General Aviation News

Fiery Wings Over Camarillo

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I recently journeyed to Southern California for a return visit to the Wings Over Camarillo Airshow. Sponsored by California Aeronautical University, 2019 marked the 39th year for this event, which means they have figured out how to do it right and keep folks coming back. 

I like the ambience of these smaller airshows. Without the overwhelming presence of a big headline performance team, local talent gets their day in the sun. Very few barriers were employed here, allowing airshow fans to get up close to the dozens of aircraft on display.

I knew something would be different this year after spotting crews with T-shirts proclaiming “An airshow without pyro is just another fly-in.” There would be three separate pyrotechnic events during the show each day, undoubtedly alarming the drivers on nearby Highway 101. 

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A Gold Country airshow in Grass Valley

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My search for a July airshow found me in Grass Valley, high in California’s Gold Country. Located at the Nevada County Air Park (KGOO), the Grass Valley Airshow is a very friendly and intimate event with a nice local feel. With the tree-lined runway a scant 50 yards from the crowd line, there wasn’t a bad seat to be had by anyone. 

Marketed as an airshow, there were no performances per se, just a series of fly-bys, both solo and formation.

Pilots had a fair amount of latitude in what they could do, resulting in multiple photo passes by some and disappointing single passes by others. Low and slow, low and fast, smoke on or off, you get the general idea.

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The Blues’ triumphant return to Salinas

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It hasn’t even been six months since the last airshow in Salinas and here I am back for the 39th California International Airshow.  This perennially fall airshow had to execute a fast turnaround to gain a slot in the Blue Angels’ 2019 schedule.

Having the Blues was a big deal for the organizers as the team last performed here in 2009 and they were hoping for a good turnout on March 23-24, 2019, with an A-list headliner.  

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Season finale in the high desert

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The 2018 airshow season allowed me to visit many parts of California, and for my season finale I chose the Apple Valley Airshow.

I was not familiar with this event until 2017, when I was invited by Mr. & Mrs. Tumbling Bear, Rob and Susan Harrison. I was unable to attend in 2017 but was determined to attend the 2018 show.

Located in the California high desert locale of Apple Valley, this was the 17th year this airshow was put on by the San Bernardino County Department of Airports for local airshow fans. Unfortunately the typical clear desert skies of the region chose not to participate on this particular day. Instead overcast skies and light rain delayed the start of the show for the thousands in attendance.

When conditions improved, umbrellas were put away, planes were wiped down, and pilots happily began preflighting their aircraft. First to take to the skies was the Tumbling Bear, Rob Harrison himself, to check conditions before starting his aerobatic routine. [Read more…]

Aviation’s star-studded night

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Every January the aviation industry gets the star treatment, with the Living Legends of Aviation Awards, a black tie gala held in Beverly Hills, in the same hotel ballroom where the Golden Globes are held.

During the annual awards ceremony — now in its 16th year — legends in the aviation field honor those selected to join their ranks.

The “Living Legends of Aviation” is a select group of people from around the world, currently numbering 111 men and women of extraordinary accomplishment and renown in the aviation arena. Among the defining criteria used in identifying “Living Legends” are entrepreneurs, innovators, industry leaders, record breakers, astronauts, pilots who have become celebrities, and celebrities who have become pilots. [Read more…]

A new airshow takes off

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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. [Read more…]

A philanthropic airshow

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There’s more to the California International Airshow (CIA) Salinas than meets the eye.

Sure there were dazzling flight displays and interesting aircraft on the flight line during the 2018 show at Salinas Municipal Airport (KSNS) in California.

But unknown to many is that the airshow has become one of the most successful airshows supporting charitable organizations in North America, raising more than $8 million for regional charities. [Read more…]

The return of Wings Over Wine Country

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The Wings Over Wine Country airshow has been a fairly regular staple in California’s Sonoma County for close to two decades. Declining attendance in recent years had organizers questioning continuing the event, which is a major fundraiser for the Pacific Coast Air Museum (PCAM).

Efforts related to moving the museum collection drove the decision to not have a 2017 show. Being my hometown, I welcomed the news of the airshow returning in 2018 to Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (KSTS). [Read more…]

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