The Blue Angels jets fly over-head during the Miramar Air Show in San Diego, CA on Thursday, October 11, 2012. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Corbis via Getty Images)
The annual Miramar Air Show at MCAS Miramar attracted thousands of people on Saturday, where people gathered to watch the military's aviation prowess on full display. A safe assumption to make about any air show is that the main attraction will be up in the skies. Sometimes, however, it's the people on the ground that make all the difference.
"Being able to own a brand that pays such homage to the people that fight and die for our country and work on these machines and just being a part of something that's not just a brand, but something that's proud to be American," said Greg Greco, CEO of Blackbird Flight Wear.
Greco has been attending the Miramar Air Show for the last 10 years. While the business has been growing every year, for Greco, it's more about the people he meets who are passionate about aviation and our armed forces.
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"I am a patriot. I love America. I've never fought for our country, but I only respect the people who have," said Greco.
Blackbird Flight Wear sells aviation toys, keychains, and other merchandise. Perhaps the main appeal, though, is the apparel featuring hand-drawn artwork of all sorts of military aircraft.
"Every single design that we have, even today it's 2024, everybody's digital. We still have artists that draw everything by hand," said Greco. The company attends air shows all over the country, and Greco said they always try to make a difference at each event.
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“A lot of what we do is donation and charity back to the organizations or the shows that we go to, even Miramar. One of the things that we do is we donate about $10,000 of merchandise at the end of the show," said Greco.
Other patriots, like Michael Diaz and his family, got a front row seat at the flight line to watch all the action.
"We woke up at 4 in the morning just to drive over here," said Diaz. His family has been coming to the air show for the past five years, including Diaz's 6-year-old son, Donovan, whose first air show was when he was 1 year old.
“Usually when we get here, we get here late, so we sit toward the back. So this year we decided to wake up earlier to get a nice spot up in the front, that way my son can get a better view," said Diaz.
Diaz and his wife hope that little Donovan might take an interest in a career in aviation, or maybe even an astronaut.
So while many eyes will be glued to the sky this weekend, it's also worth taking in your surroundings down on the ground at MCAS Miramar.
