Military Buildup Prompts Air Show Cancellation

In the wake of the attacks in New York and at the Pentagon, airport officials have canceled the Van Nuys Airport Aviation Expo 2002, authorities said Wednesday.

Concerns about security, limited military support and a need to reduce airport expenses prompted Van Nuys officials to cancel the annual two-day air show that drew about 175,000 spectators in June.

“As disappointing as it is, it is also important that we realize that the primary mission of the Air Force is for national defense,” said Stacy Geere, airport spokeswoman. “Participation in an air show is secondary to protecting our national interests.”

Airport officials made the decision well in advance of the June 22-23 show dates because it takes nearly a year to plan the military flyovers, stunt pilot acrobatics and 14,000-foot jumps by the Army’s parachuting Golden Knights, Geere said. “We don’t know what the world will be like a month from now, six months from now or a year from now,” she said. “We didn’t think that it was financially prudent to enter into contracts and to commit resources to something that is so uncertain.”

The show has been a San Fernando Valley tradition since 1963 when the Air National Guard was based at the airport, Geere said. When the guard vacated the airport in 1989, the city of Los Angeles assumed responsibility for the show.

Jennifer Schatz, 53, of Burbank, an air show volunteer for six years, said she is disappointed the show won’t go on but understands that air crews are on alert for potential military action.

“One of my first thoughts after the attacks was that we were probably not going to have a show,” said Schatz, a school textbook clerk.

“But we have to be concerned about our military’s security as well as the spectators on the ground.”

Even so, Schatz said, she is optimistic about a 2003 air show.

“I think people will have a better appreciation for what the military is all about,” she said.