VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — An annual tradition prepares for take-off!
Some of the Navy's top pilots are preparing to take to the skies above Virginia Beach this weekend with the NAS Oceana Air Show.
Oceana expects thousands of people back at the flight line on September 16 and 17.
The lineup includes the F-22 Raptors, F/A-18 Super Hornets and the return of one of the most famous squadrons in the sky: the Navy's flight demonstration team, the Blue Angels.
But this year also marks major milestones in Navy aviation, starting with this year's theme: 50 years of Women in Naval Aviation.
It pays tribute to trailblazers like "The First Six," as in the first six women to earn their wings from flight school in Pensacola in 1973.
This year also marks 80 years since Naval Air Station Oceana was first commissioned in 1943. Today, it is one of the most prized military bases in Hampton Roads and in the world.
After a two-year break during the COVID-19 pandemic, the air show returned in-person last year, bringing in a record 350,000 people. Large crowds are expected again for another exciting spectacle in the sky.
The air show starts at 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. More information can be found on the air show's website and Facebook page. The City of Virginia Beach has also posted a list of road closures and detours for the air show on its website.