Thunderbirds Headline California International Airshow

Michael Goulian at the top of a hammerhead turn in his Extra EA-330SC during his performance at the 2026 California International Airshow.

Another California air show hit the notable midlife age of 45 years — the 2026 California International Airshow, held Sept. 26-27 in Salinas, California. It was the second air show I attended this season to reach that milestone, with Wings Over Camarillo in Southern California the first.

At Salinas Municipal Airport (KSNS), clear skies and breezy weather were on hand for the estimated 65,000 attendees.

The day’s flying started with aerobatic headliner Michael Goulian escorting skydivers in his Extra EA-300SC as they descended. Once they were down, he did a short teaser performance.

The U.S. Coast Guard then made an appearance with one of its Alenia HC-27 Spartan patrol aircraft, the only active-duty aircraft in the schedule until the Thunderbirds. There was a notable absence of military demonstration aircraft at the shows I attended this season. I sure missed seeing those Heritage Flights this year.

In 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard acquired 14 C-27 airframes transferred from the U.S. Air Force, converting them to the HC-27 Spartan. Six of these are based at Coast Guard Air Station in Sacramento, California.

Fast-mover fans were happy with the selection of performers, starting with Mark Peterson in his combat laden Cessna A-37 Dragonfly. Jason Somes dazzled spectators with afterburner passes in his crimson MiG-17, followed by Greg Colyer with his immaculate Lockheed T-33 “Ace Maker III.”

Mark Peterson pilots a rare Cessna A-37 Dragonfly attack jet in South Vietnamese Air Force livery.

Jason Somes makes a high speed pass using the afterburner in his Polish-built MiG-17 jet fighter. The afterburner adds 30 mph to the MiG-17 top speed of 680 mph.

Greg Colyer brings “Ace Maker III,” his Canadair T-33 Silver Star 3, in for a photo pass. This was a Canadian license-built version of the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star.

Classic warbirds were represented by a gathering of five P-51 Mustangs. Though a few other warbirds could be found among the statics, only the Mustangs would take to the air. While each P-51 made a series of individual passes, I am still hopeful of seeing a formation flight one of these years.

A colorful lineup of North American P-51 Mustangs at the Salinas Airshow. Of the approximately 15,500 P-51 Mustangs built during World War II, around 150 airworthy examples survive today.

The North American P-51D Mustang “Comfortably Numb” was one of five Mustangs performing at Salinas. This plane was once owned by Pink Floyd guitarist and singer David Gilmour, hence the name.

Micheal Mainiero performed in his Sukhoi Su-29, nearing the end of his first year on the air show circuit.

Michael Mainiero makes a pass in his Sukhoi Su-29.

Michael Goulian performs a knife-edge pass in his Extra EA-330SC. This premier aerobatic aircraft has an astonishing roll rate of 420°/sec and is stressed to plus/minus 12 Gs.

An exciting full performance routine by Michael Goulian was counterbalanced by a sedate, quiet demo by Archer Aviation. This was the second year that Archer was on the air show flight schedule, having conducted its flight testing in Salinas since 2021. The Archer flight demo featured the Midnight eVTOL aircraft performing multiple passes, but with no transition to hover. Sporting no less than 12 rotors, the Archer Midnight generated little noise other than the electric whirring of the rotors, concluding with a conventional landing.

The Archer Midnight in forward flight, pulled by the six pivoting proprotors while the six fixed vertical rotors are stowed. The Midnight eVTOL completed Phase 3 of the FAA’s four-phase type certification process for the new “Powered-Lift” category.

An Archer Midnight eVTOL mock-up with the nacelles in hover mode. The Midnight was selected as the Official Air Taxi Provider for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.

The number of static display aircraft, 29 or so, was on par with other years as owners displayed their planes for the air show fans.

The Salinas airport-based Bob Hoover Academy operates as a full-time public high school and offers ground school, flight training, and aviation mechanic training for at-risk students. This Cessna 152 is one of five aircraft used by the school.

A snazzy Thunderbirds livery adorns this Lockheed T-33A Shooting Star. Recognized as one of the finest T-33 restorations, this T-33 has won multiple awards at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.

No air show static ramp is complete without at least one Stearman. This is a sharp example of a PT-17 Kaydet. More than 10,000 Stearmans were built by 1944.

The Aeronca 7AC Champion fabric-covered taildragger was introduced in 1944 by the Aeronautical Corporation of America to compete with the Piper J-3 Cub.

Introduced in 1950, the Cessna O-1A Bird Dog was deployed during the Korean War and later used by the U.S. Air Force, Marines, and Army (as well as South Vietnamese forces) during the Vietnam War as a Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft.

A Grumman American AA-5B “Tigger.” Apparently the owner is a Pooh fan. The final variant of the AA-5 line, the AA-5B Tiger, was designed by Grumman engineers.

This French Dassault Falcon 2000EX bizjet belongs to one of the air show’s corporate sponsors, Granite Construction. This jet cruises at Mach .80 with almost 4,000 miles of range.

Warbird expert Taigh Ramey brought his recently named A-26 Invader “Hell’s Belle” to display, while Greg Colyer showed his TBM-3 Avenger “Pacific Predator.”

This lovely Douglas A-26C Invader “Hell’s Belle” hails from the Stockton Field Aviation Museum and now sports new nose art.

Aside from his flock of T-33 Ace Maker jets, Greg Colyer has this General Motors-built TBM-3 Avenger “Pacific Predator.” Postwar, this Avenger served with the Royal Canadian Navy for anti-submarine operations in the 1950s.

A big shout out to our friends up north as the Royal Canadian Air Force brought one of its “Gonzo” navigation training aircraft to justify the “international” in the air show’s name.

The distinctive Bombardier CT-142 Gonzo is a specialized Royal Canadian Air Force navigational and tactical training aircraft. The duck-bill nose radome houses a specialized forward-looking weather and ground-mapping radar.

The day’s schedule included liberal amounts of monster truck demos in between the aerial acts. Then it was time for the day’s finale, as the USAF Thunderbirds entered the air show box from their staging location at nearby Monterey Airport. Late season performances by the demo teams are always a bit more exciting as the accumulated experience translates into even less separation between the team aircraft.

Two Thunderbird solo pilots perform the Opposing Knife Edge Pass, with closing speeds approaching 1,000 mph.

The two Thunderbird solo pilots depart the Delta formation after a show center fly-by. The Thunderbirds fly the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Fighting Falcon.

Along with providing aviation entertainment on the Central Coast, California International Airshow has raised more than $9 million for local charities over these many years.

Happy sapphire anniversary to the Salinas team, and I’ll be back for the 46th.

An AutoGyro Cavalon two-seat gyroplane on the ramp next to a Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II, polar opposites on the aviation spectrum.

Salinas Municipal Airport began in 1928 as Legion Field, a small airfield established by the local American Legion chapter. During World War II, Salinas Army Air Field trained reconnaissance crews, coastal anti-submarine patrol units, P-38 Lightning fighter pilots, and crews for the P-61 Black Widow.

For more information: SalinasAirshow.com

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