FLYING START CLOUD COVER DOESN'T HAMPER AIR SHOW KICKOFF.Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer VAN NUYS - The Van Nuys Aviation Expo 2003 got off to a roaring start Saturday with vintage aircraft, aerobatics aerobatics Sport of performing maneuvers such as rolls, loops, stalls, spins, and dives with an airplane. As an organized sport, rather than as an air show attraction (“stunt flying”), aerobatics began international competition in 1960 under the auspices of the and fighter planes sharing an overcast sky. The two-day event, held annually at Van Nuys Airport Van Nuys Airport (IATA: VNY, ICAO: KVNY, FAA LID: VNY) is a public airport located in Van Nuys, California in the San Fernando Valley, within the Los Angeles city limits. , continues until 5 p.m. today. On Saturday, the cloud cover provided the 160,000 visitors a break from the blistering heat of years past, but it postponed the scheduled morning jump by sky divers Dave and Rodney Benson, who finally jumped in the afternoon carrying 5,000-square-foot United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and Centennial of Flight flags. Still, visitors were happy just to see, touch and pose for pictures with the planes on display. ``Where can you see all these planes in one place? It's beautiful,'' said an awe-struck Walter Larkin, who brought his three granddaughters to the free air show and paid for them to peek into the cockpit of a Grumman TBDM-3 Avenger, a World War II-era torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with torpedoes, but they could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during WWII, when they were an important player in many famous battles, notably the . Though never a bomber pilot, Larkin has a flight simulator flight simulator, device providing a controlled environment in which a flight trainee can experience conditions approximating those of actual flight. A simulator generally consists of an enclosure housing a working replica of the interior of the cockpit of an program on his computer at home. ``It looks just like this,'' he said, admiring the hulking hulk·ing also hulk·y adj. Unwieldy or bulky; massive. hulking Adjective big and ungainly Adj. 1. plane's interior. Across the tarmac, Tim Pritchett, 21, handed his dad the camera and stepped in front of the black stealth fighter, the futuristic F-117 Nighthawk This article is about the stealth fighter. For the F117-PW-100 turbofan engine, see Pratt & Whitney PW2000. The Lockheed F-117A Nighthawk is a stealth ground attack aircraft operated solely by the United States Air Force. rising over his shoulder. ``We do this every year. It's a father-son tradition,'' Tim said, standing next to his dad, Tom, and surveying the $45 million plane developed at Lockheed's Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works in Burbank. ``I like to see our tax dollars at work,'' Tom added, chuckling. Some of the aircraft on display had just returned from active duty in the Middle East, such as the massive C-141C cargo plane. Spectators wandered through the plane's giant belly and strapped themselves into the troop seats that were used as recently as two weeks ago when a crew based at March Air Reserve Base in Riverside carried injured troops home. For lifelong Valley residents Gene Schmidt and Duane Brunsdon, the expo was a chance to recall the World War II era when military planes were designed, built and tested here. ``Growing up in the Valley, I used to look up and and see P-38s flying over all the time,'' Schmidt said. ``It was kind of an exciting time for a kid.'' Also at the air expo, just a short walk from the heavy metal military planes, stood a replica of the simple muslin muslin, general name for plain woven fine white cottons for domestic use. It is believed that muslins were first made at Mosul (now a city of Iraq). They were widely made in India, from where they were first imported to England in the late 17th cent. , wire and stick biplane biplane, aircraft, typically of early design, having two sets of wings fixed at different levels, especially in a vertical stack with the fuselage included between them. See airplane. Orville Wright used to fly over the beach at Kitty Hawk, N.C., on Dec. 17, 1903 - mankind's first powered flight. Orville Wright and his brother, Wilbur, flew the plane four times at Kitty Hawk, the longest flight measuring 860 feet and lasting 59 seconds, before the wind picked up the lightweight plane and thrashed it. A team of Los Angeles-area volunteer aerospace engineers, rocket scientists and others in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the professional society for the field of aerospace engineering. The AIAA was founded in 1963 from the merger of four earlier societies: the American Rocket Society (ARS), founded in 1930 as the have been working on the replica since the 1970s, after the first full-sized replica was destroyed in a fire. ``We knew what it looked like, but the big question was how did it really fly,'' said Jim Mendrala of Santa Clarita, who worked on the Wright Flyer Project. The volunteers have flown the replica in a wind tunnel and encountered the same problems the Wrights had in steering and controlling the frail plane. ``We're building one that will look like this but will be a little safer to fly,'' Mendrala said. Also on display are tiny experimental planes built by flying enthusiasts. Dave Kolstad built his VariEze for $20,000 and has flown the diminutive two-seater around the perimeter of the United States. ``I know what the Mississippi River looks like flowing through the Delta. I know what the line between Maine and Canada looks like,'' he told onlookers gaping at his home-built plane. A member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, Kolstad is among the pilots who offer free rides to children one Saturday a month at Whiteman Airpark air·park n. A small airport typically located near a business area or industrial park. in Pacoima to get youth interested in aviation. Kerry Cavanaugh, (818) 3746 kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos, 2 boxes, 2 maps Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) Aerobatic pilot Ed Hamill, above, flies upside down during his Saturday morning demonstration at Aviation Expo 2003. At right, visitors to the annual Van Nuys Airport show, which concludes today, take a look around the cargo bay of a Lockheed C-141C transport. (3 -- color) Lea Breckner, 7, of Northridge tries out a seat in the cockpit of an Air Force helicopter during Aviation Expo 2003, the annual Van Nuys air show that concludes today at 5 p.m. Evan Yee/Staff Photographer Box: AIR EXPO 2003 (1) WHERE TO PARK (2) SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: TODAY 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Map: (1 -- 2) Van Nuys Airport SOURCES: Los Angeles World Airports Los Angeles World Airports or LAWA is the airport oversight and operations department for the city of Los Angeles, California. This department owns and operates Los Angeles International Airport, LA/Ontario International Airport, Palmdale Regional Airport, and Van , Van Nuys Airport Warren Huskey/Staff Artist |
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