The Aviation Magazine No. 54 January-February 2018 | Page 48
T he 2017 Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Air Show was held on September 22‐24
and once again a large crowd came out to the popular event held in San Diego. Gates
opened early at 8:00 am and the many thousands of attendees had the opportunity
to visit an arsenal of static display aircraft and tents. Highlighting the static display
lineup at the show were (3) F‐15 Eagles of the California Air National Guard, (3) F‐16
Fighting Falcons of the Arizona Air National Guard, the new F‐35B Lightning II, and
many F/A‐18 Hornets based at Miramar.
Flying activities officially kicked of at 9:00 am with radio controlled aircraft from local
hobby groups in the San Diego area. Many of the early performers were of the aero‐
batic class which featured Sean D Tucker in his Oracle Challenger III biplane, Steve
Stavrakakis in his rare Romanian IAR‐823 know as the “Wild Thing,” Anthony
Oshinuga in his Pitts Special, Boyd Willat in his sailplane, Dan Buchanan in his special
effects hang glider, and John Collver in his North American SNJ Texan known as the
“War Dog” who would race the Shockwave Jet Truck.
Starting off the military portion of the flying activities was the AV‐8B Harrier II dem‐
onstration. The Harrier performing was based out of MCAS Yuma, Arizona and per‐
formed multiple high speed passes and even showcased the hover capabilities of the
jump jet.
Opening ceremonies kicked off at 12:00 pm with the singing of the National Anthem
and a performance by the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team. Shortly after
the ceremonies ended the stage was set for the Marine Air Ground Task Force, popu‐
larly known as the MAGTF.
The MAGTF is a crowd pleaser at the Miramar air show because it showcases many
different Marine aircraft with a simulated air to ground combat mission. (2) F/A‐18
Hornets and (2) AV‐8B Harrier II’s represented the fighter group in the demonstration
and performed a variety of high speed passes with pyro on the ground to simulate an
attack run. (2) UH‐1Y Venoms and (3) MV‐22 Ospreys carried multiple ground troops
to engage in up close battle with ground enemies. 2 AH‐1Z Vipers acted as attack
helicopters for close air support to the troops on the ground. At the end of the rou‐
tine, all the aircraft participating in the MAGTF flew together in formation with a KC‐
130J Hercules simulating a refuelling run with the F/A‐18s and AV‐8Bs .
Highlighting the air show was the United States Navy demonstration team known as the Blue Angels. Unlike
normal, the Blue Angels were not the final flying act to perform at the show. Their performance began an
hour earlier at 2:00 pm. In their routine lead by commanding officer and leader Capt. Ryan Bernacchi, the
Blue Angels performed multiple manoeuvres including formation flights, formation breaks, and solo head on
passes. At the end of their performance, the team walked over to the crowd to meet spectators and sign
autographs. After the Blue Angels finished their performance, the show continued on with a demonstration
by the MV‐22 Osprey. The Osprey was based out of Miramar and took off from the far right of the base near
the parking lot. The demonstration routine featured multiple passes and various hover manoeuvres.
Concluding the flying activities of the air shows was a solo demonstration by the newest fighter in the Marine
Corps, the F‐35B Lightning II. The F‐35B is the short takeoff and landing variant of the aircraft and first stealth
fighter with those capabilities. The F‐35B performed a routine full of high speed passes, afterburner, and sen‐
sational hovering. On the last day of the air show, the three F‐35B’s that were at Miramar for the demonstra‐
tion departed for their home at MCAS Yuma, Arizona.
After the flying portion of the air show was over, spectators were able to continue visiting the many static
aircraft and tents that were available to check out. Special thanks to the active duty, volunteers, performers,
spectators, and organizers for hosting another successful air show at MCAS Miramar!