Flight Canceled
Organizers couldn't come up with the angel sponsor they needed
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It's official. Hundreds of thousands of people will have to find something else to do April 24-25.
The Air Lauderdale Beach Fest, formerly known as the Air and Sea Show, has been canceled because organizers could not get enough sponsors to pay for the event.
Lead organizer Stan Smith made the announcement on the show's web page today.
He blamed the show's demise on the "soft economy" and the inability to book major attractions like the Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds.
But the main reason no loud planes will be ripping through the Fort Lauderdale skies at G-force speeds is Smith didn't have the cash to put on such a large show.
On Monday, Smith said the group needed an angel with about $1 million to spare to save the show from being grounded.
In the past, big sponsors like McDonalds carried the weight of paying for city services. The show routinely packed Fort Lauderdale beach with families and military enthusiasts who wanted to enjoy the aerobatics of flight teams.
Smith hopes he will be able to put on a scaled down show in 2011.
