LAST WORD IN AIR SHOWS : Jets will scream overhead and crowds will gasp as the El Toro Air Show returns next weekend for the 47th--and final--time.

In a few days, the airspace above El Toro Marine Corps Air Station will be slashed by thundering jets, stroked by gentle gliders and seared again by the staged-but-sinister dogfights that for decades have thrilled and inspired millions of spectators below.

As they have for 46 years, the Blue Angels will swirl and twirl in their famous blue jets, and the ominous Air Force Stealth bomber is sure to rattle nerves as it roars overhead.

Precision skydivers will drop magically from the clouds. Military hymns and the playing of the national anthem will draw tears from faithful veterans, prompting hundreds of crisp salutes to Old Glory.

And then, when it’s finally over, it will be, forever.

The skies that have hosted the annual El Toro Air Show since Harry S. Truman was president and television sets were a luxury will soon be streaked only with memories of “The Biggest Free Show in Southern California.”

Because the base is due to close sometime before 1999 and surrender to civilian control, the three-day air display at El Toro next weekend will be its last.

Already, pilots and base officials anticipating the bittersweet performance are mourning the loss of an event rich in history and tradition, an air show they proudly call the “granddaddy of them all.”

“Being in El Toro’s show really says something, because they don’t ask just anybody to perform,” said John Collver, a Lomita pilot who for 13 years has flown a 1944 SNJ aircraft at the show. “Losing it is going to put a real hole in the year for a lot of pilots.”

Larry Mutz, a civilian who has helped coordinate the air show for 17 years, said Orange County is facing a “sad spring” in 1998.

“There will be a void, I know,” said Mutz, 50. “You just can’t replace such a treasured tradition.”

Indeed, the popular show at El Toro has never been canceled.

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Over the years, the event has seen tragedy in the form of two deadly crashes and a third near-fatal one, but it continued to thrive nonetheless. Neither wilting heat, nor fuel shortages, inclement weather or weary neighbors, who complained regularly--and loudly--about the noise, ever stopped the show from taking off.

When the American raid on Libya in 1986 resulted in bomb threats and prompted other military bases to shut down their air shows, El Toro commanders vowed not to “live with a siege mentality.”

Similarly, when three men were killed during two separate air show crashes, base officials refused to send visitors home “shaking their heads” and had performers back in the air within minutes. A third crash in 1988 left another pilot critically injured.

“We have witnessed tragedy first-hand, before thousands of visitors who will never forget,” said Col. Jim Cranford, the base’s air show chairman. “But not even those [crashes], as any pilot will tell you, can overshadow the joy . . . the emotion and patriotism, that we have also seen at this event.”

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And so the show, as always, went on. It grew too, bursting finally into a logistic nightmare for California Highway Patrol officers trying to manage annual 5-mile-long traffic jams on three freeways.

By 1980, hourlong delays to get into the base and persistent rubbernecking became synonymous with the air show. The CHP “will probably be more relieved than most when the show is over for good,” said Marine Sgt. Barry Pawelek, a base spokesman.

Organizers of the country’s largest air show have also felt its growing pains, struggling each year to better accommodate the more than 1 million visitors who have tilted their faces to the sky every spring since 1990.

More parking, water stations and toilets were added, and a mini RV park was created so campers could stay on base over the weekend. In 1993, the first grandstand seating was erected to replace the original wooden risers; now the grandstands and the new “four star” seating area hold more than 25,000 people.

No matter how hard they tried to keep up with the show’s attendance boom, however, a popularity explosion in 1988 demanded base officials learn quickly from planning mistakes--and anticipate future ones.

When skateboarders started using a drainage ditch near the runway as a practice bowl, they were banned from the show, as were in-line skates and fireworks.

An increase in heart attacks, heat exhaustion and lost children resulted in more first-aid stations. And a massive swarm of bees that nearly covered the front end of a truck one year has kept officials armed with pest controllers ever since.

Last year’s first--and last--attempt at a twilight performance was spoiled by low clouds.

Organizers correctly predicted, however, a record crowd of 1.2 million at the 1991 show, which came just as more than 8,000 Marines were making their way back to El Toro and Tustin from the Persian Gulf War. With public support for the troops especially high, base officials prepared for the crowd by moving spectators to a larger area on the other side of the runway.

“But it didn’t work,” Mutz said. “Everyone was looking up into the sun. We never did that again.”

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A little squinting didn’t stop the crowds from cramming on base since then. Last year, more than 1.6 million came to the show, setting the sixth attendance record in eight years. This year’s show is expected to draw 2 million visitors.

Bret Willat, who will fly his sailplane at the base for the seventh time next weekend, said El Toro has always been unlike most military air performances, because it encourages diversity rather than “just a bunch of loud, macho jets.”

“I have always been impressed by the quality of this show,” said Willat, who has flown in 150 other air performances. “By far, it is the best. And it’s a shame to see it go.”

Faithful air show visitors agree. Virginia Lewis, 88, said she vowed 10 years ago to come to the show “until I die.”

“I never figured I would be around longer than it would,” said Lewis, of Anaheim. “Kind of makes me feel a little old.”

Also contributing to this report was staff librarian Sheila Kern.

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Curtain Call at El Toro

The 47th annual--and final--El Toro Air Show will take place at the El Toro Marine Corps Air Station on Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27. A preview show will be Friday for senior citizens and handicapped children and adults only.

When: Gates open at 7 a.m. The show begins at 8:45 and will conclude with an hourlong performance by the Blue Angels at 3:15 p.m. A special fly-by demonstration of the Air Force’s Stealth bomber is scheduled for Saturday only, between 1 and 2 p.m.

Parking/admission: Free. Visitors are welcome to begin lining up outside the gates in their vehicles as early as 4 a.m.

Special seating: Tickets can be purchased in advance at all Ticketmaster outlets for $10, $15 or $35 for admission to the front grandstand, box or “Four Star” seating areas.

Bring: Blankets, lawn chairs, sunscreen and hearing protection. Coolers are allowed in the general seating areas only.

Don’t bring: Pets, skateboards, bikes or in-line skates. No glass containers are allowed.

Directions: From the Santa Ana Freeway northbound, take the Jamboree Boulevard, Culver Drive or Jeffrey Road exits and follow the signs to the Marine base. Southbound visitors must exit at Alton Parkway. From the San Diego Freeway, take the Sand Canyon Avenue exit and follow the signs. NOTE: the Sand Canyon exit will be closed to traffic from the Santa Ana Freeway.

Information: (714) 726-2100 or https://www.eltoroairshow.com

Source: El Toro Marine Corps Air Station