Open House Offers Community Closer Look

COURT HOUSE – Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst is set to open its doors to the community for a very special open house and air show weekend May 12 and 13.
The event will be celebrating more than 95 years of defending our nation’s air, land and sea.
Community members will have an opportunity to get a first-hand glimpse at the joint base’s warfighting capabilities and total-force integration. Every branch of service on base will be present to engage with the community and explain the way they fit into the “joint base puzzle.”
This year’s line-up includes some high-flying spectacles sure to draw a crowd.
The world-renowned Air Force Thunderbirds flying team will rip through joint base airspace in their trademark F-16s, performing the most daring maneuvers known to man. The Golden Knights, the U.S. Army’s premier parachute team, will awe the audience with death defying stunts and acrobatics. The Marine Air/Ground Task Force assault demonstration, which includes F-18s, CH-53, and Cobras with Pyro, will rock the flight line with large explosives as part of a simulated assault. The U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City will also showcase their ability in a hoisting demonstration.
Many talented civilian pilots will make the voyage to the joint base also strut their stuff in both vintage and modern aircraft. Herb & Ditto will perform the world’s only smoke ring acrobatics.
More than 25 historic and current static aircraft will be displayed during this year’s event–Bell UH-1 Iroquois, C-5 Galaxy, FedEx Airbus A300 and T-1A Jayhawk. Many of history’s most storied aircraft as well as today’s cutting-edge platforms will be on display for visitor’s viewing pleasure.
“The joint base has a long history of engaging the community with open houses,” said Heidi Stark, 87th Air Base Wing historian.
The Department of Defense hosts open houses to enhance public awareness of the military’s mission, equipment, facilities and personnel and to promote positive community relations.
The first air show on JB MDL was held in Dec. of 1945. The most advanced aircraft of that age such as the P-38 Lightning, the P-51 Mustang and the P-59 Air Comet, the U.S’s first jet fighter, were put on display for the general populace to admire.
The last open house to be held at the installation was in 2008. This year’s event is JB MDL’s first open house and air show since it became a joint base in 2009.
Contact the Joint Base Public Affairs Office at 754-2104 visit www.jbmdlopenhouse.com for more information.