Yesterday I had the chance to visit the world famous Flying Circus Air Show in Bealeton, Virginia. I will tell you that this experience was quite emotional for me as it was something so wholesome and nostalgic. The Flying Circus, comprised completely of volunteers, performs nearly every Sunday. There are some wooden benches, a snack bar, restrooms, and a gift shop. Various families brought picnic lunches to enjoy the fall atmosphere and take in the rumbling of biplanes flying overhead as the pilots gave rides to excited attendees. The flying program began at approximately 2:30p. This is true, live, wholesome entertainment - 1930s style. The show began with the launch of eight Stearmans in two diamond formations (and a Waco), launching in full fingertip formation before climbing up to drop a single jumper. As the anthem was played, the formations flew by before splitting off to attack the hand-launched helium balloons. The oohs and aahs from the crowd were great fun. Sometimes a plane would miss the balloon, forcing it into it's slipstream causing it to do some very weird maneuvering. Extremely entertaining! During all of this, the 'Black Baron' (he's worse than the Red Baron) had been working the crowd with the announcer also working in a variety of mass "boo's" in regards how bad of a flyer he was. He went out to the runway where the biplane flight attempted to bomb the Baron with sacks of flour, later heading to the outhouse where the last plane hit the target with some in-house pyro - the Baron caught pants down. The show continued with some Stearman aerobatics (remarkably impressive), and for the first time ever - Clemens Kuhlig in his Pitts Special. Since he was at the Culpeper show the day prior, Chef was able to perform his display at the Circus. After an air mail bag pickup with a Piper Cub, a balloon "shoot" by a PT-17, and Scott Francis in his MXS, the program concluded with their in-house Wingwalking performance and a missing man formation dedicated to one of the Circus's key founders who recently passed. This was a true family affair. These volunteers do this because they enjoy it. was told many times by many crew they do not do it for the money but to fly these vintage airplanes and to entertain others. It's a tradition. These types of attractions are very rare in today's world and takes you back to a nostalgic time that is not often experienced in the hustle and bustle of many of our lives. I truly enjoyed the Flying Circus on an emotional level. It had an atmosphere that reminded me of my childhood, being in total awe and wonderment of these machines and everything involved. If you're near Virginia, do yourself a favor and visit the great folks on any given Sunday in Bealeton. You will not be disappointed. read more

Such a fun time! Great airshow with vintage biplanes. The gift shop was full of great things and really reasonable prices. The ladies in there were kind and friendly and willing to answer any questions. Definitely a family friendly activity to do on a Sunday read more

Great show and fun seeing the airplanes so close. Even got to take a ride in one. Easy parking and access; close to DC

This small rural attraction is only a short drive from home for me. I saw their online advertising for this Sunday's show and decided to have a look. They had an admission special, so my entry was only $10. That got me entry to the show (2 hours!) and a raffle entry. Plenty of seating, with some shaded, this was a great bargain. The show was amazing. Aerobatics, stunt planes, wing walkers, skydivers, and more, all with a healthy dose of comedy and a sense of good fun. The plane rides that are available are also a pretty good deal. A 10 minute flight in an antique aircraft, flown by an expert pilot is one of life's experiences that I just couldn't pass up, so I did both the Piper Cub AND the open cockpit flights. I look forward to the next motorcycle day, so that I can bring a bunch of friends!!! read more

Flying Circus Air Shows - Performing Arts Near Me - Bealeton, Virginia

Located in rural Virginia, an hour from Wash DC, the Flying Circus Aerodrome is a bucolic farm-turned-airfield, home to a number of vintage antique biplanes built in the 1930's and 40's. It's open to the public on Sundays, May through October (weather permitting). Visitors can purchase a ride in one of these open-cockpit biplanes. Hard-core thrill-seekers can experience an acrobatic ride, including loops, spins, rolls, and other stomach-wrenching maneuvers. Founded in the early 1970's by a group of professional airline and military pilots, this Roaring 20's barnstorming-style airshow is unique, and now the longest continuous-running attraction of its kind in the world. Some of the current airshow show participants are second and third-generation descendants of the original group. I discovered this place in 1977 and made a student film about it. Watch my 11-min film to get a taste: https://youtu.be/o0qBZOHSdk4 Earlier this month, I returned, and reconnected with a couple of the original guys, which was very cool. Admission for the day is $15, and includes the airshow, which includes lots of stunt flying, wing walking, and some old-fashioned comedy. Parking is free, and snacks, beverages, and souvenirs are inexpensive. Airplane rides are currently $50 for the Piper Cub, $80 for an individual in a Stearman, $150 for a couple in the two-passenger Waco, or $150 for an individual aerobatic ride. read more

