Oxnard Air Show Turns 1st Profit : Aviation: The event raised about $10,000 for charity. Officials say it’s because of better publicity and strong sponsor support.

For the first time in its six-year history, the Oxnard Air Show earlier this month generated a profit, earning more than $10,000 for charity.

The exact profit figure will not be known until all the bills are paid, Oxnard Air Show President Don Lewis said Tuesday, but he estimated earnings of more than $10,000.

“We definitely made money. It’s just a matter of how much,” he said.

The show was run with the help of about 130 volunteers from civic organizations such as the Rotary Club, the Lions Club and the Knights of Columbus.

Each volunteer earned $30 a day for his organization, Lewis said.

After those costs are paid, half of the profits will go to the American Cancer Society and half to other charities, he said.

The show attracted more than 25,000 paying visitors during the Labor Day weekend, compared to just under 20,000 last year when the show broke even, Lewis said.

This year’s show also generated profits for local businesses, said Robert Varley, executive director of the Oxnard Convention and Visitors Bureau.

He estimated that visitors to the show from out of town also spent more than $250,000 at hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

Varley said most people who attended the show came from Oxnard or Camarillo, but he said about 25% came from out of town.

Varley estimated that each out-of-town visitor spent at least $50 in Oxnard during the weekend.

Last year, Varley said, the show generated less than $200,000 in tourism money.

Varley said the show generated much-needed publicity for the city.

He said the show was mentioned in three statewide magazines, two major Los Angeles newspapers and almost every Ventura County newspaper.

“We’ve reached several million people,” he said.

Lewis attributes the show’s success to improved advertising and stronger support from sponsors.

He also cited a strong lineup of acts, including stunt pilots, parachutists, wing walkers and “Smoke ‘n’ Thunder,” a jet-engine-powered drag-racer that accelerates to 300 m.p.h. in six seconds.

Since 1984, when admission was first charged, the Oxnard Air Show has either broken even or lost money, Varley said.

Before 1984, the show was a free event held on National Aviation Day and included some air acts and tours of the airport, he said.