Miramar Air Show this weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend? How about the Miramar Air Show at Marine Corps Air Station-Miramar in San Diego. As has been the case every year the Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team of the U.S. Navy will be the featured act on both days, Saturday and Sunday, October 3-4. The Blue Angels usually include one U.S. Marine Corps aviator as the lead or opposing solo, but this year all the F/A-18’s will be flown by Navy aviators. Two Marines are part of the flight team: Capt. Jeff Kuss, who is the show’s narrator and Capt. Corrie Mayes, who is the events coordinator.

At some point both Kuss and Mayes will rotate into one of the solo positions, which is the custom for the Blue Angels.

The Navy aviators are: Capt. Thomas Frosch, the Flight Leader and Commanding Officer, Lt. Matt Snyderhoud, the Right Wing, Lt. Andy Talbot, the Left Wing, LCDR Nate Barton in the Slot, LCDR. Mark Tedrow, Lead Solo and Lt. Mark Chamberlain, Opposing Solo.

There are two shows per day: day and twilight, but the Blue Angels — with their C-130 support plane, “Fat Albert” — will only perform during the day shows. Fat Albert is a U.S. Marine Corps plane, flown by and maintained by Marine Corps personnel who are part of the Blue Angels team.

Before the the Blue Angels take to the sky, there will be demonstrations and  flybys from many of the U.S. military’s newest and oldest aircraft: World Wars I and II, Korea and Vietnam. Many of these old warplanes have been rebuilt and maintained by civilians who also fly them at airshows like Miramar.

Aviation legend Sean D. Tucker will be flying with Team Oracle once again in the Oracle Challenger III biplane at speeds of over 200 miles per hour, performing aerobatics few other pilots attempt.

Some of the latest aircraft will be on display for fans to see up close as well as in the air, like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The tarmac at Miramar will be filled with hundreds of aircraft from all branches of the military on display and visitors can get inside many of them, especially the helicopters and other cargo aircraft.

There will be a Marine Air Assault demo, the Army Golden Knights and Navy Leap Frogs Skydiving teams and aircraft from other nations, including a Korean War era North Korean MiG-15.

Gates open at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday and the day shows begin at 9 a.m. The twilight show begins at 5:30 p.m. Here are Directions, and the Schedule.

(Top photo: Blue Angels Flight Demonstration Team. All photos by Tim Forkes, unless otherwise noted.)