It’s very difficult to get an autograph from a U.S. Air Force Thunderbird pilot flying by at nearly 1,500 miles per hour, so the Joint Forces Training Base is doing something never been done before.
Base Commander Col. Nick Ducich has announced an inaugural event entitled “Meet the Pilots & Crews” to give aviation enthusiasts a rare opportunity to see the planes and meet the pilots and crews of the performers in town for the Great Pacific Air Show next weekend.
“We look forward to welcoming you and your families to JFTB,” said Ducich, “and we hope you will join us for this unique opportunity to meet these heroes face to face.”
The base commander has ordered the gates be opened to aviation enthusiasts Thursday on the eve of the Great Pacific Air Show to allow fans of flyers to be able to get up front and personal with the pilots and crews of the many famous teams participating in this year’s airshow.
Each year, the top planes and pilots from around the world descend on JFTB as the staging area for the Great Pacific Air Show, which occurs annually over nearby Huntington Beach.
Col. Ducich had the idea to “show thanks and appreciation to all of the surrounding communities for their support throughout the year,” said base spokesman Col. Rick Lalor.
According to a JFTB press release, “the event will take place from 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. in historic Hanger 1 on the Los Alamitos Army Airfield flight line.
The free, family-friendly Great Pacific Airshow will itself take place Friday through Sunday (Oct. 4-6) over the ocean at Huntington Beach between 11 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
This year’s airshow features some of the world’s fastest and most advanced aircraft, including the world famous U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, the best of Britain’s Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team (the Red Arrows), the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II, the U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt Demo Team, the JetPack Men, the SOCOM Para Commandos, and making its west coast debut, the one-of-a-kind, double fuselage YAK 110.
Confirmed participants for Thursday’s “Meet the Pilots & Crews” event includes team members representing the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and F-35 Demonstration Teams, the Royal Air Force Red Arrows and the Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds, said Lalor, while JFTB expect many more to join in as they learn of the event.
Also flying in this year’s Great Pacific Air Show will be the Red Bull Air Force, the U.S. Navy F-18 demonstration, the T-33 AceMaker and more.
Lalor said the participating pilots will be available for discussion and interviews, and some of the aircraft will be on display from a distance.
Admission and parking is free for the JFTB event, but everyone over the age of 16 must present photo identification at the gate and all children must be accompanied by parents/guardian. Only valid service dogs are permitted on the base.
For additional information, please contact Col. (CA) Richard Lalor at (562) 795-2096 or via email at richard.w.lalor2.nfg@mail.mil, or Barbara Caruso at (714) 328-3273 or via email at Barbara@c-squaredpr.com.
