 |
|||||
| Chico's 2007 AirFest was a really enjoyable
event. My son and I ditched mom and the baby for the show. I had expected
to pay $15 for each of us to get in, but kids under twelve were free, so
as we walked in the gate we were already ahead of the game. We stayed until just around noon when
even with sunblock we were both starting to glow red. There was a large
crowd at the air show, and another large crowd parked on the roads surrounding
the airport trying
to get a freebie (at least 200 cars on Eaton and Cohasset alone). One of the nice things about being in a small town is that you often see city decision makers at these community events. Mayor Andy Holcombe gave a short speech at the event and was walking around afterwards kissing palms and pressing babies. Councilor Larry Wahl, who was a fighter pilot in an earlier life, was holding court between a couple of big jets. And even GSD Dennis Beardsley was taking a day off from directing general services to enjoy the show. There were allegedly some CI regulars at the AirFest. I saw Gregg Payne from about 200 feet away. That's as close as I'll get to him, because if you get too close and stand still for too long he'll paint a mural on you. And I saw Mark Sorensen at breakfast, who said he was on his way to the show (where do the ultra-hip and extremely influential movers and shakers of Commission Impossible break their fast? Cozy Diner, where else!). The show had a lot of aircraft. That included some experimental (homemade) planes and a single person helicopter. There were some rescue vehicles as well. An Oroville model club had a model building class where we built a rubber band powered paper and wood airplane. It flew pretty well, but I made the mistake of sitting right near the guy leading the class. Whenever I was not following the directions he would correct me over the microphone. I spent much of the class hearing the "voice of god" telling the world what I was doing wrong. My son's favorite part of the show were the Navy's "Tailhook Legacy" and the "Air Force Heritage" flights. These are formation flights of new and old military aircraft to show the dedication, commitment, and lineage of our country's military personnel and aircraft. The first on display was the Navy's F-18 and T-28 (shown above). Later the F-16 and P-51 flew for the Air Force. We left before the latter but were lucky enough to see most of it as we drove home (they flew right in front of us on Cohasset.) A great show was put on by the Chamber, organizers, sponsors, and especially the pilots. And a special nod goes out to the Chico Air Museum, who provided some really kid friendly aircraft to the public. |
|||||
 |
|||||
 |
|||||
  CI Challenge: Can you guess what it is? Winner: Alan Chamberlain, see comments below for the answer. |
The Star Chamber
15 Comments
Leave a comment
Lon
About Me: Fasten your seatbelts for an exhilarating trip through Chico's public policy; I guarantee it's marginally better than public access TV.
|
Looks like Lucky Lindy to me.
Oh, wait, that's Larry!
Alan,
It's not Lucky Lindy, or Charles Lindbergh. It is a more recent world famous aviator.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lindbergh
Lon
How 'bout Chuck Yeager? Don't know the plane but it's not the X1.
Alan,
You are correct. That's City Councilor Larry Wahl climbing aboard a Harrier Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL)jet.
In the last post I included a video of the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter which also has similar features. The Harrier was developed in the 1960's with control technology not nearly as sophisticated as today. And so pilots of that era had to be better at controlling their aircraft and hovering required constant interaction with the aircraft's controls.
Harrier pilots were typically the cream of the crop from whatever organization they were drawn from. Some were required to have experience flying both jets and helicopters because of the unusual flying capability of the aircraft. We all know Larry Wahl as a Councilor, but it's interesting to think about him as a truly exceptional military fighter pilot. He had to be one to fly the Harrier.
Below is a Youtube video describing the Harrier and its modern repalcement the Lightning II.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWTwVaKVVRo
Gregg,
Not Chuck, but Larry. Sorry I missed you at the AirFest. My kid and I were turning from pink to maroon and I thought it would take an hour or two to catch up with your 7' gait.
Lon
I didn't know the US Navy ever had any Harriers, I have a whole new respect for Larry. Those planes are a handful (my buds call it the whistling $h*t-can of death). Now if we could only get him to champion parks for people.
Sean,
Here's some text off of Wahl's web page that I think was for his last council run. That's where I found the photo I posted as well.
He designed and implemented the operations and training program for Harrier Jump Jet and Aircraft Carrier Operations for the Spanish Navy. He served as an exchange pilot with the US Marine Corps for three years testing, evaluating and training new pilots in early Harrier Vertical Take Off and Landing Jet.
I'm not sure if he flew Harriers for the Navy, or as part of the exchange program with the Marines. But it sounds like he was much more than just a Harrier pilot.
Lon
Lon--
38 minutes. Isn't that some kind of CI record?
--Ax
Hey Alan,
It is some kind of record. I think you're the first person to guess the CI challenge exactly 17 minutes slower than the record holder, Tom Hall, who got it in 21 minutes on the Jethro Tull post.
But I don't believe you've surpassed the record for most guesses in a 30 minute period, which I think would go to Gregg.
Lon
Lon,
I thought I was paying Larry a compliment with my previous post. Larry's bio is indeed impressive. Honestly though, it's pretty hard to be a military officer with 20 plus years of service and not accomplsh anything unless you happen to be an underachieving slacker like myself.
I also see from Larry's bio that he enjoys reading, I guess that explains why he has been a champion for the library. Now if we could only get him to enjoy walking his grandkids to a neighborhood park, playing disc golf and swimming in an olympic size pool ;)
I stopped at the gas station at 5th. and Mangrove and there was an out of town guy asking about getting a cab out to the air show. When I told him I'd give him a ride out, the station owner gave us his tickets and his VIP Sponsor parking permit too, since he was going to be stuck there working all day. The guy I picked up, Brad, told me he was a pilot from Sacramento. He flew to town too late and had to land at the Ranchero Airport. He told me that he flies to all the air shows, and Chico's is his favorite.
Way to go, Chico AirFest!
Thanks 5th. and Mangrove Vallero!
hi Lon! i like your pics. I got some from last years airfest (unfortunately i missed this years due to illness or i would'ave been there takin pics)
if you want to check out some of the best chico airfest pics, and most ignored pics taken, check out my stuff here: (just scroll down a line or two)
http://igm-wolverine.deviantart.com/gallery/
don't mean to spam. Just a longtime lurker lookin to put in his 5 cents worth.
Hey Trevor,
What kind of camera do you use? Those are super clear photos. I remember you sent some really cool disc golf images to me for the chicodiscgolf.org site a while back.
I carry a $200 cheap digital camera that bangs around in everything I carry for my super photography (joke).
Lon
Lon,
Believe it or not I used the same type of camera. An older Olympus point n shoot digital camera. i think it was only 6.1mp.
I would love to have a DSLR for stuff like this, but I can never justify spending $600+ on one.
The disc golf pics submitted were from the same camera as well. My friends wife is an avid photographer, and she came up with us for a disc golf photo shoot one evening. She has a much better camera now which I am rather jealous of, but back then it was just el cheapo. =)
My motto is "Make do with what ya got."
I had taken well over 250 pictures at the air show and those ones i posted were the best ones of the lot.