A new airshow takes off

On the central coast of California, north of Santa Barbara, lies the city of Santa Maria. While residents are accustomed to the occasional rocket launches from neighboring Vandenberg Air Force Base, they were clearly pleased for the launch of a new local airshow.

The inaugural two-day Central Coast Airfest went off fairly smoothly at the Santa Maria Airport (KSMX), drawing thousands of airshow fans.

Officially known as the Canadian Forces 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, the Snowbirds soar overhead in the Vulcan formation.

Held Oct. 12-13, 2018, this was the region’s first airshow since 2015, when the annual “Thunder Over the Valley,” organized by the Santa Maria Museum of Flight, went on hiatus after more than two decades.

The freshman airshow started strong, securing the Canadian Forces Snowbirds as the headliner for the show. This was the Snowbirds only California appearance in their 10 scheduled U.S. performances. Besides the Snowbirds, the Royal Canadian Air Force also brought one of its Lockheed CP-140 Aurora maritime patrol aircraft for static display.

Flying started off with a demonstration by a Hawaii-based P-3C Orion from VPU-2 “The Wizards.”

The first flight demonstration starts with the takeoff of this Hawaii-based (VPU-2) P-3C Orion. With a top speed of 473 mph, the Orion is faster than most World War II warbirds.

John Collver was next, flying an aerial tribute to veterans in his SNJ-5 Texan “War Dog.”

John Collver in his North American SNJ-5, Texan, War Dog. Wearing an El Toro livery, the WD tail code stands for Walt Disney, who designed the El Toro base mascot.

Corporate pilot Eric Tucker brought his Method Seven J-3 Cub to the AirFest, starting with a demonstration of the Cub’s deadstick handling. Eric would return to the air later to land on top of a moving vehicle.

For the first time in front of an airshow crowd, Eric Tucker touches down on top of this van with his Piper J-3C Cub.

If Eric’s name seems familiar, it could be the fact that he is the son of airshow legend Sean Tucker. Eric is enamored with airshow comedy acts and was thrilled to finally perform one of his own.

Sammy Mason put his Pitts S-1S Special through its paces. Note the inverted lettering on the starboard side of the fuselage.

Southern California pilot Sammy Mason was next in his high-energy Scheyden Pitts Special routine. Sammy also got to pit his Pitts against the 10,000-hp Coinforce JetCar — good thing they weren’t racing for pink slips.

With 6,000 pounds of thrust, the Coinforce JetCar uses an engine from a North American T-2A Buckeye.

Jon Melby rounded out the aerobatics with a dynamic display in his Hangar 24 Aviat Pitts.

An airshow pilot since 2002, this is Jon Melby’s second year of performing with the 300+hp Aviat Pitts Special S1-11B.

Warbird fans got a good dose of high performance flight starting with a late-model Spitfire Mk XIV and F8F Bearcat from the Commemorative Air Force, followed by a P-38 Lightning and P-40 Warhawk from the Planes of Fame.

The Planes of Fame’s Lockheed P-38F Lightning and Curtiss P-40N Warhawk pass in review at the Central Coast AirFest.

The Snowbirds capped off the AirFest with their elegant nine-ship team, although a rapidly encroaching marine layer would terminate their performance minutes after it began. Sunday attendees were rewarded with a full routine.

This Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, VFA-122 Flying Eagles, flew in from nearby NAS Lemoore. The US Navy is transitioning to an all Super Hornet fleet.

There was a nice variety of static aircraft to see up close. Mostly current military types, such as an F/A-18 Super Hornet along with its electronics warfare cousin, the E/A-18 Growler. A pair of F-5N Aggressor aircraft from Fallon Naval Air Station, an A-10 Thunderbolt II, and a stealthy T-38 Talon rounded out the active duty displays.

These two USAF U-2 pilots pose with their Northrop T-38 Talon. Serving with the 99th Reconnaissance Squadron, the T-38 is used for proficiency flying and chase duties.

A few civil agency aircraft were on display, including a UH-1 Huey from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff and a Turbo Stationair from the California Highway Patrol.

Besides the warbirds on the hot ramp, there was a trio of immaculate T-6/SNJ-6 Texans, a beautiful DC-3 in postwar Chinese Civil Air Transport livery, and a very cool, privately owned Soviet era MiG-21 fighter jet. A very unique Givans Predator gyroplane also flew in for the show.

Vance Breese flew his one-of-kind 1999 Givans Predator gyroplane to the Airfest.

The AirFest paid homage to Santa Maria’s aviation history with the flight demonstration by the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. During the war, Santa Maria Army Air Field, located at the site of the current airport, was the home for hundreds of P-38 Lightning pilots undergoing final training before heading to their overseas combat assignments.

One of 10 flyable examples in the U.S., the Planes of Fame Lockheed P-38F Lightning attracted a fair amount of attention.

This was an airshow with a friendly small town vibe punctuated with a top tier jet team. I had a good time and hope the show materializes into an annual event for West coast airshow fans.