The RC Geek Blog

By: Chris Wolfe

THE MIRAMAR AIR SHOW — ALWAYS A GOOD TIME!

Labeled as one of the largest air show in the country, the Miramar Air Show is a must see if you’re ever able to make a trip to San Diego and see it.  It is an awesome combination of static displays and incredible flying from some of the best pilots and air show teams in the world.  Also, being a military air show it always features the latest and greatest technology (the last couple years they’ve featured the F-35B).  As a kid, I spent numerous weekends at this air show and so it always brings back memories.  Growing up, my dad was invited to fly for many years as part of the RC demonstration — I even flew as a part of it too.  In fact, I used to fly a duet formation flight with another Chris not much older than I was.  Believe it or not, I can even remember attending the air show when the Blue Angels were still flying A-4s!  But, I digress.  The air show is something that I love not only for the aviation aspect but also for the nostalgia, the reminder of walking the same show I did as a kid while now also being able to share that experience with my own kids.

Friday was the day I was able to make it (a day off work for an air show?  Heck yes!😉).  The goal is always to be up early and out the door to make a complete day of it.  I arrived to the sound of Sean D. Tucker flying heavy aerobatics (if you’ve never seen him fly, he is an incredible pilot, I have video below) and quickly parked and hopped on the tram to the show.  I spent most of the morning walking the static displays before parking myself in the grandstands for an awesome afternoon of flight displays.  It is certainly worth buying seats in the grandstands as it provides a great view and covers most of the flight line.  So, the pictures and video below I think tell the story best and provide the best sense of the show.  I took an assortment of pictures and video from the day and so have posted them below in sequential-ish order along with some commentary.

 

STATIC DISPLAYS & MORNING DEMO PICS

One of the main things making this the largest air show is the static displays.  There are a ton of airplanes to look at including an assortment of Air Force, Navy, and Marine fighters, but also transports and bombers.

 

AV-8B HARRIER II DEMONSTRATION

Loud and smoking like a chimney the Harrier is sheer power in motion.  Miramar is home to a number of these awesome aircraft.

 

MARINE AIR-GROUND TASK FORCE (MAGTF)

This demo gives a cool demonstration of how the Marines would typically infiltrate a hostile area.  Loaded with jets, choppers, tanks and pyrotechnics, it’s pretty awesome.

 

F-35B LIGHTNING II

The Marines’ newest toy, what else can I say!?  Though, if jet noise is the sound of freedom, then this one screams it even louder than the Harrier I think!

 

SEAN D. TUCKER ORACLE CHALLENGER

Sean D. Tucker is a magician in the cockpit of the Oracle Challenger biplane.  Pulling off borderline 3D aerobatics with that airplane, it’s incredible!

 

BREITLING L-39 JET TEAM

The Breitling Jet Team hails from France and this was the first time the Breitling Jet Team performed at the Miramar Air Show.  They flew a really majestic show with some cool formations in addition to some daring opposing passes.

 

U.S. NAVY BLUE ANGELS

The Blue Angels in my mind are the absolute best air show team in the world.  The precision and accuracy of their performance is second to none.  A simple look at their formation passes shows the minimum separation between aircraft that only the Blue Angels can achieve.

The post Miramar Air Show 2015 appeared first on The RC Geek.

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