Air show a go
Weekend event to benefit Young Eagles program
By Daniel Wolowicz camarillo@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers IN THE AIR- Westlake Village resident Don Miller pilots his RV-6 experimental aircraft over the Conejo Grade earlier this week. Miller is in charge of the ground coordination team for the Camarillo Air Show this weekend, Aug. 18 and 19, at the Camarillo Airport.

Plane enthusiasts and history buffs will rub shoulders this weekend at the Camarillo Airport during the 27th annual Camarillo Air Show.

Sponsored by Camarillobased Chapter 723 of the Experimental Aircraft Association, event organizers expect 10,000 people to attend the air show on Sat., Aug. 18 and Sun., Aug. 19.

The weekend will feature aerobatic acts by six very different pilots.

This year's fliers include Charles P. Aaron performing acrobatics in his Red Bull 'copter.

"Generally, people absolutely can't believe what they're seeing," said Aaron about his act, which includes a parachutist jumping from the helicopter's cabin.

Aerobatic pilot Rob Harrison will be back in his bright yellow Czech-built Zlin 50 airplane, as will John Collver in his WWII-era fighter plane.

Gregg Weitzman, new to the show, will fly a rare 1949 T28A Trojan, while Frank Donnelly, known as "Dr. D," will perform an old-time aerobatic act in his 1950s-built Taylorcraft single-prop airplane.

"Very few pilots are flying oldtime aerobatics," Donnelly said. "I want people to see what air shows were like in the '50s and '60s. The Taylorcraft flies slowly and gracefully, rather than doing the abrupt, neck-wrenching tumbles of modern aerobatic airplanes."

Show-goers will get a firsthand look at all types of aircraft, including experimental, antique and WWII-era planes.

Brian Binnie was scheduled to be this show's grand marshal but has canceled due to the death of some of his co-workers during a ground test of a rocket motor July 26.

Binnie is a test pilot for SpaceShipOne, the plane designed by Scaled Composites. The Mojave, Calif.-based design firm won the $10-million Asari X Prize for flying a privately funded manned flight into space.

"He didn't feel like making public appearances for a while" after the accident, air show spokesperson Larry Beckett said. Beckett said in honor of the men killed in the accident, air show organizers did not pursue an alternate grand marshal.

Along with planes on display and in the air, the event includes educational activities, classic cars, shopping, food booths, a silent auction and pancake breakfast.

Ticket prices are $6 for children ages 12 to 16, $10 for adults and $16 per couple. Children under 12 are free with an adult admission. Money raised will go to cover the cost of the show and to the local chapter of the Young Eagles aviation program.