Santa Clarita / Antelope Valley : Fox Field Show to Celebrate Aviation, Airport : Lancaster: It may not be as big as last month’s Edwards extravaganza, but Sunday’s air fair promises excitement.
LANCASTER — Famed aviator Chuck Yeager won’t be there. The B-2 stealth bomber won’t fly overhead. And there certainly won’t be 250,000 people in attendance.
Despite all that, the Fox Field Air Fair and Appreciation Day--to be held Sunday in the shadow of last month’s behemoth air show at Edwards Air Force Base--promises some of its own, albeit less fantastic, highlights.
“It’s just a local air show. We will never attract a quarter of a million people,†said Jeff Coonrod, who helped organize the event. “What we’re trying to do here is make the surrounding cities familiar with the airport, give them an idea of what they do out there.â€
Mary Dincau, another organizer, said, “A lot of people that live out in the Antelope Valley don’t even know the airport exists.â€
The fair, which is free, begins at 7 a.m. with the liftoff of a few hot air balloons. While a handful of airplanes will do flyovers during the day, most of the activity will be on the ground. Dincau said the high cost of an air show, particularly the liability insurance, is why the annual event features mostly static displays.
Nonetheless, Dincau said, there will be plenty to see and do. About 30 members of the Experimental Aircraft Assn. are expected to bring their home-built aircraft to the fair.
A local remote-controlled airplane club will put on demonstrations throughout the day and a glider will land at Fox Field at about 9 a.m. There will be two sky diving jumps, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., each featuring four parachutists.
The Condor Squadron will have four World War II vintage airplanes on display. Dincau said a formation flyby at 4 p.m. will bring the air fair to an end.
An amphibious airplane used in World War II, a PBY, will be flown in from Minnesota for the fair. The twin-engine plane is owned by the Arizona Wing of the Confederate Air Force and was used for air-sea rescue and mine-laying operations.
Marta Bohn-Meyer, the first female SR-71 crew member, and her husband, Bob, will bring their aerobatic biplane to the fair and may do a flyby, Coonrod said. The air racer Nemesis, which holds four national titles, will also be on display. And at noon the U.S. Forest Service will do a water drop.
The Fox Airport Assn., the primary sponsor of the event, will be offering a pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. The $3 charge for adults and $2 cost for children includes pancakes, sausage, juice and coffee.
Aircraft memorabilia and other souvenirs will be on sale.
Organizers expect about 2,000 people to attend. To reach Fox Field, take the Antelope Valley Freeway to the Avenue G exit, go west to the airport, which is located at 4555 West Ave. G.
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