Chicago Air and Water Show to rock the skyline

The U.S. Navy Blue Angels is set to rock the skies over the Chicago lakefront for the 52nd Annual Chicago Air and Water Show on August 14 – 15, 2010. The Chicago Air and Water Show is the largest free show of its kind in the United States. New for 2010, the air and water portions of the show are combined for one continuous show from 11:00 a.m. To 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Headlining Chicago's show are The U.S. Navy Blue Angels and U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights .The Chicago Air and Water Show is along the Lake Michigan lakefront from Fullerton to Oak Street, with North Avenue Beach as the focal point.

U.S. Navy Blue Angels

Chicago is proud to have the U.S. Navy Blue Angels back for 2010. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels have been astounding audiences since 1946 with their commanding presence and supersonic maneuvers in their F/A-18 Hornets. As role models for men and women of all ages this elite group of Navy pilots defy gravity with their famous diamond formation and precision flying. the team has thrilled more than 427 million fans choreographed aerobatic and high altitude performance maneuvers. In their F/A 18 Hornets, the six-jet team is known for its six-jet Delta Formation, as well as the graceful maneuvers of its solo pilots.

U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights

Also headlining the 2010 Air and Water show are the brave men and women of the U.S. Army Parachute Team Golden Knights. Jumping out of an aircraft 12,500 feet above the earth’s surface, racing to North Avenue Beach at speeds exceeding 120 mph and landing with smiles, ready to do it all again; all in a days work for the Golden Knights. For more than 50 years, the U.S. Army Parachute team has amazed and thrilled audiences with their precision parachute demonstrations in more than 14,000 shows in all 50 states and 48 countries.

For the last 14 years the Chicago Air and Water Show has been presented by Shell Oil Products U.S. and the City of Chicago. Strong in tradition and one of the world’s premier aviation events, the show includes a wide array of military and civilian acts thrilling spectators along the lake front each summer. Back again for his 23rd year as “the voice”of the Air and Water Show, Herb Hunter utilizes his many years of experience as a military pilot and as a captain for one of the major airlines.

Play-by-play coverage of the show will air on WBBM-AM Newsradio 780 on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Also, a thirty-minute highlight show "Chicago's Top Guns" will air on ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV) on Sunday, August 15 at 10:35PM. Jerry Taft and Tracy Butler recap the weekend's events. The program will be rebroadcast on Sunday, August 16 at 10:30 p.m.

The Chicago Air and Water Show is a free event that draws a huge crowd. The Mayor's Office of Special Events using public transportation to avoid traffic congestion. Please call (312) 836-7000/TTY (312) 836-4949 for information on RTA, CTA, PACE, and Metra.

The Chicago Air and Water Show is free to the public and made possible by presenting sponsor Shell Oil Products U.S., and these sponsors: ABC 7 Chicago, American Airlines, The Boeing Company, Bud Light, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago Tribune, Communications Direct, Hinckley Springs, Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, LaGrou Distribution System, M*M Graphics, Oracle, Pepsi-Cola, and WBBM Newsradio 780.