MCAS Beaufort Airshow 2023
Come Be Part of the Crowd
Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort invites everyone to come out on April 22-23 to enjoy a spectacular airshow. The airshow is free and opens to the public at 9:30 a.m. each day. With the cancellation of the airshow in 2021, well over 100,000 people are anticipated to be in attendance during the two-day event. There is a fantastic lineup that offers a wide variety of airshow acts performed by well-known pilots, such as Patty Wagstaff, Rob Holland, Kyle Franklin, and Clemens Kuhlig, to name a few. And as always, we are excited for the return of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) and the U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Blue Angels®.
Not only will you be wowed and amazed by all the airshow acts, but there will be numerous statics and exhibitors to visit as you are waiting for the airshow to start. There will be military statics such as the Apache, Blackhawk, CH-47, F-16, C-130, C-17, and F-35. Civilian statics will consist of craft like the Diamond DA-40 NG, Flagship Detroit Douglas DC-3, Hughes 500E, Cessna 182, Cessna L-19 Bird Dog, Beechcraft T-34 Mentor, Nakajima B5N2 Kate, 1968 Fouga Magister CM170 as well as a Top Gun Cockpit photo op. Exhibitors include industry leaders in real estate, home improvement, insurance, banking, financial services, credit unions, skill bridge options, colleges, medical, travel companies, hair salons, and veteran support entities.
If you are the adventurous type, you can take advantage of helicopter rides available by Hilton Head Helicopter Tours. You will see breathtaking views of Beaufort (and the airshow crowd) only seen by air. If speed is your thing, check out Precision Exotics and take a ride in one of their “Precision Extreme Drive” opportunities, and you can experience what it’s like to push a car past the 160 mph barrier. This “Quick Drive” allows you to feel the pure euphoria of driving one of these machines on the open road. DreamBIG Entertainment will be on hand to offer an interactive museum-style visit with a hands-on tour of an F-18 Hornet Top Gun Cockpit, complete with the ability to dress as a real Fighter Pilot with flight gear and helmet. You can also climb inside an exact cockpit replica of the Blue Angels® F/A-18E Super Hornet and interact with the D.H. Visual Panel that the Blue Angels® will bring with them for the airshow. And, sure to please every kid (and old but young at heart), there will be a Monster Truck in attendance for viewing.
All local schools have been invited to bring their fifth graders to the STEM/STEAM displays and activities. STEM/STEAM is designed to help children develop stronger science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics skills by finding fun and engaging ways to teach them. The following entities are participating: Lockheed Martin, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Stewards of the Sea, Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic, Technical College of the Lowcountry, Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority, Clemson University 4H, United States Air Force Enhanced Cognitive Human Ops which is a fun, interactive experience that tests your cognitive skills (E.C.H.O.), and the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum. If you are lucky enough to be in the 5th grade and your school is participating in the STEM Day during the rehearsal show on Friday, you will also get a sneak peek of the airshow.
The Town of Port Royal, along with Beaufort County, the Military Enhancement Committee, and the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, will host the Airshow After Party again.
The Parris Island Rock Band will kick off the event at 6:30 p.m. The mayor of Port Royal will welcome everyone in attendance, followed by the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort Commanding Officer Colonel Arbogast, thanking everyone for the support of the airshow as well as for his time serving as the MCAS Beaufort CO. The SOCOM Para-Commandos and the Blue Angels® will be introduced and hang out for a mix and mingle with the crowd. Food trucks will be available for eating, and there will be a beer wagon for all to enjoy during the Marine Corps rock band performance.
The Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) demonstration displays the coordinated use of close air support and infantry forces. The men and women of the Marine Corps demonstrate their finely-honed skills, and the airshow audience is in the middle of the action. This is an explosive display of Marine Corps power. The MAGTF is a self-sustaining combined arms force organized for a specific mission and comprised of four elements: Command, Ground Combat, Aviation Combat, and Combat Service Support. The Command element provides control and coordination for the planning and completion of the mission. The Ground Combat element handles land-based operations. It is formed around the infantry. The Aviation Combat element provides air support and is responsible for all air operations within the MAGTF. The Combat Service Support element supports the force, enabling long-duration operations. This demonstration is undoubtedly a highlight of the airshow.
