The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds split off of formation while performing at the California Capital Airshow on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023, at Mather Airport. (Sara Nevis/The Sacramento Bee via TNS)
(Tribune News Service) — The gates of Northern California’s Beale Air Force Base will open for its first public air show in seven years when the 2025 Air & Space Expo takes place this weekend.
The Yuba County military base, focused on reconnaissance and home to the stealthy U-2 “Dragon Lady” spy planes, hosts its first air show since 2018 on Saturday and Sunday, with a lineup of aviation displays slated to begin at noon each day.
The Thunderbirds — a performing pack of F-16 Fighting Falcons — headline the afternoon set, which begins with an opening ceremony and includes a procession of military, civilian and historical acts taking to the sky.
“We’re happy to bring that back to the community,” said Janice Nall, a board advisor to the Beale Military Liaison Council, a nonprofit that supports the base.
“The base brings so much to the regional community and it’s a great way for the community to come out to the base — it’s not open very often — and see what has changed, what is new.”
What’s in store?
The high-speed, ear-popping aerial feats of the Thunderbirds are scheduled to close out the show in the late afternoon.
But several noteworthy acts are slated to grace the sky before those fighter planes, including a squadron of Air Force parachutists, and a 1940 biplane, once used to train pilots during World War II and restored in the 1990s by Stadel Aircraft in Yuba City.
High-altitude U-2 spy planes, able to fly at heights above 70,000 feet, are based at Beale and also scheduled to appear during the show.
Meanwhile, visitors can find two of the Air Force’s newest arrivals, autonomous planes that are part of the base’s collaborative combat aircraft mission, grounded but on display for the public to see.
“There are a couple of things that are going to be, probably, the first opportunity in the United States to see,” Nall said of the base’s newest aircraft.
The recently-awarded unit consists of autonomous planes, largely driven by artificial intelligence and meant to fly as unmanned wingmen alongside crewed fighter jets.
The YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A aircraft, made by General Atomics and Anduril, respectively, differ from drones in that they are not remotely piloted. Instead, they are designed to function independently of fighter pilots, who would retain an element of control or guidance over the aircraft while flying alongside them.
The Air Force chose Beale to host the program over Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
Ground testing for the new units had begun as of their announcement in May, with flight testing expected to begin later this year.
What else to know?
The weekend of events begins Friday night with a welcome party from 6-8 p.m. at Veterans Park in Marysville recognizing the Thunderbird fleet.
Air show admission is free and requires a parking pass, which is also free and available at bealeairshow.com. “Elevated airshow experience” packages are on sale at the website and include premium parking passes.
Entry to the event begins at 9 a.m. and parking lots open at 8 a.m. Attendees must park or be in line to park by 1:30 p.m., according to the air show website.
Everyone 18 and older must have a valid ID on them at all times. Acceptable forms of identification are listed on the air show website.
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