Miramar Air Show flies again

The Miramar Air Show, an annual San Diego tradition that normally attracts upwards of 500,000 people over three days, is back. The nation’s largest military air fest starts Friday and continues through the weekend, one year after its wings were clipped during the government shutdown.

Amid the federal budget crisis, sequestration and grounding of the “Blue Angels” U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, last year’s event was downsized to include only civilian fliers. Then the air show was canceled outright, one day before show time.

It was the first hiatus for the flight show since 2001 and the aftermath of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks.

Aviators at Miramar flew past those disappointments during rehearsals Thursday, obscuring the no-show memories with contrails and fumes of jet fuel.

The Blues and their Navy and Marine Corps pilots set off car alarms at the air station exchange during flybys in F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets.

Civilian pilots with the Patriots Jet Team pulled g’s flying in formation with seven small Aero L-39 Albatros light ground attack and trainer jets.

And the Marine Air-Ground Task Force – last year’s would-be headliner celebrating its 100-year anniversary – flew brawny formations overhead that included a KC-130 plane, two MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotors, and two CH-53 heavy lift helicopters.

View the photo gallery: Patriots Jet Team

“This year’s air show is going to be similar to the ones San Diego remembers from the past,” said Col. John Farnam, commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, in an interview with U-T San Diego TV.

“We’ve got the Blue Angels out there flying with us. You’ve got military airplanes in the air, along with civilian acts. A whole host of static displays. The Patriots Jet Team. The list goes on and on.”

What’s Farnam’s favorite?

“Everybody likes the flying. Of course it’s an air show, I can’t get past that. But my favorite part of the air show is watching our young Marines and our sailors that are on the flight line … talking with the people in San Diego, meeting the community, and giving everybody a chance to get to know each other a little better.”

Then again, he is an F/A-18 Hornet pilot by training. Watching the Blue Angels fly Hornets in formation inspires pride and awe, he said. “That show amazes me every single time. Just the power... What a nation that can put together such a thing!”

Earlier this year, Farnam had announced plans for a smaller 2014 air show, with no Friday program or twilight show on Saturday. Instead attendees will get the full-strength, three-day treatment with a night program and star acts from previous years like the Shockwave Jet Truck, Wall of Fire and Red Bull Helo.

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter under development for three military services is expected to make its air show debut, with the Marine Corps’ B version demonstrating its ability to hover and “slow land” using short runway space.

Exiting stage right soon after the air show are CH-46 “Battle Phrog” helicopters from the Marine fleet’s last operational squadron. Their Vietnam War-era transport helicopters are being swapped for MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotors after a squadron redesignation ceremony this month.

The Patriots and their civilian fighter pilots were meant to be saviors of last year’s air show after military flights were grounded. Two of the team’s jets had already arrived at Miramar when the show was snuffed.

Lead pilot Dean “Wilbur” Wright is a former Air Force Thunderbird demonstration pilot who flew F-16 Fighting Falcons during his 24-year military career.

“We are excited to be back. This is a huge, huge military show,” he said. Last year’s cancellation was disappointing for the team members who missed the crowd exposure at such a popular event.

“The bigger they are the harder they fall, you know?" he said. Still, "I think there were a lot of spectators who were probably more upset than we were. We were able to pick up the pieces and go support another show,” he added, performing in Sacramento that weekend.

The Patriots pilots squeeze in air shows while working day jobs. Their travel team includes former military demonstration pilots who served with the Thunderbirds like “Wilbur,” the Blue Angels and the Canadian Snowbirds.

“Our mission is to inspire future aviators,” said pilot Cory Lovell, who grew up in Scripps Ranch.

The Blue Angels, perennial crowd favorites at air shows nationwide, perform that mission for active duty naval aviators.

But the air show does have its detractors, including some nearby residents of the air station who object to the noise and traffic. Others wonder, why have an air show at all when money is tight?

Several reasons, base officials and air show boosters say. Foremost among them is the opportunity for Americans to meet their military, Farnam said.

“Three-quarters of one percent of Americans serve in the military, active, reserve and national guard, at any given time. That number is incredibly small and it surprises me every time I hear that. So what makes an air show like this important, and other events we do, is it brings the public onto the base.

"That relationship is worth the investment on our part times ten,” Farnam said.

Another reason to host the air show is the bottom line. Although general admission is free, the air show makes money from preferred seating and sponsorships.

Last year, the Defense Department said it was grounding military flights nationwide as a cost-saving measure during sequestration budget cuts.

But the 2012 Miramar Air Show cleared more than $1.6 million in profit, according to documents obtained by U-T San Diego through a Freedom of Information Act request. Even after factoring in nearly $250,000 spent on fuel for participating military aircraft, costs paid from training funds, it was a clear money maker.

Profits usually benefit Miramar’s community programs, such as child care for working parents, counseling services and employment assistance for troops leaving active duty.

Miramar officials sought permission for local military aircraft only to fly but were unable to obtain an exemption from the Pentagon, which also cited fairness in sticking to its nationwide grounding. Then the last-minute cancellation of the truncated event featuring only civilian flights cost base community services about $650,000 in contract reimbursements for vendors and performers.

It was a “tough and disappointing” blow, but Miramar officials are confident they can maintain base programs through cost-cutting and additional revenue streams, including several new restaurants, expansion of Officer’s Club catering operations, and a few concerts in the works, said 1st Lt. Gabriel Adibe, a Miramar spokesman.