Twice as nice: Two jet teams grace Southern California Air Show

“Pretty Polly,” a Bell P-63 Kingcobra, at the Southern California Air Show.

My second air show of 2023 had a rare similarity to the first one: Two jet teams!

A second similarity was that this was also a revival of a legacy event. The renamed Southern California Air Show, held April 22-23 at March Air Reserve Base (ARB) in Riverside County, returned to the southern California skies after a five-year absence.

First of the jet teams to perform was the Patriots Jet Team, a West Coast act comprised of veteran fighter pilots flying shiny black L-39 Albatros jet trainers.

Originally formed in 2002 with two aircraft, the Patriots Jet Team expanded to a six-ship aerobatic formation team in 2010 flying Czech surplus L-39 Albatros trainers.

Formed in 2002, the six-jet Patriots Jet Team features many pilots who have flown with the USAF Thunderbirds and USN Blue Angels. The team has performed in more than 1,500 shows.

The performance put on by the Patriots is every bit as impressive as the military teams and was very enjoyable to watch.

A different view of the USAF Thunderbirds diamond formation hurtling over show center.

Closing out the show were the Thunderbirds, who executed their performance with their usual precision, maneuvering over a static flight line including seldom seen aircraft, like a civilian-owned KC-135 Stratotanker, B-1B Lancer, and a B-52 older than most of the spectators.

USAF Thunderbird opposing solo pilots cross their Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcons over show center during the 2023 SoCal Air Show.

March Air Reserve Base is home to the 452nd Air Mobility Wing, so it was no surprise to see flight demonstrations by resident KC-135 Stratotanker and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft.

A Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker makes a fly-by in “dirty” configuration during the 2023 SoCal Air Show. This particular aircraft has been in service since 1963, 60 years!

Other active duty military demos included the F/A-18 Super Hornet, followed by a Legacy flight with a F8F Bearcat, A-10 Thunderbolt II, and two flavors of F-35 Lightning II, the USMC F-35B and the USAF F-35A.

The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II variant, operated by the USMC, employs a lift fan behind the cockpit (note the open doors) and a vectoring engine nozzle for vertical flight.

A Rockwell B-1B Lancer, nicknamed the “Bone,” makes a slow speed pass, with the variable-geometry wings in the full forward position. Currently the Air Force has an inventory of 45 B-1Bs.

The beefy flight schedule had plenty of civilian action as well.

It took a few tries but Kent Pietsch was able to successfully land his Interstate Cadet on the Jelly Belly mobile runway.

Perennial favorite Kent Pietsch flew three times in his Jelly Belly Interstate Cadet, doing his comedy routine, truck-top landing, and deadstick performances.

Kent Pietsch is so good that he doesn’t need a complete airplane to perform at airshows. He and his Jelly Belly Instersate Cadet are a popular act, maybe its the samples he hands out afterwards?

Also performing during the show were John Collver in his Texan “War Dog,” Vicky Benzing in her vintage Stearman, and a sailplane performance by the Sailplane Magic Air Show team in their Grob glider.

Sammy Mason put on a great performance, made more daring as he was performing on his one-year wedding anniversary.

Sammy Mason prepares to recover from a inverted flat spin in his Edge 540 during the 2023 SoCal Air Show.

Since Sammy Mason was performing on his one year wedding anniversary, he marked it with a heart dedicated to his wife.

Ed Hamill rounded out the schedule with a patriotic performance flying his Folds of Honor Pitts Special.

Retired F-16 pilot Ed Hamill flying sideways in his Pitts S-2C. The Folds of Honor program provides scholarships to the families of fallen or disabled U.S. military and first responders.

Formation fly-bys by the Dawn Patrol RV Formation Team with its six RVs were graceful and picturesque.

The Chino-based Dawn Patrol RV Formation Team performs with a variety of Van’s RV aircraft during the 2023 SoCal Air Show.

Besides the full day of flying, there was an astounding amount of static display aircraft, numbering over 70. It has been years since I wandered around a tarmac that well stocked.

Notable aircraft included a Boeing P-26 Peashooter, a 144th Fighter Wing F-15C Eagle with special paint, Customs and Border Patrol Blackhawk, several bizjets, and a quite a few GA aircraft.

One of two surviving Boeing P-26 Peashooters. The P-26 was the first American production all-metal fighter aircraft and the first pursuit monoplane to enter service with the Army Air Corps (1933).

This Air National Guard F-15C Eagle celebrated 10,000 flight hours with this very patriotic paint scheme.

NASA and first responder aircraft were also out in force, along with foreign trainers like a RAF Chipmunk and a Dutch Fokker S-11-1.

First flown in 1947, the Fokker S-11 Instructor was in service with the Royal Netherlands Air Force until the 1970s.

One that stood out was a sleek Silverlight American Ranger AR-1 kit-gyroplane.

A snazzy looking Silverlight American Ranger AR-1 on display. This is a LSA eligible gyroplane kit.

Plenty of warbirds also were on hand to fill any gaps on the static display lineup.

A U.S. Navy Legacy Flight, comprised of a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet flying with a Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat.

Weekend attendance estimates of 250,000 appeared to be low based on the Saturday turnout. With a long aerospace heritage, SoCal fans love their air shows and came out in force.

A McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extender attracts a long line of visitors. The USAF announced that all KC-10s will be retired by September 2024.

March Air Reserve Base opened in 1918 as Alessandro Flying Training Field and is one of the oldest airfields operated by the U.S. military. A month after opening, the base was renamed after Peyton C. March Jr., who died just 15 days after his commission in a crash in Texas.