The tenth annual California Capital Airshow took place October 2‐4 and attracted record crowds. For the
first time it featured a Friday night show called Airshow After Dark and by all accounts it was a success. This
year’s show featured two military jet demonstration teams, the Navy’s Super Hornet TacDemo, world‐class
aerobatic performers and warbirds to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two. And it
all took place under blue skies with pleasant temperatures.
The gates opened at 0900. Entrance signage from the freeway was extensive, the expansive apron of the
former Strategic Air Command base provided plenty of close‐in parking and ticket and security checks were
handled very efficiently. Spectators have the option of purchasing VIP seating or chalet packages but there
was a lot of space both to show right and left along the fenceline to put up folding chairs or lay out a blan‐
ket. The US airshow industry still suffers from the effects of the ongoing budget sequestration which limits
military participation, so military aircraft were still scarce. The Air Force had a C‐5 Galaxy from nearby
Travis AFB, two T‐38 Talons from Beale AFB, a B‐52 Stratofortress, “Global Warrior,” from Barksdale AFB,
and an Air National Guard F‐15D Eagle from Fresno. The US Army had a UH‐60 Blackhawk from the local
National Guard installation at Mather Field. UPS and FedEx brought cargo planes such as the 757 and 767
and a vintage DC‐3 and C‐54 Skymaster added to the larger aircraft on static display. Interspersed with
these were very many smaller warbirds, civil aviation and agricultural aircraft as well as military vehicles
and classic cars. Add to that the numerous food and drink stands, souvenir vendors and the numerous sci‐
ence, technology, engineering, and math exhibits and there was a lot to see on the ground.
At noon, skydivers jumped in both the Canadian and American flags to open the show as “O Canada” was
played and “The Star‐Spangled Banner” was sung by Air Force Technical Sergeant Nathan Tawbush. Jon
Klatt and Rob Holland circled the parachutists as they descended, then performed teaser routines for their
full performances later in the afternoon. The formal flying began with a warbird tribute to commemorate
the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two. A B‐25J Mitchell, “Old Glory,” and a B‐17G Flying For‐
tress, “Sentimental Journey,” were accompanied by two P‐51D Mustangs as they made several passes from
both directions. At the conclusion of their performance a massive pyrotechnic “Wall of Fire” erupted along
the length of the runway. For the next four hours the skies above Mather Field were filled with the sounds
of jets and props, and in the case of “The Screamin' Sasquatch Jet Waco” sometimes both at the same
time.Both John Klatt and Rob Holland flew amazing aerobatic routines in their respective MX‐S aircraft.
Gene Soucy put on an aggressive display in his ShowCat biplane, but the massive amount of smoke he gen‐
erates makes photography difficult. Jeff Boerboon also performed a biplane routine, but in the jet‐assisted
Waco.
However, it’s a fair bet that most of the spectators were there to see, hear and smell the modern military
jets. First up was the Navy’s Super Hornet TacDemo, or tactical demonstration. Lt. Zach Pleis, from nearby
Granite Bay, is a flight instructor with VFA‐122, the “Flying Eagles,” at Naval Air Station Lemoore. He flew
the single‐seat F/A‐18E Super Hornet through an amazing series of maneuvers that started off with a full
afterburner launch into an inverted roll and just didn’t let up. Many in the crowd had never experienced a
touch‐and‐go landing, so were momentarily disappointed when “Sprite” seemed to be ending his demo
early. They were quite surprised when he hit the ‘burners and took off again to complete his routine. The
high‐speed passes pulled an impressive amount of vapor out of the clear blue sky.
The Canadian Force’s Snowbirds demonstration team concluded their 2015 season at Sacramento in fine
form. Their nine‐ship formations were spot on and their transitions were smooth and deliberate and the
solo and pair crossings at show center elicited gasps from the crowds. The Thunderbirds closed the show in
their usual high‐energy precision manner in a series of maneuvers meant to show off the capabilities of the
F‐16 Fighting Falcon.
Mather Field’s runway layout (4/22) can be challenging for photography early in the day, but by the after‐
noon when the majority of the flights take place it is much less of a problem. The action takes place close
enough to the flightline that a 400mm lens is sufficient to capture m