Giant jets and military aircraft will soar high in the sky off the Huntington Beach coast this weekend, but pilot Tom Larkin’s mini jet will bring people a lot closer to the action as he zooms back and forth just 30 feet above the water.
“I’ll go by like a gnat, just really fast, really small,” said Larkin, who will be performing at the Pacific Airshow in his SubSonex Mini Jet for the first time. “It will definitely be something they’ve never seen before in their life.”
The tens of thousands of visitors expected at the annual three-day air show will see historical and modern warplanes, world-champion aerobatics and even a biplane can hover vertically in the air. Organizers confirmed Thursday afternoon that former President Donald Trump’s plane is expected to participate on Friday; he is in Orange County for the CAGOP convention. They gave no further details.
Larkin has to squeeze into his mini jet, but it allows for big moves – he can perform quick turns and can climb vertically at up to 12,000 feet per minute.
“I’m about one third of the weight of an IndyCar, and I’m going 100 miles per hour faster,” he said.
The day-long shows are the same each day, organizers said, with Friday considered a rehearsal for Saturday and Sunday. There will be food and drinks available inside the general admission area on the beach, and getting in will cost you $25 if you buy your tickets ahead of time.
Robert “Scratch” Mitchell will be piloting a T-33 in formation this weekend, which he says could be the same plane his grandfather flew for the Canadian military.
Mitchell said aviation is “part of my family DNA” since both he, his dad and grandfather were all fighter pilots. Performing at air shows is thrilling for him, Mitchell said, because he gets to share his love of aviation with others.
“As corny as it might sound, I was a little kid standing at the fence line looking at the air show performers,” he said. “To a little kid…
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