Weekend in Pictures: Miramar Air Show 2011

Last weekend, my sister and her daughter joined us to see the annual MCAS Miramar Air Show.  If you are not familiar with this show, it is an annual event featuring civilian & military aircraft, with a breath taking demonstration by the world famous US Navy Blue Angels.   It’s a major event that draws hundreds of people in October to the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, which is east of La Jolla in San Diego.

My family has been attending this even since I was a little girl.  My sister and I reminisced about when we went with our parents and our dad used to park the car either right outside the military base or along the freeway (as did many other San Diegans), just to watch this show.   We are no longer allowed to watch along the sides of city streets or the freeway due to safety reasons, so we joined other spectators at the Marine Corps Air Station to watch the show.

This was the first time I remember actually being on the base to watch the show, because you can really see it anywhere within the area of Miramar.  My sister has been to a few shows recently, so she knew what to expect when we arrived inside.  Just as suspected, it was quite crowded, especially heading towards the central area of the base where the grandstands are located.  The golf course doubled as a parking lot, and we saw lots of people with their folding chairs making camp near their cars.

We had lunch already, and my sister said that it’s mainly booths for souvenirs and food near the grandstands.  Not wanting to catch a shuttle to take us to the innermost part of the base, my husband asked one of the soldiers if it was worth it to go all the way in.  He stated that the view from where we were standing would be exactly the same as the view near the grandstands.  That sealed the deal and we parked our folding chairs just a few feet from our car.

I forgot my good camera, so this is the best I could do with my iPhone.  The two lines are Blue Angels, honest!

It turned out to be a perfect spot because while we could see the formations out in front of us in the distance, the Blue Angels also flew right over our area, in some cases directly overhead!  Although it was a fantastic sensation for all of our senses, it posed a bit too much for Dominic’s ears.  It was still a great time because it just reminded me of wonderful times and traditions with my father, and that we can carry them on with our own families.  Hope you had a great weekend!

This was the queue of cars heading towards the exit!

(Pictures 1 & 2 courtesy of Gavin Arts and Miramar Air Show)