ACTION 8 UPDATE: Record number of people saw Montgomery Air Show
U.S. Navy Blue Angels in the sky. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Organizers of the Beyond the Horizon Air and Space Show featuring the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels say it was the most successful air show ever held at Maxwell Air Force Base.
An estimated 200,000 people either watched the two-day air show in person or saw it online.
The last air show happened in 2017 and featured the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds. It drew an in-person crowd of around 135,000.
The 2024 air show was the first time that the U.S. Navy Blue Angels aerial demonstration team performed at Maxwell, which capped off Navy Week in Montgomery. The air show also included many historic aircraft.
As part of a week of events, Pike Road High School Robotics and STEM teacher Catherine Kenny got the opportunity of a lifetime by flying with the Blue Angels. She is a 26-year educator who helped develop a Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Connections in Education curriculum.
The Blue Angels made special visits throughout the River Region all week.
The weekend included a massive STEM Expo, filling two hangars and a fitness center annex. The Expo exposed nearly 4,000 middle school and high school students to the world of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Along with the Blue Angels, other military performers included the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team and U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, which treated the reigning Miss Alabama with a tandem jump on Saturday.
While no final decision has been made, base officials hope to host another air show in two or three years.