Flying Circus Air Shows - From my film, "Barnstorming 1977". Watch it on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0qBZOHSdk4 - Performing Arts Near Me - Bealeton, Virginia

This is an amazing experience!!!! So much flying talent and expertise combined with family friendly antics that is very entertaining. Held at an old fashioned grass landing field with a wonderfully reasonably priced well selected snack bar. A nice gift shop and the opportunity for an open cockpit airplane ride to include aerobatics if you chose. Bleacher seats and picnic tables are provided. Bring your own cooler and food if you chose. Clean close bathrooms what a wonderful event for all ages. read more

Just for the sheer fact that I don't know of another place that does this, I have to give this a 5-star rating. I honestly thought this was going to be a bust. $52 to watch slow prop bi-planes go round and round for a 30 minute show on a very humid cloudy August day with 50% chance of showers through the day, certainly was going to be lame and miserable. I mean, how do you compete with an Air Show put on by the most powerful militaries in the world with the most advanced, fastest, stealthiest fighter jets...and all for free!?!? You can't IT WAS ANYTHING BUT! Rain held off except for the occasional drop here and there. The show was closer to 1.5 to 2 hours long and it was entertaining. read more

Here - I'm going to give you the secret to the perfect first date idea. I'm going to lay it out for you - you cannot possibly mess this up. If you execute this first date, you WILL end up getting married in roughly 2.3 years. You WILL live happily ever after and if you don't, you WILL always be considered the "one that got away" in future stories told over a couple drinks. Step 1 - Send a text to your prospective significant other right now. It will read "Hey hun, don't plan anything for Sunday. I'll keep you posted on the weather. If it's sunny, meet me at [insert halfway point] at 10:00AM. Don't bring anything but your smiling face." Step 2 - Sent? Good. You're almost to your fairy tail story. Go to your local Wally World. Pick up a beach umbrella, a bottle of SPF50 sunblock (gotta stop them wrinkles), a pair of sunglasses, a few bottles of water and a cooler to keep 'em in, a picnic basket, and get some cash ($30 for entrance / extra cash for food) ((do not throw this cash in the air - it's not that kind of date)). Step 3 - It's Saturday - the day before Sunday. Check the weather - still sunny skies? Awesome. Check with Flying Circus to confirm they're still ago. Ago? great. Now, check in with your potential sweety making sure they've still got Sunday roped off. Write "Hey you - hope you're doing well. I was just thinking about you. Ready for tomorrow?? I can't tell you what it is, but you're gonna love it. Dress comfy." Step 4 - It's Sunday. You meet up with your life-partner-to-be and you head out. DO NOT tell them anything. Arrive at flying circus early - shoot for 11AM. Take the turn BEFORE Google Maps tells you to turn, that'll take you to spectator parking and you'll look mad cool not making a u-turn like me. Go to front desk and ask for 1 ticket for the acrobatic biplane ride. Ask for Rick as your pilot. Pay $150 for it (credit card) and hand ticket to the will-be-love-of-your-life. Tell them to hold on, they're in for a ride. Step 5 - SO-to-be has had the 15 minute ride of their life - upside down in an open cockpit 1940's biplane. No other date will compare to this one. They're giving you "I can make a future with this person" eyes. You're almost there - but you've got another trick up your sleeve. While they're upside down in the wild blue yonder, you've set up the picnic basket, the water, the umbrella long the grand stands. You wait until 2ish to see an awesome weekly nearly private air show hidden in the heart of Bealton. The show is hilariously choreographed and there's no lack of hilarity as FiFi "gets picked up" by a pilot, as the wing walker chick hangs upside down, as they "flour bomb" the Black Barron. Step 6 - invite me to the wedding. There's no way they're not gonna wifey / hubby you now. read more

Flying Circus Air Shows - Acrobatic Flight at the Flying Circus - Performing Arts Near Me - Bealeton, Virginia

This is an incredible experience. The old biplanes are beautiful to see. They fly in formation, they do stunts & even have a wing walker. It's amazing. Before & after the show you can go up in the planes. You can do a straight ride or a stunt ride. A basic ride right now is $80 & well worth it. The stunt ride is a bit more. The admission to the Flying Circus Air Show is only $15. Best deal in town! read more

Aerobatic flights and hot air ballooning in Bealtown village, Virginia by former naval aviators and commerical l pilots make this a fun trip to bring your chairs, sunscreen and picnic while watching the flights. those of us who have the courage fly the planes as a passenger in an open air cockpit. Wait till evening to watch the hot air balloons take off. This was a special event so i can't say the place is on a non event day, but they do offer flying classes read more

