Air Show

After more than four decades, the Van Nuys Airport air show took its final bow Sunday, ending an annual celebration of the region's contributions to aerospace, general aviation and America's military might. Against a backdrop of cloudy skies and American flags fluttering in a gentle breeze, Los Angeles City Councilman Tony Cardenas, whose district includes the airport, sparked gasps of surprise during an opening ceremony address when he said: "This airfest may be the last of its type."

The air show at Naval Base Ventura County, which had been expected to draw upward of 200,000 people with the Blue Angels headlining, is being canceled because of the automatic budget cuts called sequestration. "The community here in Ventura County is very supportive and we appreciate their understanding while we navigate the fiscal constraints we've faced this year," Capt. Larry Vasquez, the base commander, said Wednesday in announcing the cancellation. The announcement came a day after the Blue Angels announced that the famed squadron was canceling all of its remaining shows this year, including the Ventura County show, the three-day air show at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, and San Francisco Fleet Week.

The civilian pilot of a Korean War-era F-86 jet was killed Saturday when his plane developed engine trouble and crashed while doing flybys for a crowd gathering at an air show, authorities said. Pronounced dead at the scene was David John Zeuschel, 46, of Sylmar, owner of Zeuschel Aircraft at Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles, who reportedly had raced and worked on vintage war planes for years.

Blame the sequester for the cancellation of  popular air shows, including the long-running performance at Nellis Air Force Base in North Las Vegas , the home of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds .  Aviation Nation, which routinely drew huge crowds to North Las Vegas, was to have been held Nov. 9 and 10. “Due to the effect of the Budget Control Act of 2011 and associated sequestration, the defense budget cuts for fiscal year 2013...

The air show at Naval Base Ventura County, which had been expected to draw upward of 200,000 people with the Blue Angels headlining, is being canceled because of the automatic budget cuts called sequestration. "The community here in Ventura County is very supportive and we appreciate their understanding while we navigate the fiscal constraints we've faced this year," Capt. Larry Vasquez, the base commander, said Wednesday in announcing the cancellation. The announcement came a day after the Blue Angels announced that the famed squadron was canceling all of its remaining shows this year, including the Ventura County show, the three-day air show at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, and San Francisco Fleet Week.

Recession-weary families looking for affordable entertainment are increasingly turning to air shows as a source of cheap thrills, served up with a dollop of red, white and blue. While theme parks and other family entertainment venues struggle for business in the slumping economy, attendance at air shows is up substantially this year -- by double-digit percentages at some venues. And it's not hard to see why.

One hundred years ago, "few Americans had seen an airplane, let alone an air race," Air & Space magazine recently noted. The flying machines were considered the toys of eccentric grown-ups who, in the words of one historian, enjoyed a professional status comparable to "contortionists, dog trainers, organ-grinders and wire-walkers." That would change with the 1910 Los Angeles International Aviation Meet, an 11-day demonstration of planes, dirigibles and passenger balloons that drew more than 200,000 spectators to the old Aviation Field near what is now Carson.

President Reagan has designated Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) as his representative at the Paris Air Show, to be held from June 11-21, the White House announced Wednesday.

Saying they are concerned about the safety of spectators, federal officials have refused to approve a controversial airplane race that was promoted as one of the main attractions at this weekend's Camarillo air show. Instead of watching high-performance propeller planes weave through inflated pylons at an altitude of 15 feet, the expected crowd of 40,000 will have to settle for a more modest aerial display. The decision by the Federal Aviation Administration prohibits the Ultimate Air Race Championship from staging a high-speed competition that has been advertised as "Faster than NASCAR" and a showcase for seven of the world's best pilots.

WASHINGTON — As air-show flyovers go, this one would be huge: a NASA space shuttle riding piggyback atop a massive 747 airliner. That sight already has wowed crowds this year in New York and Washington, D.C., and promoter Bryan Lilley figured that Florida residents — specifically, those at his air show — should get one last shot at seeing the shuttle before NASA completes its delivery of the retired orbiters to museums nationwide. So Lilley gambled. Rather than schedule the Cocoa Beach Air Show during its usual time slot in late October, he moved the event to mid-September in hopes that the timing would coincide with the transfer of shuttle Endeavour from Kennedy Space Center to a Los Angeles museum.

