It’s October in San Francisco, which means it has to be Fleet Week.  Since 1981 Fleet Week has been a fixture in the City by the Bay.  It’s a weeklong event with disaster preparedness drills, military displays, ship open houses and 3 days of flying.

The flying started on Thursday with the Blue Angels performing their orientation flights and a practice show. 

Friday opened with the parade of ships led by the USS Essex LHD-2, a Wasp class amphibious assault ship, and the USS Champion MCM-4, a mine countermeasures ship.  Following them was the USCGC Stratton Coast Guard National Security Cutter and the Canadian HMCS Winnipeg FFH-338.

In September, Mather Field hosted another great air show for the Sacramento area.  Each year they host a photography tour which provides a unique opportunity for photographers to get on the other side of the airfield for better lighting.  On arrival day, we were treated to multiple passes of a U-2 Dragon Lady before landing.

During the air show, there was plenty of flying and static displays to keep all the spectators happy over the beautiful weekend.  The show opened with the national anthem and jumpers from the Patriot Parachute Team.  An F-15 from the California ANG based out of Fresno made several passes while new cadets were taking their oaths.  A P-51 Mustang and USCG C-27 Spartan made fly-bys as well.