Air Show Suspended Indefinitely Because of Cutbacks, New Rules
Budget cuts and new federal regulations have grounded the Hawthorne Municipal Airport’s popular annual air show, probably permanently, a city official said.
The Hawthorne Air Faire, held over a weekend in late August for the last 14 years, was canceled shortly after voters rejected a city utility users’ tax last November. And new Federal Aviation Administration restrictions on how close spectators can be to the runways make it unlikely the event could be revived in future years, according to Charles Herbertson, the city’s public works director and airport manager.
“We had staff and program cutbacks, both of which impacted the air fair,” Herbertson said, noting that the show’s funding was eliminated and its primary organizer laid off as city officials scrambled to close a budget deficit.
Additionally, the airport’s narrow configuration makes it impossible for officials to comply with the FAA’s new requirement that spectators be at least 350 feet from the runways during the show; the minimum distance previously required was 250 feet, and Herbertson said the city was barely able to meet that.
He said the volume of telephone calls requesting information about the air show has picked up considerably as its traditional time approaches.
Last year’s show featured restored World War II planes and demonstrations by the U.S. Air Force STARS Jump Team.
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