Pacific Airshow returns for 10th year with ‘biggest lineup’ to date this weekend in Huntington Beach

Thunderous jets performing jaw-dropping aerial stunts will take over the Huntington Beach skies and shoreline starting Friday, Oct. 2, for the 10th installment of the Pacific Airshow.

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The three-day spectacle, which runs through Sunday, will feature civilian and fighter jet demonstrations, aerobatics, historical aircraft, and parachutists descending on the beach.

For the first time, attendees this year will also watch a jetpack and Flyboard demo off the beach — the aquatic jet-propelled Flyboards allow a rider to lift themselves high into the air.

The US Air Force Thunderbirds and Canadian Forces Snowbirds are headlining this year’s event — an anticipated return after military planes were forced to withdraw from the 2025 show due to the government shutdown. Pacific Airshow Director Kevin Elliott said NASA will also make an appearance this year with its fleet of aircraft painted in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary.

Wayne Ringelberg, chief pilot at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, CA, will be flying a customized F-15.

He described the aircraft as the agency’s “high-speed science airplane,” whose primary job is to fly alongside as support for the X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft. He explained at Thursday’s media preview day that “the F-15 is the only thing that we have that can go” at the X-59’s speeds and altitudes.

Ringelberg said it has been a “long time” since NASA flew in the air show and its participation was made possible with funds from the Trump administration, which is “all in” on public outreach efforts.

Elliot said he’s “feeling really good” about the air show’s 10th anniversary. He noted the good weather forecast, beachside views and “amazing lineup,” adding, “we kind of joke and say that Pacific Airshow is where the military likes to come to vacation.”

Someone else who’s waited to fly is Orange resident Jonathan St. Clair, who was selected last year as the “Hometown Hero” who gets to fly on a military aircraft in connection with the air show.

He had undergone more than a month of background checks and physical exams last year before the government shutdown happened and he was grounded, St. Clair said.

On opening day of this year’s event, St. Clair will join the Thunderbirds in an F-16 Fighting Falcon for a 90-minute demo, charging across the sky at up to 1,500 mph, an experience he excitedly compared to being “strapped to a bullet.”

“I’m really glad that it’s happening,” St. Clair said, adding that he watched “Top Gun: Maverick” recently to prepare for takeoff. “This is really a once-in-a-lifetime experience for sure.”

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It’s been a busy summer for St. Clair, who completed a 30-day binge of Major League Baseball games at 30 different stadiums in a campaign to raise money and awareness for his foundation that’s dedicated to water safety and drowning prevention. He started the cause after his infant son drowned 12 years ago.

Other performers in this year’s lineup, which organizers are calling the “biggest” in the event’s history, include the Air Force F-22 Raptor demo team, the NASA F-5 Formation Team and the US Navy F/A-18 West Coast Rhino Demo.

Emma McDonald, a 36-year-old aerobatic and air race pilot from Australia, will be flying the Edge 540 racer, which is capable of up to 12 Gs and a 400-degree second roll rate.

“If you blink, you’ll miss this airplane,” said McDonald, a third-generation pilot who also participated in the Pacific Airshow’s Gold Coast edition in Australia. She said this will be her third year participating in the Huntington Beach show.

Asked what flying the Edge 540 feels like, she said the physicality has no comparison, but explained that at 12 Gs your body weighs 12 times more than normal and you can’t lift your arms.

“I get out of this airplane feeling like it’s been a boxing match, because it is so aggressive,” said McDonald. “It’s like someone with a hammer is hitting you on the body.”

Gates open at 9 a.m. each of the three days, with the show starting at 10 a.m. and ending at about 4:30 p.m. Public entry gates are on the sand south of the Huntington Beach Pier, between 1st and Huntington streets; pier tickets will have a separate entry on Huntington Pier.

A new sports bar with a two-story viewing tower will offer Fox Sports coverage of the action on the big screen.

Last September, the Huntington Beach City Council inked a deal with the air show’s operators to exclusively host the event for the next 25 years. The long-term contract came out of a $5 million settlement between the city and Code Four, the company that runs the air show, after the 2021 event was cut short due to an oil spill.

Tickets range from $20 for general admission, with premium viewing options available. For more information: pacificairshowusa.com

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