NAS Oceana Airshow - September 8-10, 2006
I hope you guys are up for an airshow... probably the last time you'll see the F-14 Tomcat (this is on the heels of two Tomcats coming into LGA today). I told Phil about it and he said to mention it to you guys. NAS Oceana is located in VA Beach, which is about a 6½ hour drive from NYC, and hosts one of the finest airshows in the country. There is a LOT of military aircraft, especially from the Navy, performing during the airshow over the course of the three days. Photography-wise, the sun is behind you for about 2/3 of the day and there is a night show on Friday night and a Beach Blast on Saturday night. Admission is free, and if you guys would like, I could get you in contact with the PAO to get on base for the Friday practice show. The best paid seating areas are the Executive Chalets ($50 a person with unlimited food/beverages), the box seats ($15 a person), and the bleachers ($4 a person...I took one day in the bleachers last year and that was such a great decision!).
It's best to book the rooms along Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Avenue within the next month as those are the prime spots to stay, plus are within fifteen minutes of the main gate. If you decide to fly into the area, ORF is about a 20 minute drive (depending on traffic on I-64 and I-264). Driving-wise, you'll have the tolls on the NJ Turnpike, Delaware Memorial Bridge ($3), Delaware Route 1 (two $1 tolls each way), and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel ($12 each way). I don't know what the tolls are if you go 95 to Richmond and 64/264 to Norfolk/VA Beach (that route is 75 miles longer).
So far performers include the Blue Angels, (a parachute team or two TBD), F/A-18F Super Hornet demo, F/A-18C Hornet demo, a USAF demo or two, possibly an E-2C Hawkeye demo, and a very nice list of aerobatic performers.
