The air up there

| 28 Sep 2011 | 02:15

    Sussex County-The heat and humidity of the weekend made the Sussex Air Show a steamy place to be this weekend, what with the temperature on the Tarmac reaching 108 degrees Fahrenheit. But that didn't deter the spectators who were there to witness the grand spectacle of a good old-fashioned air show. And perhaps, for the last time. The Sussex Air Show has been entertaining and thrilling New Jersey audiences for more than 30 years. After a cloudy day on Friday, Saturday brought clear, blue skies in the earlier part of the day and though there was a little heat haze by the time the show started at 1:30 p.m., conditions were excellent. When the Misty Blues, the all-women skydiving team, dropped in from thousands of feet above the airfield carrying the American flag, they set the mood for an exciting day of aerial acrobatics. Sussex Airport has been owned by Paul Styger for 57 years and this year he presented the 32nd and his final air show. "Because this is my last show I felt that we had to make this one a really good one and I think that we succeeded," he said. Among the performers were Sussex local star Angelo Cillaroto who flies an Extra 300, Joe Borin who thrilled the crowds in his gyro-copter and Jim LeRoy making his Pitts S2S aircraft do things that an airplane were never meant to do.Though Styger will be selling the property, it will remain an airport. "There will be some improvements made such as a new taxi strip and new runway lights," he said. "I suppose that I will miss it, but I think that it's time for me to sit back and watch now."