The annual Pacific Airshow returns this October to Huntington Beach and will start landing planes on the sand during the event, organizers announced Thursday, Feb. 15.
For this year’s air show, event organizers will construct a temporary runway on the beach where planes will land and take off right in front of spectators. Kevin Elliott, the air show’s executive director, said this is the first time a temporary runway will be built on a beach for an air show.
There are few places in the world where an air show like the one in Huntington Beach can be held, Elliot said.
“Obviously being on the beachfront here in one of the most beautiful beaches in the entire country, we have an unbelievable background, unbelievable support here in Orange County, Huntington Beach,” Elliott said. “And we are just getting started with what we want to do. The air show is just a small piece of the way we envision this event over time.”
The Pacific Airshow will run from Oct. 4 to 6 this year.
A public study released by the city in February said future air shows could be held annually for up to five days. Elliott also spoke at Thursday’s announcement event about the air show expanding and possibly bringing back concerts.
“That whole five-day concept is like, hey were we to ever add something like air racing, for example, might there be qualifying on Wednesday and Thursday, which might expand it from a three-day to a five-day (event),” Elliott said. “But right now, our plan is to continue to produce a great three-day event.”
Elliott said his team isn’t ready to make any announcements if the Afterburner Music Festival will return this year, “but it’s definitely a part of our plan, part of our road map.”
As part of announcing the air show’s plans for this year, Elliott and Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark flew in on two separate planes that landed on the sand at Huntington State Beach Thursday morning. The two aircraft kicked up a light amount of sand as…
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