Air Show visitors walk through C-5B Galaxy, largest aircraft in the USAF's Military Airlift Command |
MCAS Miramar Air Show
This annual two-day event is held the third weekend
of August at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar, one of
three U.S. Naval stations in San Diego. Miramar has been a part of
San Diego history since 1917, when it was known as "Camp Kerney,"
an Army base. In 1932, the Navy took over Miramar when it became
the home of the largest aircraft in the world: the lighter-than-air
blimp. Runways were built in 1940, when both the Navy and Marines
occupied the base. As it exists today, Miramar is solely a Marine
Corps Air Station.
For over 40 years, Miramar has hosted the world's
best military and civilian pilots for its annual Air Show -- a
spectacle of skill and speed that draws close to one million
people. Another 300,000 Southern California families watch the live
television broadcast of the show. There are ever-popular displays
of military fighter jets and transport aircraft, ranging from the
C-5A Galaxy, the largest aircraft in the Air Force's air transport
command, to the smallest helicopter. As well as static ground
displays of aircraft, there are civilian and military air
demonstrations including a show by the famous Navy Blue Angels,
demonstrations of the Osprey tilt rotor aircraft, the Harrier
vertical take-off craft, the Hercules jet, the Stealth fighter, the
Tomcat bomber, and the Apache helicopter. Local law enforcement
agencies such as the California Highway Patrol, the San Diego's
Sheriff's Department and the San Diego Police Department show off
their helicopters and ground equipment.
The show benefits Marine Corps Community Services
Project projects. Documentation includes a written report, 15 color
photographs and accompanying descriptions, programs from the 1999
event, newspaper articles, and a poster.
Originally submitted by: Randy "Duke" Cunningham, Representative (51st District).
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The Local Legacies project provides a "snapshot" of American Culture as it was expressed in spring of 2000. Consequently, it is not being updated with new or revised information with the exception of "Related Website" links.
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