Miramar 2007 by Tim Lachenmaier

Fifty years of the Miramar Air Show, 60 years of the United States Air Force, and the first appearance by the USAF Thunderbirds at Miramar in 35 years – the 2007 show at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar celebrated several milestones. This year’s airshow was an intricate demonstration of the joint power of military aviation, from the Army, Navy, Marines and Air Force.

The Miramar Air Show is arguably one of the three biggest airshows in the West, outdone only by Edwards and Nellis. An airshow that has forever had a great reputation and attracts people from across the country and around the globe, Miramar holds value not just to the public but also to aviation enthusiasts. Over the airshow weekend, the base easily accommodates a total of 750,000 guests – a true testament to the show’s fame and importance to the aviation community.

The military side of the house included aerial demonstrations from the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-117 Nighthawk, F/A-18 Super Hornet, AV-8B Harrier, USAF Thunderbirds, and the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team. There was a P-51/F-15E/F-16 Heritage Flight and an F-18F/F-6F/F-4F Tailhook Legacy Flight. Civilian performers included the Patriots Jet Team, Sean D. Tucker, the Red Bull MiG-17, the Red Baron Pizza Squadron, and the Shockley’s ‘ShockWave’ truck, just to name a few.

A balanced mix of static aircraft was present on the ramp this year. Apart from Miramar’s resident Marine squadrons, a relatively large number of Air Force aircraft were on display. Additionally, a handful of Canadian Forced aircraft joined the party. For airshow enthusiasts, the questions that begged to be answered were, where’s the Prowler? Why is there nothing from Fallon? No F-22? But there were also pleasant surprises, such as the arrival of two Super Hornets from VFA-32 in the midst of Friday’s show. Ground crews had to tug the aircraft through the populated static ramp.

In addition to the other military performers, the Marines took part with a Marine Air-Ground Task Force, or MAGTF, demonstration. The MAGTF is a theatrical demonstration of airborne assault tactics, performed with a healthy mix of land and air forces. Like a real assault, the demonstration is orchestrated in such a manner that all elements coordinate to complete the mission at hand. The MAGTF demo force consisted of three F/A-18 Hornets, two AV-8B Harriers, and two AH-1 Cobras for close air support, KC-130s for aerial refueling, and CH-53s and UH-1s for troop movements. While the helicopters demonstrated troop and equipment insertion, the Hornets and Harriers performed a series of simulated bombing and strafing attacks in support of the Marines on the ground.

The Thunderbirds closed the show with a wonderful, solid display each day, even on Friday when Maj. Nicole Malachowski was unable to fly due to sickness. The team never fails to amaze the crowd with its graceful maneuvers and seemingly flawless execution of precision flying, combined with the F-16’s high performance.

I must thank the amazing hospitality of the Miramar Public Affairs staff: Lt. Leyden, Sgt. Stevens, and Cpl. Harris. The airshow would not have been the same without their professionalism. I’d also like to thank the Golden Knights for including me on one of their flights – it was a truly amazing experience and a great time.

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