Camarillo to Celebrate Aviation

Members of the local chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Assn. say they will feel added kinship for flight pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright this weekend at the group’s annual Camarillo Air Show.

“This is a very big year for us because it marks the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers’ famous first flight,” said event chairman Jerry Morrill.

“They built and flew an experimental airplane, and that is what our organization is all about,” Morrill said.

As Wilbur watched from below, Orville kept their craft in the air for an unsteady 12 seconds on Dec. 17, 1903, near Kitty Hawk, N.C. Hence this year’s theme, “A Century of Flight ... From Kitty Hawk to Camarillo.”

Featured along with an array of flight demonstrations at Camarillo Airport will be a series of displays providing a decade-by-decade history of flight and aircraft advancement.

Buzzing -- or in some cases roaring -- overhead will be ultralights, helicopters, experimental “homebuilts” and domestic and military aircraft.

Mercury 7 astronaut Gordon Cooper -- one of the men depicted in the book and movie “The Right Stuff” -- will serve as grand marshal.

Also appearing will be a panel of decorated WWII fighter pilots and combat photographers who will display memorabilia and discuss their wartime experiences.

Elsewhere, visitors can sign up for airplane rides, and there will be food, souvenirs, non-aviation exhibits and activities for children.

The event will be held Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 501 Aviation Drive.

General admission is $8; free for children 12 and younger.

For more information, call 383-0686 or visit www.camarillo airshow.org.