2017 Ocean City, N.J., Air Festival photos

A thick fog that shrouded Ocean City, New Jersey, Saturday morning, Sept. 16, kept several planes away from landing at the annual Air Festival, but more and more planes arrived as it burned off through the day. By the early afternoon, a planned skydiving demonstration took place in a brilliant blue sky.

The event included several airplanes at Ocean City’s municipal airport, as well as a classic car show, activities for the kids, and other demonstrations. Hundreds watched as pilot Will Anderson swooped close to the ground to show how banner planes pick up the banners they fly along the beachfront.

Start Skydiving Company put on an impressive show, with skydivers leaving smoke trails. Larry Compton unfurled a 7,800-square-foot American flag beneath his ‘shute, and the national anthem played through the loudspeaker as he approached the ground.

There was also a footrace on the runway, an area typically off limits to any pedestrians, along with face painting and food vendors. At the entrance to the event, boy scouts from Troop 32 handed out American flags, wing pins and balsa wood gliders, which proved immensely popular, with many children flying them throughout the festival.