Sacramento Capital Airshow (or any air show!)

(F-18 Aggressor Squadron)

It doesn't matter who you are or even where you are from. If you haven't been to an air show ever or even for a couple of years then you are missing out big time!

   I remember fondly the times that my father took my brother and I to the air shows in Sacramento.  The last time we attended was probably around 13-14 years ago. I had the chance to go again recently.  I grabbed my girlfriend and a close friend, both of which had never been to one before and brought them along with me.

   After buying tickets online in advance and also paying for parking, I was out just a little more cash then what it costs to see Hollywood's latest flop.  Gates opened at 9am and closed at 5pm - that is an entire 8 hours of entertainment!

   For the early birds there are plenty of "static displays" to look at, touch, and climb around in.  The displays range from the United States Air Force fighter jets and cargo planes, smaller private planes to World War II vintage fighters.

  Sometimes the lines to climb into the cockpit of some larger then life military air craft can be boring, but if this is your cup of tea, then it helps if you arrive early.

  I am not sure if air shows are much more polished and put together now days then when I was a child, but it sure seems like there was no down time once the actual show started in the air.  I remember waiting for what seemed like an eternity for the next plane to fly over as a child.  Perhaps that was just adolescent inability to wait longer then 3-5 minutes for anything exciting.

  Usually in the beginning of the air demonstrations propeller acrobatic aircraft dominate.  Some of these can be quite loud and very entertaining.

  After a couple of shows from private pilots the military air planes start to put on their show.  If you thought the propeller planes were loud, then you are in for a treat.  There is nothing else like sitting under an F-22 that just kicked on both of its huge engines to afterburners as it takes off and gains an climbing angle that brings it strait up.

  As always the grand finale is put on either by the Navy and a squadron called The Blue Angeles, or by the Air Forces own Thunder Birds. 

One last word of advice.  If you do manage to attend sometime, then be prepared for a demo of some fighter jets ability to sneak up and scare the living crap out of you.