I took my Uniden 396 and Icom IC-R2. I left the R2 on the control tower at 124.6. It's a great way to hear who's coming up next if you don't have a copy of the schedule or are walking around the displays. You also get a top-level view insight on developing events, but not as detailed as you would hear if monitoring a specific crew. Things like if a plane is not going to take another pass or do a specific stunt because it's running low on gas. At one point they had to coordinate an incoming life flight carrying an organ and carve out a flight path and get it on land inbetween the other planes taking off and performing. The most interesting development was during the Blue Angels set, the controller broadcast a quick message saying there was a plane entering restricted airspace and they had trouble getting it to answer on the radio. He specifically said "Nobody's talking to it". They must have solved the problem real quick because I didn't hear about it again.
The frequencies posted for the Blue Angels and the barnstorming/stunt pilots are accurate. It's amazing how quiet the Blue Angels are doing their manuvers. I thought they'd be counting off the marks and calling out position but instead it's mainly just the lead wingman singing "A little more pull" "A little more power" and when to turn the smoke on & off. I guess they practice so much they just have it down pat. The barnstorming and stunt pilots were probably the most fun to listen to, especially if it's a team of them. They literally don't stop talking, even during some of the really tricky stunts.
I didn't pick up anything of interest with the Close Call feature or GMRS, just some traffic related to the food vendors.
And one more thing, BRING EAR PROTECTION! Some of the jets are incredibly loud, and having skinny little earpieces in each ear wasn't enough for me. You'll want the earpiece because it'll be impossible to hear the scanner without it most of the time, but it isn't enough to keep the roar of the jets down to a safe level.
