Air Show Puts Kids, Parents in High Spirits

There was more to Sunday’s air show at the Van Nuys Airport than just the fanfare surrounding the appearance of the sleek B-2 Stealth bomber or the precision of the Fire Department’s water-dropping airplanes.

Binding together more than 75,000 people at the final day of the annual Van Nuys Airport Expo ’96 was a love for things that fly. And perhaps more importantly, parents seemed happy to attend a free event where their children could learn something other than how to get high scores on video games.

With his own two children and two other neighborhood kids in tow, Greg Wood of Culver City returned to the air exposition Sunday after enjoying himself the day before.

Wood, who described himself as more of a “helicopter man” than a fan of airplanes, was excitedly pointing out to the wide-eyed kids the features of one of his favorites--the Cobra AH-1 attack helicopter.

He beamed and admitted that his own boyhood love has spilled over into his children. “My son and daughter have become interested in planes,” said the 37-year-old wheel company worker. “And it’s fun for me because some of the planes, like the Apache helicopter, are so fascinating.”

To escape the throngs of perspiring people, some families darted into an empty hangar to watch a display of square dancing. Others cooled down in a water-mist sprayer.

All over the huge airport, many parents stood patiently in small lines, hoping to put their sons and daughters into the cockpits of the planes.

One visitor wondered what happens when the attack planes go into battle. CSUN student Augustine Tabares approached a security guard and asked him about the 2,000 bombs dropped by Stealth bombers in Operation Desert Storm.

“I just asked him what happens when the bombs dropped,” Tabares said. “Many people probably died when they hit.”

Even with his misgivings, the 25-year-old student conceded that he had nothing but respect for what the pilots do.

“Flying a plane is great,” he said.