This September take flight with San Diego’s best pilots in America’s Finest City
Marines: Fight. Evolve. Win.
The commanding officer of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Col. Thomas M. Bedell, and the commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Maj. Gen. Bradford J. Gering, invite the San Diego community and aviation enthusiasts to the 2022 MCAS Miramar Air Show, Sept. 23-25. Book your room today for this patriotic event.
In 1846 during the Mexican-American War, a detachment of Marines from the second-class Sloop-of-War Cyane landed here to raise the American flag above the Plaza in what’s now called Old Town. As a result of that war, the U.S. acquired San Diego and the rest of California (as well as Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, thus creating a nation “from sea to shining sea”). At that time, today’s Marine Corps Air Station Miramar was part of an enormous rancho. Cattle grazed on the mesa now covered by runways.
In 1890, newspaper publisher Edward Scripps moved to San Diego County. He is credited with naming Miramar, which loosely translated from Spanish means “a view of the sea.” Scripps established a ranch on 2,000 acres in the Miramar area. Scripps Ranch adjoins present-day MCAS Miramar. Most of Camp Kearny’s soldiers lived in tents, as more than 65,000 men arrived by train from the San Diego docks on their way to World War I battlefields in Europe. After the war, the camp was used as a demobilization and convalescent center, and in 1920, it ceased to function as a military base. Miramar languished for 12 years.
The unused base was perfectly located for Charles Lindbergh, whose Spirit of St. Louis was built by Ryan Airlines Corp. in nearby San Diego. Lindbergh used the abandoned Camp Kearny (East Miramar) parade field to practice tricky landings and take-offs with the new plane, which had no forward-looking windshield. From San Diego, he took off for New York, Paris and international fame.
In the 1930s, the U.S. Navy put their faith in dirigibles. These large, helium-filled airships could patrol long distances along the coasts. The 785-foot-long airships USS Akron and USS Macon could launch and retrieve their five Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawk pursuit aircraft in mid-air, like flying aircraft carriers. In 1932 a mooring mast and hangar were built at the camp for the dirigibles (it was claimed that the hangar was so huge that it had its own weather system!). When the Navy gave up the airship program, Kearny Mesa was quiet once again.
The theme of this year’s air show is “Marines: Fight, Evolve, Win.” and is a direct reflection of the Commandant of the Marine Corps Force Design 2030 program and the technical innovations the service is undertaking to remain the 21st century’s force in readiness.
Guests can count on seeing the Marine Corps’ F-35B demonstration, the unique Marine Air-Ground Task Force demonstration, the Air Force’s F-22 Raptor demonstration team, Aaron Fitzgerald flying the Red Bull Helicopter, a 5G Technology Expo and much more.
Event Details:
Where- North Island- MCAS Miramar 9175 Boyington Road San Diego, CA 92145
When- September 23-25, 2022
Contact-Visit The Website
Cost- Starting at $263 Purchase Now
