Pride, Nostalgia Take to the Air

Eagle-eyed TV fans might recognize the canary-yellow biplane at the San Gabriel Valley Air Fair this weekend as the vintage aircraft flown by Cmdr. Harmon Rabb in recent episodes of “JAG.” But the pilot at the controls of the looping, rolling Boeing Stearman was actually its owner, Gabe Lopez.

Lopez, 42, owns and operates the San Gabriel Valley Flight Center at El Monte Airport, where vintage planes, autos and flight-related exhibits will be spread out on the 50-acre tarmac from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Lopez will give flight demonstrations of the Boeing Stearman, an airplane used to train American fighter pilots in Korea and during World War II.

“If you couldn’t solo in this after 13 hours, you were washed out,” Lopez says. “They put you in the hardest one first because if you could fly that, you could fly anything they threw at you.”

Tribute Will Honor Veterans, Active Troops

On the way out the flight center door that leads to the airport tarmac, you can’t miss the wall covered in war-era photos. A young Army Air Corps pilot in a flight suit, a member of the “Hell Hawks,” stands proudly next to his aircraft. The picture is partly covered by news clippings stuck to the frame, telling how the pilot was wounded as he fought courageously in World War II, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Purple Heart.

The pilot is Ed Lopez, Gabe’s father. He was just 18 when he earned his wings, flying missions in both World War II and Korea.

When Gabe Lopez speaks with pride and nostalgia about his 1940 Boeing Stearman, heartfelt stories of his father are invariably intertwined. For a firsthand account of what it was like to train for battle in a Stearman, however, it might be best to talk to Ed.

The elder Lopez, now 75 and living in Arcadia, will join the ranks of veterans on hand for the air fair. A Veterans Day tribute will honor vets of all the Armed Services, as well as active military personnel in light of the current U.S. action in Afghanistan.

For Gabe Lopez, the recent terrorist attacks on the United States felt personal. It was especially disturbing to him that airplanes were used to carry out the destruction.

He hopes the air fair will help people regain a sense of fun about flying. While the public will get the opportunity to crawl into the cockpits of military aircraft such as the last flying H-21 Shawnee U.S. Army helicopter and a Chinese Nanchang army training craft, all aspects of flight will be represented at the fair.

The Just in Time Skydivers of Sun City will perform at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day, and a group called Dragon Flight will fly their vintage T-34s in formation both days.

Exhibitors will include the Tuskegee Airmen, an all-black squadron from World War II, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and an expert on how to construct a home-built aircraft. On a smaller scale, the Santa Fe Dam RC Flyers will give demonstrations of their radio-controlled model planes.

The L.A. County Fire Department will have its big-ladder trucks on display, and the El Monte Police Department will show off its armored car and helicopter. Vintage car clubs will have about two dozen vehicles on the tarmac.

As if that weren’t enough, kids can occupy themselves on carnival rides and games.

The event takes place at El Monte Airport, 4233 Santa Anita St., El Monte. The suggested donation is $3. (626) 444-7739.

Entertainment, Tours Aboard the Queen Mary

Other Veterans Day celebrations taking place around the Southland include a Veterans Day Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday, down Atlantic Boulevard, between Artesia Boulevard and Harding Street, in Long Beach. Information: (562) 570-6137.

Veterans, active members of the military and seniors will be admitted free to the Queen Mary’s Veterans Day activities on Sunday. The ship, used for troop transport during World War II, offers a memorial service at 10:30 a.m., tours of military exhibits, live entertainment and a lecture about the ship’s military history (at 2:15 p.m.). Parking for veterans is $5. Information: (562) 435-3511.

The March Field Air Museum, off Interstate 215 in Riverside, will host its Open Aircraft Weekend Saturday and Sunday. See military aircraft up close and hear oral history programs by veteran fighter pilots. Information: (909) 697-6606 or log on to https://www.https://marchfield.org.

The U.S. Marine Corps band will join other musical groups at the Rally for America on Saturday, followed by a Veterans Day parade at 3:30 p.m. Sunday in Palm Springs. A concert by the band and fireworks will follow the parade. Free. Information: (760) 323-8200 or https://ci.palm-springs.ca.us .