Community Corner

2013 Marine Corps Air Show at Miramar Canceled Due to Federal Government Shutdown

The Marine Corps Air Show at Miramar has been canceled due to the government shutdown, Miramar's commanding officer announced Thursday morning.

Here's the statement from USMC Col. John P. Farnam:

Unfortunately, today we were informed that the 2013 Miramar Air Show has been canceled due to the government shutdown.

For the past few months, we have been planning to host the show within the restrictions of sequestration, guidance from the Department of Defense and now the government shutdown. At each step we worked hard to ensure we were within those guidelines while still providing the San Diego community an opportunity to interact with our Marines and Sailors.

This morning we received guidance from the Deputy Secretary of Defense that mandates non-excepted activities, including outreach events, are not authorized under the current shutdown guidelines. We want to thank the San Diego community for their tremendous support over the past few months. When conditions change, we look forward to hosting our neighbors and friends again on Miramar.

Col. John P. Farnam
Commanding Officer
MCAS Miramar 

Marine Corps aircraft squadrons at Tustin and El Toro began staging air shows in 1950. The first Marine Corps air show at Miramar was in 1998. Helicopter squadrons from Miramar and Camp Pendleton are visible from time to time over the San Gorgonio Pass.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is in San Diego east of Universal City.

The Miramar show had already been scaled back earlier this year because of federal sequestration budget restraints. Because of the sequester cuts, no military planes were to fly in the two-day show.

The Navy's famed Blue Angels were expected to perform, but participation in air shows by military aircraft was canceled by the Department of Defense in March.

Before Thursday, military officials said the Miramar show would continue with civilian planes and pilots and with displays on the ground of Marine fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.

The free air show at Miramar has drawn crowds estimated up to 500,000 in recent years.


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