SUNSHINE AND AN AIRSHOW ON THE BEACH

**A Fed Ex Airbus at the Pacific Air Show**

Southern California is home to sunny weather beautiful beaches and all of the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Granted, a lot of that has faded a lot lately and while I could write a whole dissertation of the state of my state there is one thing that has stayed constant. No matter what is going on in LA or San Diego the beaches of SoCal are always a fun place to be. Hell, while LA burned in April of 1992 (a moment I’ll never forget as a kid) the Baywatch TV show was in full swing (another moment in life i’ll never forget. Albeit for very different reasons, haha) and showed the world just how fun and exciting the beaches in SoCal could be. That, even in the midst of craziness you can always have that sunny and sandy escape. But, as awesome as those beaches are (and I believe they surely are) I have always wondered if it could get better. Well folks, it did and we were definitely in for a treat.

Having been the first time I had ever been to it, the Pacific Air Show proved to my family and I just how much better the beaches could get. In a nutshell, anytime you add military jets, sleek airliners and enough JP-8 to fuel an airbase you are sure to get something exciting. I have always been a fan of airshows and for as long as I can remember I have loved checking them out. But, I never imagined that there would be an airshow along the coast near where I live. This time was the first time that I had ever been to this show and I didn’t know what to expect. But, I’m a simple man and if you throw any beautiful piece of machinery past me at Mach 1 I can’t help but get excited. Add the Thunderbirds to that mix and I won’t know what to do with myself. And wouldn’t you know that is exactly what happened at this show.

I could sit here and go on and on as to why this show was so exciting, but rather than do that I think it makes more fun to just show you. Below is a sample of some of the amazing sights that we came across at this show. I recommend it to anyone that is in the Huntington Beach area during the times of this air show (usually in early September). There is a lot to see and because the beach is pretty wide open, as long as you can get there early enough or snag a decent spot along the beach you can get a great view of the action. I can’t wait for this next show, it is sure to be amazing. My only gripe, and it’s certainly understandable, it is that since the show is at the beach and not at any sort of base or airfield there are no static displays. Kind of a bummer for sure, but still I think it is a pretty fair trade off to be able to sit in the sand and watch an F-35 blaze the sky in front of you.

So, definitely check out this show and Huntington Beach. It’s the perfect show to end the summer season with. We will be there again the next go around. Hope to see you there!

**The USAF Thunderbirds showing SoCal how they roll**

**When the Thunderbirds take flight they do it as a team**

**I just can’t get enough of the Thunderbirds**

**These two amazing prop aircraft were fitted with jet engines**

**The US Army Golden Knights put on a show most definitely**

**UH-60 Blackhawk skims the water for an early morning pass**

**C-17 Globemaster and KC-135 on a mock refuel**

**This amazing A300 shows the crowd its wares with flaps down**

**National Guard C-130 fitted with water nozzles for fighting fires**

**Side profile of an Airbus A300 used by Fed Ex**

**Just before their jump the US Army Golden Knights C-147A make a pass for the crowd**

**The Thunderbirds make one of their final passes**

Words and photos by Daniel Navarrete

This article was prepared or accomplished by Daniel Navarrete in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Spektrum Magazine, or its affiliates.