Stunt pilots, sky dancers and military aircraft take to the sky above Monterey County this weekend, Sept. 24 and 25, for the 36th annual California International Airshow Salinas.
All told good weather and world-class aerobatics will bring tens of thousands to the Salinas Municipal Airport.
The U.S. Army Golden Knights Parachute Team and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will perform aerial maneuvers and death-taunting maneuvers over the Salinas sky.
Their demonstrations do more than leave spectators awestruck, as it’s part of one of the U.S. military’s largest public relations and recruitment campaigns.
Retired Air Force Col. Pete McCaffrey told the Associated Press in July 2016 that airshow demonstration teams are "our No. 1 recruiting tool."
The Fort Bragg, North Carolina-based Golden Knights have performed at airshows across the country every weekend for the past three months. The Weekly took to the sky with the Golden Knights on Sept. 24.
It's an often unstated mission military demo teams: Get kids interested in joining Uncle Sam.
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