Pacific Airshow roars back to Huntington Beach…
Pacific Airshow roars back to Huntington Beach this weekend
Crowds watch the Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach on in 2019. After taking a break due to coronavirus, the air show returns Oct. 1 – Oct. 3. Saturday October 5, 2019. (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer)
By Susan Christian Goulding | Orange County Register
PUBLISHED: September 28, 2021 at 12:41 p.m. | UPDATED: September 28, 2021 at 12:48 p.m.
Even after the pandemic shut down crowds last year, Pacific Airshow organizer Kevin Elliott determinedly explored socially distanced ways to get the event off the ground.
Move the exhibit three miles out to sea where spectators could watch from boats? Too many public safety issues.
Subdividing the beach to separate people into small groups? Unworkable.
"We looked at every possible scenario," Elliot said. "Ultimately, we realized it was in the best interest of the community to put a pin in it, re-calibrate and focus on 2021."
And now the air show is back, and bigger than ever, as the sales pitch goes.
The Pacific Airshow will roar through Huntington Beach this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 1 through Oct. 3. The sky-high entertainment will take place all three days from about 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Royal Air Force Red Arrows fly over the flags at the grandstands during the Pacific Airshow at Huntington Beach in 2019. After taking a break due to coronavirus, the air show returns Oct. 1 – Oct. 3. (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer) (Photo by Keith Durflinger, Contributing Photographer)
Huntington Beach native Kevin Elliott took over the Pacific Airshow in 2018. After taking a break due to coronavirus, the air show returns Oct. 1 – Oct. 3. Saturday October 5, 2019. (File Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
This year's lineup was scheduled to include daring feats by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II Demo Teams and the U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey Demo Team. The Navy Leap Frogs, the U.S. Army Golden Knights and the Red Bull Air Force parachute demonstration teams, too, will drop in.
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Then came some late-breaking news that should warm the hearts of airplane enthusiasts. On Tuesday, Sept. 28, organizers announced the unexpected addition of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, showcasing precision flying in their F-16 Fighting Falcons.
The Thunderbirds had been slated to appear in another air show that was canceled.
It will be only the second time in U.S. history that the Blue Angels and the Thunderbirds perform together at the same air show. In "normal" years, when dozens of air shows take flight around the country, the U.S. Department of Defense deploys them separately in order to supply the demand.
With a U.S. Coast Guard vessel also present in the water, this will be the first time all branches of the military are represented at the air show. "We've never featured the Marine Corps," Elliott said.
Celebrating the anniversary of their 75th year, the Blue Angels will zip around in their new F/A-18 Super Hornets. The larger jets replaced the F/A-18 Hornets that the team had flown for 34 years.
The "Ocean Cup" boating competition will launch the weekend on Friday morning. Participants will leave the Sunset Aquatic Marina in Huntington Harbor at 7:30 a.m. and race to Catalina Island and back. Then the boats will be displayed on Main Street Saturday and Sunday.
Capping off both the Friday and Saturday air shows, are concerts. The two-night Afterburner Music Festival marks the first live music event on the city-side of the beach in more than a decade. The concerts will take place immediately following the Pacific Airshow in a fenced-off area on the sand.
Sammy Hagar & The Circle headline on Friday night, alongside Umphrey's McGee. On Saturday, country star Sam Hunt will perform, as will rock band X Ambassadors and pop singer Cassadee Pope. DJ Mark Moreno will appear both evenings.
"One of the really cool things about the Afterburner concert is that the Blue Angels starred in a Van Halen music video in 1986," Elliott said. Hagar was a member of the rock band then, led by the late Eddie Van Halen.
The video will show on a screen during Hagar's performance, with Blue Angels pilots joining him on stage.
On both nights, Red Bull Air Force acrobats will treat the audience to aerial night jumps.
Huntington Beach debuted air shows in 2016 – operated for the first two years by a New York-based promoter.
Elliott, founder of Huntington Beach marketing agency Code Four, took over in 2018.
According to a 2019 economic impact study commissioned by Visit Huntington Beach, the airshow generates $68.1 million in direct spending and $105.8 million in economic impact.
The report estimated that the air show attracted about 740,000 attendees in total – more than 535,000 of them from out of town.
Most of the revenue goes to restaurants, shops and hotels – not to the promoter. Air shows are hard to monetize because they can be viewed for free.
Code Four must rely on special seating to make a profit. Ticket prices range from $25 for general admission to $3,950 for cabanas for up to 15 people. Additionally, visitors can buy food and drinks at the venue.
None of the costs are funded by tax dollars. But the city will help out the promoter by hiking its daily parking fee those three days from $20 to $30. The additional $10 will go toward the extra presence of police officers, firefighters and lifeguards. Code Four will make up the difference.
Given the uncertainties wreaked by coronavirus, Elliott said his company had to scramble to put together both the air show and the concerts.
"Typically, it takes at least 12 months to book a music festival, and we only had three," he said. "I'm proud of what we could do in such a short period."
Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr praised Elliott's can-do attitude.
"Kevin dreams big and he's able to execute those dreams," Carr said. "Everything he puts together is always first-class. He thinks of every little detail. He has taken the air show to a whole new level."
Elliott, who grew up in Huntington Beach, said the Pacific Airshow is personal for him.
"I'm a local guy, so this event is all the more meaningful to me," he said. "While we produce events all over the world, I love making things happen right here."
When: 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Friday-Sunday, Oct. 1-3
Where: The vicinity of Huntington Street and Pacific Coast Highway
Cost: Free. Tickets for special seating on the sand or pier start at $25.
Afterburner Music Festival will take place right after the air show from 4-10 p.m. Tickets start at $69.
Information: pacificairshow.com
Susan Christian Goulding | Reporter
After graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in journalism, Susan Christian Goulding worked at newspapers throughout Southern California, including the Herald Examiner, the Daily Breeze the Los Angeles Times and now the Orange County Register. Susan was a longtime correspondent for People magazine before switching gears to earn a masters in education at UC Irvine. She taught English and journalism in Compton for four years, and at Loyola Marymount University and El Camino College for a year.
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