The Blue Angels® will showcase the pride and professionalism of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The Blue Angels® exhibit choreographed refinements of skills possessed by all naval aviators. The team will showcase the mainstay of modern naval air power, operating off U.S. aircraft carriers, the combat-proven F/A-18 Super Hornet, and the Marine Corps premier logistics support aircraft, the C-130J Super Hercules, affectionately known as Fat Albert. You will be amazed by the graceful aerobatic maneuvers of the four-jet Diamond Formation, in concert with the fast-paced, high-performance maneuvers of two solo pilots. Finally, the team illustrates the pinnacle of precision flying, performing maneuvers locked as a unit in the renowned six-jet Delta Formation. The mission of the Blue Angles® is not only to showcase the abilities of their aircraft but to assist in recruiting and retention for the military and enhance esprit de corps among all uniformed men and women.
Airshows are made possible by the support of sponsors and exhibitors. This year’s Presenting Sponsors are Lockheed Martin, SERVPRO of Beaufort County, Hilton Head, Bluffton, Jasper, and TL&CO Business Solutions, LLC. For additional information, visit beaufortairshow.com
THE HISTORY OF MCAS BEAUFORT
The Civil Aeronautics Authority established Naval Air Station Beaufort on June 15, 1943. The facility was the home base for advanced training of anti-submarine patrols, operating along the United States Southeastern seaboard during World War II. Deactivated in 1946, the facility was reactivated as Marine Corps Auxiliary Airfield in 1955, and on March 1, 1960, the facility was redesignated by Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort (MCAS Beaufort). On September 19, 1975, the airfield was named Merritt Field in honor of Ridge Springs, SC, native Major General Lewie G. Merritt. The central portion of MCAS Beaufort remains the 3.9 million square yards of runways and taxiways of Merritt Field. The airfield has played a key role in national and worldwide training exercises and operations.
PRESENT DAY
MCAS Beaufort includes three components: a 6,949-acre main site with two runways, the 971-acre Laurel Bay Family Housing area, both within the boundaries of the City of Beaufort, and the 33,834-acre Townsend Bombing Range, an air-to-ground bombing range located in Georgia, which allows Fightertown pilots to train for air-ground combat.
Nicknamed “Fightertown East,” MCAS Beaufort is the home of the Marine Corps Atlantic Coast fixed-wing, fighter-attack aircraft assets. Marine Aircraft Group 31 (MAG-31) is part of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) headquartered at MCAS Cherry Point, NC. It is currently comprised of four F/A-18 Hornet Squadrons, two F-35B Lightning II training squadrons, an aviation logistics squadron, and a wing support detachment. The Hornet squadrons are VMFA-115, VMFA-312, VMFA(AW)-224, and VMFA(AW)-533. MCAS Beaufort is home to two F-35B training squadrons: 
VMFAT-501, The Warlords, and VMFAT-502, The Flying Nightmares. Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 31 (MALS-31) provides aviation logistics support, guidance, planning, and direction to MAG-31 squadrons. Marine Wing Support Detachment 273 (MWSD-273) provides aviation ground support to enable a MAG and supporting elements of the Marine Air Control Group (MACG) to conduct expeditionary operations.
Other major units aboard MCAS Beaufort include Marine Air Control Squadron 2 (MACS-2) Detachment A, Combat Logistics Company 23 (CLC-23), and Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron (H&HS). MACS-2 is capable of establishing a fully functioning expeditionary airfield through aerial surveillance. CLC-23 is under the command of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group headquartered at Camp Lejeune, NC, and supports the Air Station with communications, supply, dental, and medical personnel. H&HS provides service support, such as firefighting, military police, and public affairs support to all units aboard the installation.
MCAS Beaufort service members, their families, and civilian employees number nearly 13,000 and have long been an integral part of the Lowcountry community. They are proud to call the greater Beaufort area home.
