thedrifter
10-14-07, 06:41 AM
Twilight show wows Miramar crowd
By: SHANNON WINGARD - For the North County Times
MIRAMAR -- With heads raised and eyes pointed toward the sky, thousands of people watched military and civilian pilots flip, roll and spiral their aircraft Saturday near the grandstands as part of the annual Miramar Air Show.
The final part of the three-day event is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in northern San Diego. Admission is free, and priority seating may be purchased at the ticket booth.
At Saturday's twilight show, pilots entertained the crowd like they had throughout the day with stunts and demonstrations of aircraft, including one of the AV-8B Harrier jet that can both take off and land vertically.
However, the twilight show gave them a chance to go a step farther and illuminate their performances with pyrotechnics or aircraft lights.
One of the crowd-pleasing performances was by the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team.
Army Master Sgt. Khalida Hendricks, a demonstration parachutist, was the first team member to jump from the plane. To the sounds of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.," she twirled through the air from her parachute with a black POW/MIA flag attached and was followed by a trail of pyrotechnics that appeared to spark from her boots. After landing, she narrated the trips of her colleagues as each floated through the sky. Ý
Another crowd pleaser was a performance by The Patriots squadron, which showed off its jets' speed and precision as the aircraft flew through the air trailed by red, white and blue smoke.
While Melanie Steffler, of Oceanside, said she enjoyed seeing the various demonstrations. She said she mostly attended the event to "watch our military strength and to support them." ÝÝ
Steffler said she is passionate about supporting the military because she has a "lot of veterans in my family," including her husband, Larry, who is an Army Vietnam veteran and her daughter, Christa, who serves in the Navy.
She said she enjoys seeing in person the "powerful" military aircraft and vehicles, something that most civilians don't often get a chance to see.
"It's one thing to see these things on TV, but it's a whole other thing to see it in person," she said. "You can actually feel it."
In addition to the show in the air, the event included numerous "static" displays of aircraft and other vehicles on the ground.
First Lt. Armando Daviu, deputy director of the Miramar Public Affairs Office, said aircraft and vehicles from all military branches, as well as from law enforcement agencies and even Canada, were showcased.
The diverse collection of military vehicles, and the featured daily performances of the Air Force's Thunderbirds are just a few of the air show's examples of how the branches are separate but connected. This year, for the first time, the Thunderbirds took the place of the traditional appearance by the Navy's Blue Angels in the show.
"San Diego is predominantly a naval place," he said. "Bringing the Air Force shows we're one force, one town."
One attendee who viewed the different branches of the U.S. military as one unit was Ryan MacFarlane, a 21-year-old from Edinburgh , Scotland, who is vacationing in San Diego.
He said he knew about the event before coming to San Diego, and was most excited to see the Thunderbirds, which he had seen before in England.
"It's a lot bigger than the ones we have there," he said, adding "there's a lot more military aircraft here."
Ellie
By: SHANNON WINGARD - For the North County Times
MIRAMAR -- With heads raised and eyes pointed toward the sky, thousands of people watched military and civilian pilots flip, roll and spiral their aircraft Saturday near the grandstands as part of the annual Miramar Air Show.
The final part of the three-day event is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in northern San Diego. Admission is free, and priority seating may be purchased at the ticket booth.
At Saturday's twilight show, pilots entertained the crowd like they had throughout the day with stunts and demonstrations of aircraft, including one of the AV-8B Harrier jet that can both take off and land vertically.
However, the twilight show gave them a chance to go a step farther and illuminate their performances with pyrotechnics or aircraft lights.
One of the crowd-pleasing performances was by the U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team.
Army Master Sgt. Khalida Hendricks, a demonstration parachutist, was the first team member to jump from the plane. To the sounds of Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.," she twirled through the air from her parachute with a black POW/MIA flag attached and was followed by a trail of pyrotechnics that appeared to spark from her boots. After landing, she narrated the trips of her colleagues as each floated through the sky. Ý
Another crowd pleaser was a performance by The Patriots squadron, which showed off its jets' speed and precision as the aircraft flew through the air trailed by red, white and blue smoke.
While Melanie Steffler, of Oceanside, said she enjoyed seeing the various demonstrations. She said she mostly attended the event to "watch our military strength and to support them." ÝÝ
Steffler said she is passionate about supporting the military because she has a "lot of veterans in my family," including her husband, Larry, who is an Army Vietnam veteran and her daughter, Christa, who serves in the Navy.
She said she enjoys seeing in person the "powerful" military aircraft and vehicles, something that most civilians don't often get a chance to see.
"It's one thing to see these things on TV, but it's a whole other thing to see it in person," she said. "You can actually feel it."
In addition to the show in the air, the event included numerous "static" displays of aircraft and other vehicles on the ground.
First Lt. Armando Daviu, deputy director of the Miramar Public Affairs Office, said aircraft and vehicles from all military branches, as well as from law enforcement agencies and even Canada, were showcased.
The diverse collection of military vehicles, and the featured daily performances of the Air Force's Thunderbirds are just a few of the air show's examples of how the branches are separate but connected. This year, for the first time, the Thunderbirds took the place of the traditional appearance by the Navy's Blue Angels in the show.
"San Diego is predominantly a naval place," he said. "Bringing the Air Force shows we're one force, one town."
One attendee who viewed the different branches of the U.S. military as one unit was Ryan MacFarlane, a 21-year-old from Edinburgh , Scotland, who is vacationing in San Diego.
He said he knew about the event before coming to San Diego, and was most excited to see the Thunderbirds, which he had seen before in England.
"It's a lot bigger than the ones we have there," he said, adding "there's a lot more military aircraft here."
Ellie