What is the largest military air show in the USA?

The short answer: the Miramar Air Show at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Miramar near San Diego, California.

This year's edition of the Miramar Airshow is less than two weeks away, so this is a good time for Simple Flying to write an article about it.

The basics

According to the air show’s official website:

The Miramar Air Show is an event that will create unforgettable memories for you, your friends and family. And we'll be back in September. The air show will be held at MCAS Miramar in San Diego, California and is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. See you in September!

The Miramar Air Show opened in 1953 (coincidentally, the last year of the Korean War, the first war to feature dogfights between jet fighters). It is actually the largest military air show in the good old USA, with an estimated annual attendance of 700,000. In 2007, it was voted the “World's Best Military Air Show” by the International Council of Air Shows, the first time in thirteen years that this award had been given to a USMC airfield.

The 2011 show, which was the 56th edition of the event, celebrated the 100th anniversary of naval aviation.

Learn more about the United States' first naval aviator.

MCAS Miramar's movie star past

If “Miramar” sounds familiar to fans of 1980s action films, it does.

You see, before 1999, MCAS Miramar was officially known as Naval Air Station (NAS) Miramar since March 1952. And in 1986, NAS Miramar was immortalized as the then real-life location of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (NFWS), better known as TOPGUN. Or as stylized in that year's blockbuster film, the original Super shooterwith Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer and Kelly McGillis. At that time, the base was nicknamed “Fightertown USA”.

Previous names for the installation were:

• Camp Kearny (as a US military base!), 1917 – 1920
• Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) Camp Kearny, 1943 – 1946
• MCAS Miramar, 1943 – 1946 (as you sow, so shall you reap, eh)
• NAAS Miramar, 1947 – 1952

Since 1955, the airfield has been named Mitscher Field after Admiral Marc Andrew “Pete” Mitscher (January 26, 1887 – February 3, 1947), a pioneer of naval aviation and commander of Task Force 58 in World War II.

What to expect this year

If you plan to attend this year's edition of the Miramar Air Show, here's what you can look forward to, according to Channing Reid of Simple Flying (in the article I quoted at the beginning of this post):

• Red Bull Air Force (“An American skydiving team known for pushing the boundaries of flight. The team says it makes 'the impossible possible.'”)
• Lockheed F-22 Raptor demonstration
• North American P-51D Mustang – Heritage Flight
• USMC F-35B Lightning II demonstration
• Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) ​​demonstration
• Demonstration of a Bell Textron MV-22 Osprey
• US Navy Blue Angels and Fat Albert (the Blue Angels will fly the Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet; “Fat Albert” is the affectionate nickname of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules support aircraft)

More about MAGTF

Regarding the MAGTF demo, I think some additional detail is in order. It is a simulated attack by numerous USMC units that demonstrates the air, ground and logistics elements of the MAGTF, which the Marine Corps has defined as:

“The MAGTF organizational structure equips our nation with capabilities that are as unique as they are critical. In response to global conflict and disaster, the MAGTF enables Marines to deliver rapid, powerful, and sustained relief efforts on a global scale. From sea to shore, air to ground, door to door – there is no organizational model that can get Marines where they need to be faster to fight and win for our country.”

For the benefit of air show attendees, the warbird components of the MAGTF demo include:

• F/A-18 Hornets and AV-8B Harrier IIs alternately fly simulated attack runs and demonstrate aerial refueling with a KC-130 Hercules
• MV-22 Ospreys demonstrate refueling and bring Marines to the airfield
• AH-1 Whiskey Cobra attack helicopters simulate attack and air support roles
• Other participating aircraft include the CH-53E Super Stallion and the UH-1Y Venom (also known as the “Super Huey”)

Innovation and Technology Exhibition (ITE)

Another special program of the Miramwar Air Show is the ITE, which is located in Hangar 3 of the facility (“Fighter Attack Starts Here, painted on the side!”), and:

“(T)he ever-strengthening relationships between the Marine Corps and our industry and academic partners as we explore the new technologies and capabilities for next-generation conflict…This year, our focus is on asset resilience and operational energy. We're showcasing what technologies MCAS Miramar currently uses and how that contributes to a greener footprint, while emphasizing how the Department of Defense can bring those technologies to the battlefield.”

Regulatory information

General admission and parking are free; grandstand seating is $25.00.