Canada Will Headline the Pacific Airshow in California Because of the Shutdown

It’s the fall air show season, but the biggest attraction — U.S. military planes — will not appear this weekend in Southern California because of the federal government shutdown.

In their place? The Snowbirds, the acrobatic fleet from the Royal Canadian Air Force.

“Thank God Canada is not the 51st state yet,” said Kevin Elliott, the director of the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, Calif.

The shutdown that began this week grounded the Thunderbirds of the United States Air Force and the Blue Angels of the United States Navy, two daredevil teams known for their gravity-defying stunts, just as they were scheduled to star in three of California’s most popular air shows.

The Canadian Snowbirds, the nine-jet precision flying team from America’s northern neighbor, will headline the three-day Pacific Airshow in Southern California, which kicked off on Friday. If the shutdown continues, the Canadian crew is likely to also take top billing at the San Francisco Fleet Week air show, which begins next Friday.

Unlike the fighter jets with supersonic capabilities flown by the American teams, which answer to what President Trump now calls the War Department, the Snowbirds operate decades-old planes that were designed for training purposes.

Mr. Elliott said that organizers scrambled in recent days to rearrange the event’s lineup, given just how many U.S. military pilots had been scheduled to fly in what is one of the nation’s largest air display events.

But he said he was ultimately relieved that the Snowbirds — recognizable by their red-and-white jets that match Canada’s flag — could “show up and, in a sense, save the day.”

The Snowbirds aren’t the only military pilots performing: Also at this weekend’s air show will be the United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force, including its impressive parachute display team known for free falls.

Capt. Philip Rochon, spokesman for the Snowbirds, said he did not want to discuss the U.S. politics that had thrust his team into the spotlight. But he said the Snowbirds were looking forward to heading up to San Francisco next week for their final show.

“We’re super happy to be performing down here in Huntington Beach. It’s been nicer here than it is back home,” Mr. Rochon said, referring to the sunny weather that tops out at 70 degrees. “If we could do our training down here during the off-season, it’d be even better, because we wouldn’t have eight feet of snow and negative temperatures.”

At the Huntington Beach pier on Friday, beachgoers craned their necks to watch propeller planes twirl and leave white ribbons in the sky. But some attendees noted the absence of the thunderous display of American air power.

Sitting in a folded chair on the sand, Craig Yamasaki, 74, said he was disappointed not to see the American pilots and blamed President Trump for the shutdown. “Of all the people to ruin the show,” he said.

Terri Conway, 61, said that she normally hears jet planes flying over her home in Huntington Beach but didn’t this week. Ms. Conway, who has attended every Pacific Airshow since it began in 2016, said that the turnout on opening day seemed relatively lackluster.

“I was bummed,” she said of the U.S. military not performing, adding, “We want the patriotic.”

The Huntington Beach City Council has become an outspoken supporter of the MAGA movement and Mr. Trump, so much so that it used the MAGA acronym on a plaque commemorating the city library and declared itself a “non-sanctuary city.”

The mayor, Pat Burns, largely blamed Democratic leadership for the shutdown. But he said a full air show would still go on, even without the Thunderbirds.

“It is affecting great publicity for how great our state, our city, our whole country is because it’s a very patriotic event, especially when the military is involved,” Mr. Burns said. “I think it’s just unfortunate that politics is playing a game that is at the expense of the citizens of the United States.”

The Blue Angels were scheduled to perform this weekend at the California International Airshow in Salinas, Calif., about 60 miles south of San Jose. But organizers on Wednesday had to inform attendees that the popular squadron would not be able to appear because of the federal shutdown. Harry Wardell, executive director of the Salinas event, said in a statement that organizers were disappointed but still committed to putting on a great show.

The situation at San Francisco’s Fleet Week is more touch and go. Though Fleet Week, which includes live music and local food vendors, starts on Sunday, the air show isn’t scheduled to begin until Oct. 10, so there remains a chance that the U.S. military could still participate if the shutdown ends by then, show officials said.

The hallmark spectacle of Fleet Week, which often draws a million people to San Francisco over the course of a week, is the Blue Angels team, which dazzles crowds with its spectacular tricks. The team is “ready and willing to participate in Fleet Week next weekend if the government reopens,” Fleet Week organizers said.

But U.S. military planning for Fleet Week is “temporarily paused,” so it appears that the Blue Angels will not be able to perform and that the warships that typically dock in the Bay Area will not be able to come either, said Brian O’Rourke, spokesman for the Navy.

Mr. O’Rourke said that if the impasse were to end, the Navy and Marine Corps would “determine how we might salvage military participation. Our sailors and Marines look forward each year to visiting San Francisco.”

“If there is no speedy resolution,” he added, “we’ll be disappointed we aren’t able to attend this year.”

If so, the Snowbirds are on standby to headline.