Thousands of vacationers, beachgoers and onlookers crowded the Atlantic City boardwalk, for the Atlantic City Salutes the 100th Anniversary of Powered Flight Air Show Aug. 27.

The Atlantic City Air Show was the first major aviation show staged in Atlantic City in more than a decade and the first along the Boardwalk in more than 50 years. The event featured a variety of aircraft, from F-16 fighters to KC-135E refuelers to P-51 Mustangs from World War II.

The three-hour performance began with the Army’s Golden Knights elite parachute unit performing precision aerial maneuvers while falling to earth at speeds reaching 120 miles per hour and then landing dead center on target.

The Thunderbirds dazzled onlookers as they flew nail biting patterns, sometimes splitting off and making daring turns at nerve racking low altitudes, just a few hundred feet above the waves. The show ended with a B-17 Flying Fortress passing in review while the strains of Amazing Grace were heard over the public address system.

P-51 Mustangs flash by during the Air Show.