Las Vegas embarks on a whole new game next week when Aviation Nation rolls out at Nellis Air Force Base . Want to see a drone close up? Check out the M-9 reaper, which might even make a demo flight. Want to see your tax dollars at work? F-15 and F-16 fighter planes will be ready for inspection. The Air Force's Thunderbirds and the F-22 Aerial Demonstration team will provide the in-air festivities. The event takes place during Veterans Day weekend, a good time to tour the base and thank those who serve our country too. The deal: Admission to the air show is free; parking at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for this event and shuttles to the base also are free.

USC returns to the New York area for the first time since 2000 with a chance to demonstrate why the Trojans have received so much hype. Times staff writer Gary Klein looks at the matchups and story lines for USC's game against Syracuse: Airing it out The game features the NCAA's passing-yardage leader - and it's not USC's Matt Barkley. For the second year in a row, Syracuse quarterback Ryan Nassib goes into a game against USC coming off a record-setting performance. Nassib, running a no-huddle offense, completed 45 of 66 passes for 482 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 42-41 loss to Northwestern, establishing school records for passes, completions and yards.

Less than three weeks before the Sept. 12 start of the 2012 National Championship Air Races in Reno, federal investigators on Monday released a report on the cause of last year's spectacular crash at those races. The pilot and 10 people on the ground were killed; 70 were injured. The National Transportation Safety Board said that the failure of an aircraft tail structure on Hollywood stunt pilot Jimmy Leeward's souped-up World War II-era P-51 Mustang fighter was the probable cause of its Sept.

WASHINGTON — As air-show flyovers go, this one would be huge: a NASA space shuttle riding piggyback atop a massive 747 airliner. That sight already has wowed crowds this year in New York and Washington, D.C., and promoter Bryan Lilley figured that Florida residents — specifically, those at his air show — should get one last shot at seeing the shuttle before NASA completes its delivery of the retired orbiters to museums nationwide. So Lilley gambled. Rather than schedule the Cocoa Beach Air Show during its usual time slot in late October, he moved the event to mid-September in hopes that the timing would coincide with the transfer of shuttle Endeavour from Kennedy Space Center to a Los Angeles museum.

Cheers broke out from crowds gathered on the National Mall. Workers peered out windows and looked up from sidewalks. Motorists pulled to the side of the road to catch a glimpse of the spectacle: The space shuttle Discovery piggybacking on a modified 747, flying low over the monuments of the nation's capital before landing at Dulles International Airport on the way to its permanent new home with the Smithsonian, at the National Air and Space Museum's...

Investigators were scrambling to determine what caused a powerful World War II vintage racing plane traveling at up to 400 mph to plunge toward spectators at the fabled Reno air races late Friday afternoon, leaving a shattered trail of twisted debris and broken bodies. At least three people were confirmed dead, including the pilot, and more than 50 were injured, about 15 of them critically. Because of the number and the extent of the injuries, the death toll could rise, officials said.

Snap rolls, hammerhead stalls, tail slides and wing walks are all part of the 14th annual Oxnard Air Show on Saturday and Sunday at Oxnard Airport. "The whole family can look forward to a weekend of daredevil excitement," air show Chairman Steve Barber said. About 30 people are scheduled to entertain both days, including stunt pilots, parachutists and a sailplane aerobatic team. Flier Jim Franklin will perform two solo acts each day. He will also team with wing walker Johnny Kazian.

Capt. Donald Mills M.D. is all too familiar with the combination of hot weather and air shows. He's emergency room director at Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert. Edwards hosts numerous events that are open to the public, including an annual air show. So, Mills is uniquely qualified to give advice to those heading to the Van Nuys Air Show this weekend in the midst of an unrelenting heat wave. The high predicted for Van Nuys today: 106 degrees.

Saying they are concerned about the safety of spectators, federal officials have refused to approve a controversial airplane race that was promoted as one of the main attractions at this weekend's Camarillo air show. Instead of watching high-performance propeller planes weave through inflated pylons at an altitude of 15 feet, the expected crowd of 40,000 will have to settle for a more modest aerial display. The decision by the Federal Aviation Administration prohibits the Ultimate Air Race Championship from staging a high-speed competition that has been advertised as "Faster than NASCAR" and a showcase for seven of the world's best pilots.

There's little doubt, industry analysts say, that Boeing got roughed up at the 49th annual Paris Air Show last week The Chicago company had to watch as its chief rival, European-based Airbus, announced record orders for its A320neo, a new single-aisle airplane that's attracting buyers who want to lower fuel costs and lower carbon-dioxide emissions. "They took a few blows — I guess they got their hair muffed," Richard Aboulafia, an analyst with Teal Group Corp., an aerospace and defense consulting group in Fairfax, Va., said Friday.