Sean D. Tucker makes a slow pass through the poles after cutting the ribbons.
What a great show! The California International Airshow continues to be the model of the airshow industry. The community comes together with sponsorships and volunteer organizations to make it all happen. The show's proceeds go directly to local charities and community based organizations. This year marks the show's 28th anniversary and the line-up was well rounded.
The performers: United States Air Force Thunderbirds, The Collaborators, F-15E Strike Eagle, Sean D. Tucker, Jacquie Warda, Julie Clark, Bill Stein, Kent Pietsch, F/A-18F Super Hornet, Canadian Forces CF-18, The Indy Boys jet powered truck and outhouse, Canadian Skyhawks Parachute Team, and the Heritage & Legacy Flights. It was an action packed schedule that left little time to blink. Sunday the marine layer hovered near and the airboss got as many acts into the air as possible. Performers abbreviated their acts to try and get all performers up, but the Thunderbirds got trapped in Monterey(where they had to base from) by the marine layer's density, resulting in visibility to go below "minimums" for their takeoff. Still, it was an awesome day! The cooler marine layer had plenty of moisture and the jet acts were developing plenty of vapor in the maneuvers. The F/A-18F Super Hornet started his hi-speed run from a couple of miles out to the west and was enveloped in a vapor cloud the entire pass- it was awesome and the crowd went nuts!