14th Annual AC Air Show Wows Crowds Again

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (CBS) -- The boardwalk was jammed for the 14th annual Atlantic City Air Show. Organizers estimated the crowd at a few hundred thousand.

For city officials and business leaders, this is a chance to boost tourism in a town that needs all the help it can get. Gus Bader, no relation to the airfield here that bears that name, came down from Pitman. This is an annual ritual.

"There always was something happening all the time," Bader told KYW Newsradio. "You didn't have to sit around and wait for anything."

Of course it helps to have a seat, and find a cool place on the boardwalk to take in the festivities. Lee Johnson, Junior from Philadelphia found the same spot.

His favorite part of the program? "Oh it's the Thunderbirds. No doubt," he said What makes them so great to watch? "Precision. Performance. And the power of those engines make it so exciting."

And then there were the first timers, like Steve DiBello, who traveled from Philadelphia with his two kids, and the family dog in tow. He wanted to get a good look at the V-22 Osprey.

"It's innovative the way it can take off and land," DiBello said. "I think it's an important tool for our country not just for this, but just for regular aviation in the future I would think."

But whatever brings the people here, merchants are more than glad to see them, and the cash they leave behind.