Camarillo Air Show breaks attendance record

FUTURE AVIATOR?-Tommy Joseph, 5, of Newbury Park asks questions of Blake Lamar as they sit in the cockpit of a C53D Skytrooper at the Camarillo Air Show. When the aircraft was built in 1943, it cost $110,000. With his 2-year-old son Austin sitting in his lap, Daric Manser sat among a number of aeronautical buffs lining Camarillo Airport's runway early Saturday morning as aircraft of all types prepared for takeoff.

Manser said he brought his son to the 26th annual Camarillo Air Show for the same reason that many of the other parents brought their children--he wanted to encourage Austin's interest in flight.

"He just loves the airplanes," Manser said. "He just likes the noise. He loves the radial engines, the big World War II planes."

Show organizers said the two-day event drew a recordbreaking 11,000 visitors. The show included displays of nearly 100 vintage and experimental aircraft and five aerobatic stunt shows, along with a pancake breakfast, a slew of food and souvenir booths, a silent auction, a tractor exhibit and a number of interactive-presentations and activities.

Lighting a spark

Andrew Clear, a 9-year-old Thousand Oaks resident, said he liked "all of it," when asked his favorite part of the air show.

Andrew's dad, Mike Clear, said he, too, had come to the show because his son enjoys seeing vintage airplanes.

And that's exactly why the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association hosts the air show each year. It's a way of introducing youngsters to the world of flight.

"We're trying to light the spark with these young kids," said Ken Coolidge, event organizer and a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. Coolidge said he and his fellow EAA members have already begun planning next year's show.

Proceeds of the show go toward the Young Eagles flying program. The program, sponsored by the EAA, gives aspiring pilots and aircraft mechanics from 8 to 18 the opportunity to take their first flight.

"I remember my first airplane ride, and to give that same thrill to another kid is very satisfying," said Neal Fowler, the Young Eagles' coordinator. He said the area EAA chapter has given 3,500 first-time flights over the past 10 years.

Al Olivari, a Calabasas resident and veteran of WWII, said he enjoys the show because it gives him an opportunity to share stories of his days as a bombardier aboard a B-17 that flew a number of missions over Germany.

Olivari said WWII-vintage planes such as the Curtiss C-46 or the Mitchell B-25, bring history to life for the show's younger visitors.

A number of other WWII, Korean War and Vietnam vets were on hand, looking at the warplanes and sharing their stories.

For many, like retired Air Force pilot Lt. Col. Dick Rutan- this year's grand marshal-the stories of flight are told to inspire future pilots.

"Aviation has been a vital part of the American economy for 100 years," Rutan said. "And those of us in the industry want to promote it any way we can."

Beyond the sky

Retired from the military with 325 combat missions over Vietnam, Rutan's claim to fame was a 26,366-mile nonstop flight around the world with Jeana Yeager aboard the Voyager aircraft designed by his brother, Burt Rutan.

Rutan took time to comment on last week's resignation of three NASA advisers who were asked to step down because they disagreed with NASA Administrator Michael Griffin's plans for a manned flight to Mars and the return of humans to the moon.

"They're using four-decadesold equipment to go and do something that we've already done," Rutman said. "The American people should be ashamed of themselves for even supporting such a worthless endeavor. Mars is a dead planet. There's nothing there of any interest. We need to find something where there is true exploration."