AVIATION BUFFS BRAVE HEAT TO WATCH KINGS OF THE SKY.Byline: Lisa M. Sodders Staff Writer CAMARILLO - To Paul MacCready Paul B. MacCready, Jr. (September 25, 1925 - August 28, 2007) was an American aeronautical engineer. He was the founder of AeroVironment and the inventor of the first practical flying machine powered by a human being. , grand marshal Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. of the Camarillo Air Show, anyone interested in aviation is ``sane and ordinary.'' And for those folks, the 25th annual event Saturday offered just about something for everyone - from World War II aircraft to modern experimental planes and gliders. Anyone who isn't interested in aviation? Well, they just might have ``a few parts missing,'' said MacCready, 79, of Pasadena, who is known for designing the Gossamer Condor The Gossamer Condor was a human-powered aircraft built by Dr Paul B. MacCready's AeroVironment. The aircraft, piloted by amateur cyclist and hang-glider pilot Bryan Allen, won the first Kremer prize on August 23, 1977 by completing a figure '8' course specified by the Royal , the first controlled, human-powered airplane. The Experimental Aircraft Association's annual two-day show - which includes a two-hour narrated aerial show, numerous flybys and dozens of planes on display - is expected to draw 15,000 visitors by the time it ends today. On Saturday, attendees who braved the region's scorching scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. temperatures had the dubious distinction of being at the center of the area's only record: The National Weather Service reported Camarillo hit 84 degrees, breaking the previous record of 83 in 1997. But cool breezes kept many comfortable as parents and grandparents grandparents npl → abuelos mpl grandparents grand npl → grands-parents mpl grandparents grand npl got a chance to share a little history with the younger generation as well as indulge their own love of aviation. Marc Fleming, 40, of Newbury Park brought his sons Camden, 6, and Wade, 4, to see the World War II vintage aircraft, including a Curtis C46 that flew from 1945 to 1950. ``It was like a golden age,'' Fleming said of the planes as his sons watched more-modern craft land nearby. ``They were so important in our history.'' Mike Centner cent·ner n. 1. a. A unit of weight in Germany and Scandinavia corresponding to the hundredweight and equal to 50 kilograms (110.23 pounds). b. , 52, of Ventura was impressed that the show also featured a 1939 Mitsubishi ``Zero,'' a naval fighter plane that was flown by the Japanese. The plane was recovered in 1991 in an abandoned airfield in New Guinea New Guinea (gĭn`ē), island, c.342,000 sq mi (885,780 sq km), SW Pacific, N of Australia; the world's second largest island after Greenland. and was featured in the film ``Pearl Harbor.'' ``There's so much history about them - they dominated the first part of the Pacific War,'' said Centner, who likes to fly Cessnas. ``The Americans didn't have a fighter like that, and at the beginning of the war, if you fought a Zero, you lost.'' Visitors also got a chance to talk to World War II pilots like Maj. Bill L. Disbrow, 90, who flew 50 missions in a B-24. Those interested in more recent wars also could check out a Bell UH 1B Iroquois ``Huey'' gunship gun·ship n. An armed aircraft, such as a helicopter, that is used to support troops and provide fire cover. helicopter from the Wings and Rotors Air Museum of Murietta. The Huey saw combat in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne and has at least 14 bullet-hole patches. Bruce Markovich, 51, of Oxnard brought his racing-class sailplane sailplane: see glider. to display at the event. Although some of the craft can have engines to help launch them, many, like Markovich's, do not, and instead require another plane to tow them to an altitude of about 2,000 feet. The pilot then steers the engineless plane along air currents, traveling for hundreds of miles. ``They say aviation is a sport,'' Markovich said. ``But it's a lot sportier when you don't have an engine and you've got to get towed up and you have to know where to look for a lift.'' Lisa M. Sodders, (818) 713-3663 lisa.sodders(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo, map Photo: Crowds gather to watch the aerial demonstrations at the Camarillo Airport on Saturday. Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer Map: Camarillo Airport Daily News |
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