The Aviation Magazine 51 July-August 2017 | Page 14
O n March 25th and 26th, General William J Fox Airfield in Lancas‐
ter, CA hosted the 4th Annual Los Angeles County Air Show head‐
lined by the United States Air Force Thunderbirds who are celebrat‐
ing the 70th Anniversary of the Air Force. The show featured many
other performers in the air including various military jets, warbirds,
aerobatics, and more. Gates opened at 9:00 am, and people were
able to visit the different tents and static displays prior to flying ac‐
tivities. The static display lineup was pretty light but featured some
which included the first production F‐35A Lightning II, NASA F/A‐18A Hornet, a rare Scaled Composites
ARES, and The NASA ER‐2 U‐2 which is NASA’s U‐2 Dragon Lady research variant, as shown above. There
were a lot of different display tents to look inside from Lockheed Martin, Skunk Works, NASA, Northrop
Grumman, and STEM Expo too.
Flying officially started at noon with the Patriot Parachute Team jumping for the opening ceremonies. Af‐
ter the team was finished with their sky dives, the Collaborators aerobatic group performed a 3‐ship dis‐
play. The pilots in the formation included Rob Holland, Matt Chapman, and Bill Stein. The show featured a
nice variety of aerobatic pilots with different talents. Rob Holland made his first appearance at LA County