A crowd looked on at the four planes that stood on the runway. The engines roared loudly as the final preparations were being made. The noise and heat intensified suddenly and waves of exhaust swept out behind the small planes, which caused much of the crowd to cover their mouths.
Yet the crowd still stared on unwavering; their eyes followed the small group as they taxied out to the runway.
Finally, Kurt MacDonald and the Thunder Dolphins took to the air and made a diamond formation before splitting off and making several passes over the crowd as they looked on eagerly in enjoyment.
Above all of the ruckus, two announcers chatted incessantly, yet endearingly, about the various planes and their pilots.
The Thunder Dolphins were only one of many different groups of pilots to take to the air at the Minter Field Air Show on April 19; there was everything from helicopters to bombers showcased at the air show.
Marking a first for the air show was the introduction of an Australian Wingeel into the flyovers. That particular model of small aircraft has never made an appearance in all of the Air Show’s 16 years.
The Air Show itself had a decent turnout with 800 attendees arriving to take part in the event and watch some stunning aviation in action.
Many of the planes present at the air show were of historical significance. For example, one of the more impressive aircraft presented at the show was the B-25J Mitchell Bomber.
The B-25J was a midrange bomber that was used throughout most of World War II and even into the Vietnam War. This one in particular was presented by Pacific Warbirds, which was an organization dedicated to recovering and restoring historically significant warbirds that originated from the World War II period.
Raymond H. Reck, the President/CEO of Pacific Warbirds, was there to comment on the B-25J, and he stated that many of the existing parts present on the current aircraft except for most of the larger structure pieces were actually custom-made seeing as how the planes were not designed to withstand extended use.
“It’s a very good thing, but it’s a very sad thing,” attendee Jeff Matherly commented on the subject of the historical aircraft. “It’s good that they are here, but it’s sad that so many people died in those planes.”