Low Overhead, Happy Returns

Sleek aircraft traveling at “warp” speeds, parachute teams drifting from the sky, stunt planes and the latest in aviation simulators will be part of the line-up this year at the 36th annual Air Show scheduled to start Friday at the Point Mugu Naval Air Station.

This is the first year the show is being held over three days, said base spokeswoman Cora Fields. In past years, the event was two days and would draw daily crowds topping 75,000.

Gates open at noon Friday and a welcoming ceremony will be led at 2:30 p.m. by the U.S. Army’s aerial demonstration team, the Golden Knights. A C-31A, the largest fixed-wing airplane used by the Army, will carry the parachutists more than two miles up, where team members will start free-fall maneuvers and formations. Headlining each day will be the Blue Angels, the Navy’s elite flight demonstration team that uses FA-18 Hornets to create the famous delta formation. They will take to the sky at 3 p.m. “The air show offers great entertainment for every member of the family,” Fields said.

Entrance and parking to the show are free all three days. The gates will open at 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday with flight demonstrations starting at 9:30 a.m. To reach the show, exit the Ventura Freeway at Los Posas Road and go west to the base entrance.

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In addition to the Blue Angels, demonstrations this year will include the Navy’s Leap Frog Parachute Team, an F-14 Tomcat, an FA-18 Hornet and the E-2C Hawkeye warning aircraft. Also scheduled to make appearances are an F-117 Nighthawk Stealth fighter, which reaches speeds over 600 mph and can soar above 50,000 feet, and an A-10 Warthog.

There will be civilian performers, including Sean D. Tucker, who pilots the Challenger II, a plane he can fly backward at speeds of up to 100 mph. Spectators will be able to hold one of the ribbon poles that Tucker slashes through in the plane only a few feet from the ground. Fields said there will be numerous other aircraft on display, along with “Stepping Stones to Aviation,” a hands-on education program allowing children to earn a flight certificate.

Unlike past years, when several non-aviation activities were offered, this year’s show is heavy on flying. “We’re trying to keep it aviation-oriented,” said Lou Truckenmiller, vice president of American Air Show Network, one of several sponsors.

Spectators can bring blankets, binoculars and earplugs, but should leave the ice chests at home, Truckenmiller said. Spread out around the flight line will be souvenir booths and 80 food tents run by volunteers who will be cooking up everything from barbecue chicken to burgers.

For those who want to do the show in style, there is reserved seating available. For $45 a ticket, people can view the show from a flight line chalet while enjoying a catered lunch. Box seating is available for $15 a ticket. There are 1,450 chalet seats and more than 3,000 box seats available each day, but tickets are going fast, Truckenmiller said. “It puts you right on the flight line,” Truckenmiller said of the primo seats.

As of Wednesday, chalet and box seating were still available. And depending on demand, tickets for those seats may also be available at the show. To reserve a chalet or box seat, call Umbrella Entertainment at 684-0155. For more information on the show, telephone 989-8786 or call up the air station’s Web site at https://www.naspm.navy.mil/.

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Airplanes aren’t the only excitement in the county this week. The annual Conejo Valley Days celebration in Thousand Oaks began Wednesday and runs through Sunday. The western-style event, now in its 52nd year, includes five days of events at several locations.

At the main site at Conejo Creek Park, there will be a carnival and midway, exhibitions, bands, game booths, bingo and dozens of food booths through Sunday.

A special $10 bracelet for unlimited rides can be purchased for use today only. The cost of the bracelet includes admission, which is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for children 6 to 12 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Children younger than 6 are free. Hours for the park events are 5 to 10 p.m. today, 5 to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to midnight Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. There will be a beauty pageant Friday at the park and a parade at 9 a.m. Saturday on Thousand Oaks Boulevard.

A rodeo will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the fairgrounds, and a 5K run and 1 mile fun walk are set for Sunday at Conejo Creek Park North. A model aircraft show is planned for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at Club Field in Newbury Park.

There will be a golf tournament Monday at Sunset Hills Golf Course. For more information, call the Conejo Valley Days hotline at 371-8730.

Point Mugu Air Show

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FRIDAY

Noon: Gates open

2:30 p.m.: Welcoming ceremony (Golden Knights)

3 p.m.: U.S. Navy Blue Angels

4 p.m.: MiG-15 fly-bys

4:10 p.m.: E-2C fly-by

4:20 p.m.: Jack Ekl in the World’s Smallest Jet

4:35 p.m.: Super Decathlon demonstration by Kathy Ekl

4:50 p.m.: Leap Frogs, Navy Parachute Team

5:05 p.m.: USAF A-10 demonstration

5:25 p.m.: Toyota AirSports

5:45 p.m.: Sean Tucker demonstration

6:05 p.m.: Combat SAR and SEAL team demonstration

6:25 p.m.: USAF T-37 fly-by

6:35 p.m.: GeeBee demonstration

6:50 p.m.: VX-9 F-14 & FA-18 demonstration

7:10 p.m.: Bill Cornick

7:30 p.m.: Golden Knights, Army Parachute Team

7:45 p.m.: Fat Albert C-130 JATO demonstration

8 p.m.: Bombing demonstration

SATURDAY/SUNDAY

8 a.m.: Gates open

8 a.m.: Radio control model aircraft flying

10 a.m.: Opening ceremony

10 a.m.: Missing Man fly-by

10 a.m.: National Anthem and Golden Knights

10:15 a.m.: Warbird demonstration

10:35 a.m.: World’s Smallest Jet, piloted by Jack Ekl

10:55 a.m.: Super Decathlon demonstration by Kathy Ekl

11:15 a.m.: Leap Frogs, Navy Parachute Team

11:30 a.m.: MiG-15 fly-bys

11:40 a.m.: E-2C fly-by

Noon: USAF T-37 fly-by

12:10 p.m.: Combat SAR and SEAL Team demonstration

12:30 p.m.: Bill Cornick

1:10 p.m.: VX-9 F-14 and F-18 demonstration

1:10 p.m.: Sean Tucker demonstration

1:30 p.m.: USAF A-10 demonstration

1:50 p.m.: Toyota AirSports

2:10 p.m.: Golden Knights, Army Parachute Team

2:30 p.m.: GeeBee demonstration

2:45 p.m.: Fat Albert C-130 JATO demonstration

3 p.m.: U.S. Navy Blue Angels