The four-hour show lineup, with 11 headlining acts, will also include military performers from the NJ Air National Guard, Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and Dover Air Force Base, the Fighter Jets Inc. MIG-17PF Jet Team, and many more exciting performances
The Wildwoods, NJ – June 27, 2025 – The Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority (GWTIDA) has proudly announced the exciting lineup for the ‘Thunder Over the Waves’ Airshow to be held on September 5 (practice day) and September 6 (main event) on the beaches in the Wildwoods, NJ. The four-hour airshow is expected to draw over 200,000 spectators, as visitors travel to see 11 headlining acts including the Full Throttle Formation Team, Mark Meredith, Scott Francis, and Randy Ball.
Full Throttle Formation Team
The Full Throttle Formation Team, is the largest precision formation team in the United States. Led by Dave “Torque” Romuald, the team flies a variety of conventional and tail wheel aircraft from the Vans Aircraft Company; most of the aircraft in the team were actually built by the pilots themselves and the Full Throttle Formation Team has over 300,000 hours of total flight experience.
Mark Meredith
Mark Meredith’s aviation career began with the Navy, graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1979 then Naval Flight Officer training in Pensacola. He was an A-6 Bombardier/Navigator but spent most of his Navy career as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer, managing logistics and programs.
He attended the Navy Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, and served on many different aircraft carriers including as the Aircraft Maintenance Officer on USS Theodore Roosevelt and on Atlantic Fleet and Carrier Group staffs. He retired as a Captain in 2004 then continued to serve the Navy for nine years as president of M. S. Meredith Consulting, supporting acquisition programs and Pentagon staffs. He then left staff work in 2013 to finish rebuilding his Classic Airshows Super Chipmunk.
Scott Francis
Scott Francis has been flying in airplanes for as long as he can remember. Born and raised in Wichita, KS, he flew often with his father who was an experimental test pilot. Scott received his private license in high school, and has gone on to earn his commercial, instrument, multi-engine, and Airline Transport Pilot certifications. He has logged over 5,800 flight hours in more than 40 types of aircraft and is type-rated in the Dash 8, King Air 350, and Boeing 737. Scott is currently a pilot for a major U.S. airline.
In addition, Scott possesses a surface level aerobatic waiver and flies in more than 30 airshows each year. He particularly enjoys interacting with spectators before and after each show. When he isn’t flying an “away show”, he can be seen performing at the Flying Circus in Bealeton, VA every Sunday from May through October.
Randy Ball and the MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union from 1952 and was operated by air forces internationally. The MiG-17 was license-built in China as the Shenyang J-5 and Poland as the PZL-Mielec Lim-6. The MiG-17 is still being used by the North Korean air force in the present day and has seen combat in the Middle East and Asia.
The MiG-17 was an advanced modification of the MiG-15 aircraft produced by the Soviet Union during the Korean War. Production of the MiG-17 was too late for use in that conflict and was first used in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis in 1958. While the MiG-17 was designed to shoot down slower American bombers, it showed surprising success when used by North Vietnamese pilots to combat American fighters and fighter-bombers during the Vietnam War, nearly a decade after its initial design. This was due to the MiG-17 being more agile and maneuverable than the American F-4 Phantom and F-105 Thunderchief, which were focused on speed and long range combat, as well as the fact that MiG-17 was armed with guns, which initial models of the F-4 Phantom lacked.
Airshow Schedule
Spectators can witness the Full Throttle Formation Team, Mark Meredith, Scott Francis, and Randy Ball in action during their respective timeslots, in addition to the show’s other headlining acts. The airshow will be presented by David Schultz Airshows. Below is the schedule of current acts in the lineup for the airshow (subject to change):
11:30 Airspace Closes. TFR in effect. Radio Remote Broadcast Starts
11:50 Opening Ceremonies
12:00 National Anthem with Army Golden Knights Flag Jump
12:06 Army Golden Knights Mass Exit Show
12:14 Military Flyovers Window
12:24 Mark Meredith DHC-1 Chipmunk Aerobatics
12:34 Scott Francis MXS Aerobatics
12:49 Jerry Conley DH-115 Vampire Jet Aerobatics
1:04 USCG MH-65E Search & Rescue Demo
1:14 Jersey Jerks 4-ship SNJ Formation Demonstration
1:24 Kevin Russo SNJ-6 Aerobatics
1:39 Patrick McAlee Pitts Aerobatics
1:54 Full Throttle Formation Team
2:10 Army Golden Knights Mass Exit Show
2:30 ACEMAKER T-33 Jet Aerobatics
2:45 P-5D Mustang Demonstration
2:58 Fighter Jets MiG-17 Jet Aerobatics
4:00 Airspace Re-Opens, Airshow Ends
Funding for the Wildwoods ‘Thunder Over the Waves’ Airshow comes from a combination of sources, including the GWTIDA, SJTA, and corporate sponsorships. The airshow is a free event for the public to attend. Sponsorship packages are available by contacting the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement and Development Authority at 609-846-2657 or email at [email protected].
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