”
• S Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin Search & Rescue: The Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin is a twin-engine helicopter for medevac-capable search and rescue and airborne use of force missions. The search & rescue demonstration will act as a visual representation of the precision and speed with which medical evacuations are carried out.

Featured civilian stunt performers are:

• RJ Gritter Decathlon Aerobatics: Gritter was raised in aviation with his father being a test pilot and his mother being a flight instructor. Through a passion for radio-control flying and a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from North Carolina State University, Gritter has flown more than 200 air-show performances and has logged more than 1,000 hours of flight.
• Trojan Phlyers — T-28: A group of aviation professionals dedicated to preserving the history of the North American Aviation Co.’s T28 Trojan, which owns and operates two T-28B aircraft, which can take off in less than 800 feet of runway, climb to 10,000 feet in less than 90 seconds, race above 335 mph, and dive faster than 380 mph.
• Bill Stein Edge 540: Stein has logged more than 7,000 hours of aerobatic and formation flight. As a student pilot, he began flying aerobatics and has been dedicated to perfecting his skills ever since. Since 1995, Stein has performed at air shows across the United States and has entertained millions of air show fans. He flies his own designed aircraft, the Edge 540, which uses a paint that continuously changes color based on the varying angles between the spectators, airplane, and the lighting.
• Kevin Coleman, Red Bull aerobatic pilot: At age 10, Coleman began training with barnstormer Marion Cole. At 16, he completed his first solo flight before he even had a driver’s license. Before long, he was fine-tuning his craft under the mentorship of Kirby Chambliss, ultimately joining the Red Bull Air Race team in 2016 as one of the youngest faces in the sport. Now, he performs acrobatic flying with the Red Bull Air Force.
• Susan Dacy — Big Red Stearman Biplane: Dacy is one of only a few females performing at air shows in a biplane and is the only woman flying exhibition in the Super Stearman. As an avid fan of air shows and aviation her whole life, Dacy earned a degree in aviation operations and systems from Southern Illinois University and through work in all kinds of flight-related jobs, she stands as a Chicago-based international captain with more than 35,000 hours of flights logged. Flying Big Red, a World War II trainer for young naval aviators, Dacy takes audience members back in time to the barnstorming era of flying.
• Ed “Hamster” Hamill — Folds of Honor Biplane: U.S. Air Force retired Col. Ed Hamill performs on the air-show circuit flying the Folds of Honor Biplane. Hamill is a veteran air-show pilot, performing his first show in 1999. While completing his 30-year career flying F-16s, Hamill has performed in his biplane for more than 42 million spectators at air shows across North America. He now partners with the Folds of Honor Foundation which provides scholarships to the families of fallen and disabled military and first responders. Since 2007, Folds of Honor has given out 51,000 scholarships worth nearly $240 million.

The Chicago Air & Water Show is presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Chicago Air & Water Show is supported by The Boeing Co., Capital One, BUBBL’r, ABC 7 Chicago, WBBM Newsradio, the Chicago Transit Authority and Millennium Garages.

Audio descriptions will be available online both days of the event for individuals who are blind or have low vision.

For information, visit chicagoairandwatershow.us, go to Chicago Air & Water Show on Facebook or @ChicagoDCASE on X and Instagram.