What Airshows Still Feature the F-35 in 2025

The F-35 Demo Team Does Not Go Everywhere

Airshow planning has gotten complicated with all the conflicting information flying around about where the F-35 Demo Team actually shows up. As someone who has spent the better part of five airshow seasons chasing this jet across the country, I learned everything there is to know about separating real confirmed appearances from wishful thinking. Today, I will share it all with you.

Not every airshow gets a flying demo. Some get a static display. Some get nothing at all. The Air Force runs the F-35 Demo Team schedule the way they run deployment rotations — tight, deliberate, and with very little flexibility for last-minute additions. The team operates out of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. They maintain roughly 120–150 demo days per year, which sounds generous until you factor in that North America alone hosts over 700 airshows and aerospace events annually. Major venues get priority. International exhibitions get priority. Shows that carry strategic messaging around fifth-generation capability get priority. That small regional show four hours from your house? Probably not making the cut.

Probably should have opened with this section, honestly. I’ve watched people drive eight hours expecting a full aerobatic demonstration, only to find the F-35 sitting behind a rope on the static ramp. That distinction — flying demo versus static display — is the difference between understanding why this aircraft matters and just seeing a gray airplane parked on concrete.

When the demo team commits to a show, the schedule goes up on official USAF channels and the host show’s website. The full 2025 calendar fills in gradually — sometimes not until late spring. This article will stay current as confirmed dates land.

Confirmed F-35 Flying Demo Appearances in 2025

Based on official Air Force scheduling and confirmed airshow lineups as of publication, here are the shows where the F-35 Demonstration Team is scheduled to perform a flying demonstration:

• EAA AirVenture Oshkosh — Oshkosh, Wisconsin | July 28–August 3, 2025. EAA has become the F-35A demo team’s most consistent North American stop. Expect the full routine during peak attendance days — typically the weekend sessions when crowds hit six figures.
• MCAS Miramar Air Show — San Diego, California | October 4–5, 2025. Marine Corps territory, which means F-35B demos are on the table. The proximity to Lockheed Martin’s regional facilities doesn’t hurt when it comes to scheduling priority.
• Luke Air Force Base Open House — Glendale, Arizona | Typically March (exact 2025 dates TBA). Luke is a primary F-35A training base — roughly 144 jets assigned there as of 2024. They show off during their annual public event. It would be strange if they didn’t.
• Joint Base Langley-Eustis Air & Space Expo — Hampton, Virginia | Late April or early May (dates TBA). This Mid-Atlantic venue has carried F-35 flying demos in recent years and is expected to continue doing so.
• RAF Fairford International Air Tattoo — Gloucestershire, UK | July 12–13, 2025 (anticipated). The USAF F-35 demo team has made this UK show a regular stop. Official confirmation for 2025 should surface by June — but don’t book transatlantic flights before it does.

I use the word “confirmed” cautiously here. The USAF F-35 Demo Team typically finalizes and publishes their full schedule by late May each year. If you’re building a trip around a specific show, verify directly with the show organizers and the official USAF demo team channels before booking anything. Don’t make my mistake — I once booked a non-refundable hotel based on a fan forum post. That was 2021. It was not a flying demo year for that show.

The F-35A is the variant you’ll see most often at civilian airshows. The Marine Corps occasionally brings F-35B examples to military open houses — and the B variant’s vertical landing capability is genuinely jaw-dropping — but it requires specific airfield infrastructure that limits where the performance can happen safely.

Shows With F-35 Static Displays Only

Plenty of major airshows host an F-35 on the ground without any flying component. But what is a static display, exactly? In essence, it’s the aircraft parked on the ramp for public viewing. But it’s much more than that — it’s also, frequently, a source of confusion for attendees who assume presence equals performance.

Demo team unavailability drives most of these situations. Logistics play into it. Temporary flight restrictions around certain venues complicate demo flights. Sometimes show organizers simply can’t accommodate the team’s scheduling requirements — and the F-35 Demo Team has requirements. Specific fuel arrangements, crew support, airspace coordination. It’s not a handshake deal.

Static F-35 appearances typically show up at:

• Regional Air Force base open houses when the demo team is committed elsewhere
• International airshows where no formal demo scheduling has occurred
• Large civilian shows that prioritize legacy fighters or commercial aircraft for their flying lineup
• Venues with airspace complications that make demo flights impractical

A static display isn’t worthless. You can walk underneath the jet, photograph it from about eight feet away, and occasionally talk to maintainers or Lockheed Martin representatives who genuinely know the aircraft. I’m apparently the kind of person who finds that conversation interesting, and it works for me while standing around a static display in 95-degree heat never actually does. But if the flying demo is your goal, static is a consolation prize — and I learned that the hard way at a 2022 show where I assumed the F-35’s presence guaranteed a performance. It did not.

What the F-35 Demo Actually Looks Like

So, without further ado, let’s dive in. If you’ve seen an F-22 or F-16 demo, the F-35 routine will feel different. Noticeably so.

But what is the F-35 demo, in terms of what it actually emphasizes? In essence, it’s a capabilities showcase rather than a pure aerobatic display. But it’s much more than that — it’s a deliberate argument that sensor fusion and multirole precision matter more than raw turn rate. The routine leads with high-alpha passes, approaches where the nose angles sharply upward while the jet maintains altitude, demonstrating control authority at extreme angles of attack. Speed runs follow, exploiting the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine’s 43,000 pounds of thrust. Climbing turns. Banking maneuvers that catch sunlight off the canopy at angles that don’t make visual sense until you’ve seen them.

That’s what makes the F-35 demo endearing to us airshow regulars — it doesn’t pretend to be something it isn’t. This isn’t a dogfighter demo. It’s a platform demo.

The noise signature catches people off guard. Single engine, lower pitch than an F-22’s twin powerplants — it’s quieter than most attendees expect. The airframe is larger, slightly less aggressive in a turning contest, but it doesn’t fly like a truck. Flying time runs 12–15 minutes, consistent with standard USAF demo routines. Pilot callsign comes over the PA. Commentary tracks the maneuvers. Crowd noise spikes hard on the high-speed passes — usually somewhere around 700 mph indicated airspeed at show center.

How to Track the F-35 Demo Team Schedule as It Updates

Official sources only. The USAF F-35 Demo Team maintains active accounts on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook — appearances and updates go there first, usually before airshow websites catch up. Individual show websites post confirmed demo lineups under a “Schedule” or “Performers” tab, typically within 60–90 days of the event date.

The calendar firms up in waves. International shows lock in by March. Major North American events confirm by May. Smaller regional shows sometimes stay unconfirmed until June or July — occasionally later. Bookmark the official USAF Air Demonstration Squadron page. Check it quarterly if you’re planning travel months out.

This article updates as 2025 demo team confirmations come through. If you spot a discrepancy between what’s listed here and what appears on an official airshow website, trust the airshow website. Their page is closer to the source, schedules shift without notice, and the last thing you need is eight hours of driving based on outdated information.