Many years ago, there were three California airshow/fly-ins that no one who loved airplanes would thinking of missing Watsonville, Merced and Porterville.
Only Porterville dropped out a few years ago and Merced became just a fly-in, leaving only Watsonville to stage spectacular shows.
Until this year. Now they call Porterville The Eagle Mountain Airshow and it was held this summer, bringing together antique lovers, airshow acts, a ramp full of vendors and several thousand people to enjoy it all.
It had been a dozen years since an air show and fly-in were held at the Porterville Municipal Airport and it took a community effort to bring it back. Spearheaded by Porterville City Manager John Longley, Dave Nenna, C.E.O. of the Tule River Economic Development Corp., and Michael McMaster of Vintage Years Airshows, the event became a reality.
There was some speculation in getting the finances to make it happen until near-by Eagle Mountain Casino joined forces with The Tule River Economic Development Corporation and provided the funding to insure the show would go on. The City Council and Mayor of Porterville approved a motion for use of the facility as well as insurance.
Donnette Silva Carter, president of The Porterville Chamber of Commerce, joined the planning committee and the Eagle Mountain Airshow became a reality. Vintage Years Airshows secured some of the nation s top air acts for the show s return.
Performers included John Collver and his North American AT-6 Texan, Jacquie Warda flying her Red Eagle Pitts S-1T (one of three Pitts built to fly an air show around the Statue of Liberty during the 1986 centinnial celebraton), Eddie Andreini in both of his great aircraft, the Yak-9U, Barbarossa, and the Super Stearman and Margi Stivers and husband/pilot, Hartley Folstad, the Silver Wings Wingwalking team.
Two additonal elements are needed to make a good show great, the airboss and the announcer. Eagle Mountain Airshow had a pair of the best.
Dennis Strand took command of the duties as airboss while veteran announcer Bill Vasilovich kept the crowd informed and entertained. More than 150 aircraft flew in to the event, with Flabob and Lompoc filling the campgrounds.
Al Goss flew his AT-6 air racer Warlock to the event from Shafter s Minter Field for display on Saturday. Attendees to the show received some added excitement as various air tankers flew actual fire missions before and during the show.
A crowd estimated at 3,000 enjoyed the display planes, the many vendors and the airial performances. A proclamation issued by Mayor Cameron Hamilton called it a fabulously successful Eagle Mountain Airshow Event.
Next years airshow and fly-in are already scheduled for the second weekend of June 2009.
Submitted by a reader who wanted to make sure Porterville got credit for staging its first show in years.