Flying Circus Air Shows - Biplanes - Performing Arts Near Me - Bealeton, Virginia

What a terrific way to spend the day at the Flying Circus air show! Biplane rides available before and after the show! Wing walkers and a fantastic array of planes to see! Highly recommended for a great afternoon of fun! read more

Ever since moving into the area I would pass this small sign on my treks that read "Flying Circus". My mind always drifted to those wonderful memories of Monty Python but needless to say there isn't a connection between the two. I've visited this place twice in the years that I've been here. The first time was simply to break my proverbial Flying Circus cherry. This isn't just a sitting back and watching planes fly over head air show. These are definite stunt planes performing crazy maneuvers who along with the wing walkers and parachute jumpers make for an entertaining show. You are also able to take rides in the vintage planes. Now the second time I went is the most memorable and is only offered one weekend a year and that's for the hot air balloons. Arrive early and watch them assemble them and inflate and take rides. Nothing is quite like that. Me ~ read more

Flying Circus Air Shows - Performing Arts Near Me - Bealeton, Virginia

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This was a fun afternoon with my daughter and family. The toddlers loved all the planes and the men loved the fast jets. We are going to do this every year as long as they have it! Recommended but if it's hot bring an umbrella read more

We took a family day trip to the Flying Circus yesterday. This is a wonderful value for folks of all ages. We arrived at about 11AM as they were opening the front gate. After paying the $15/head admission, we parked in the shade and immediately visited the gift shop to buy our late teens / early twenties kids tickets to the solo open cockpit bi-plane ride ($80), and the open cockpit aerobatic plane ride ($150). It was quite a memorable thrill for both of them, and watching the aerobatic flight from the ground knowing our little girl was in there was memorable for us as well. These folks are totally professional, extraordinarily friendly, and keenly safety oriented. We had quite a wait from about noon until the air show began at 2:30, but were entertained by the flights of the other biplane passengers, and with the conversation of fellow attendees mutually sharing our enjoyment of the day. The 2:30 airshow kept things moving pretty well, though some of the entertainment dialogue was rather painfully corny, and that Black Baron really needs to be sent to the outhouse. Still, the flights, the plane and historic descriptions, the stunts like wing walking and mid-air target practice with propellers against a roll of paper towels, "bombing" the Black Baron, etc. provided a range of entertainment for all. They featured one traveling stunt flyer who did amazing, stunning things with his airplane that I would not have thought physically possible until I saw it for myself. It was a long, hot July day, and we were grateful for the overhead cover they provide for spectators - getting there at opening will help assure your ability to secure choice locations. The snack bar provides a variety of treats from sodas to decent pork BBQ, cheese nachos, etc., at very reasonable prices - we were grateful they didn't try to soak a captive audience with ballpark prices. By the end of the day, I'd say that we and the couple of hundred other people arriving as families and couples of all ages had shared a wonderful day of nostalgia, thrills, laughs, and camaraderie. My problem now is how to select our next family day trip with the bar set so high by this experience. read more

Rides are EXCELLENT! Very worth the cost!! Air show is good! Wing-walker is unnerving, aerialist is excellent, tricks/drills are great, parachutist is neat! Good attempts to get crowd involved, MC just not entertaining at all. Incredibly knowledgeable but not exciting. Not costly. Worth going. Very family friendly. Outdoors completely! Bathrooms big & open. Small refreshment stand-cash only! Sells some food, ice creams & drinks. read more

Surprise find as we were driving along on a beautiful sunny day trying to find something unique to do - we hit the jackpot with this find! The airshow was fun - great for kids and families. You must sign-up for a Bi-plane ride though. It was a great experience - worth every penny! From the ice cream floats and chili dogs to the 1940's music over the loud speakers - it was a banner day and not to be missed! read more

Flying Circus Air Shows - Opening of the air show - Performing Arts Near Me - Bealeton, Virginia

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Wonderful afternoon, feels like you step back in time. It's no frills, but perfect. Plenty of seating with many wooden benches, (however, suggest you bring your own canopy or umbrella for added comfort on a hot day!) There's a food truck with shaved ice or hot coco, (weather appropriate), well-maintained bathrooms, and a souvenir shop for treats. The announcer is funny and the program entertaining. Enjoy! read more

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Good old fashion fun! See historical planes do some pretty amazing stuff. Bring a picnic, your outdoor chairs and your own shade. Stay after the show for $50 rides. read more

Flying Circus is a great, family friendly outing. Lots of action, wing walkers, parachutists, formation flying, all with vintage airplanes. Inexpensive, very friendly staff able to answer any questions. We highly recommend it, especially if you take a ride in one of the open cockpit biplanes, or even an aerobatic thrill ride. read more