Air Show to Star the Blue Angels

The Blue Angels are scheduled to be soaring in the skies above Miramar Naval Air Station this weekend. Hundreds of thousands of spectators are expected to come to the base today and Sunday to watch the aerial acrobatics team and the rest of the annual air show. Miramar Road and Interstate 15, the access roads to the base, are expected to be jammed.

“We think there’ll be lots of people,” a base spokeswoman said.

Last year, she noted, more than 300,000 visitors arrived for each day of the two-day show. On Friday, practice runs drew a large crowd.

33rd Annual Show

Two base gates, off Miramar Road and Interstate 15, will open at 8 a.m. Visitors are advised to arrive early, bring lawn chairs (bleacher seats will not be available), and come equipped with hats and sun screen. Food and refreshments will be on sale at booths set up on the base. Glass containers, pets, skateboards, bicycles and tailgate parties are prohibited. There is no entry charge.

The Blue Angel performances are part of the 33rd annual air show at Miramar. The Blue Angels will be making their Miramar debut in new F/A-18 Hornet aircraft. During the show, aircraft will present gun and missile demonstrations.

Though the Blue Angels are the marquee act, the Navy has prepared an entire day’s worth of activities for Saturday and Sunday.

Between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m., there will be 80 military aircraft on display. There will also be a variety of other entertainment, including the Navy Balloon Team, the Navy Drum and Bugle Corps and the Navy Flag Team. At noon, Navy precision parachutists will perform.

Afterward, aircraft based at Miramar, such as the F-14, E-2C, as well as the Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier, will demonstrate their special abilities.

The Blue Angels are expected to perform between 2 and 3 p.m. The gates are scheduled to close at 5 p.m.