POINT MUGU BRACING FOR RECORD CROWD; AIR SHOW MAY LURE DISTANT FANS.

Byline: David Greenberg Daily News Staff Writer

With the El Toro Air Show having flown off into the sunset, organizers at the Point Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center are expecting a record crowd when its show resumes in April after a one-year hiatus.

As many as 300,000 aviation fans are expected to turn out for the show set for April 25 and 26 and featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. That would far surpass the 200,000 mark for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels in October 1996 - the last show Point Mugu hosted, celebrating its 50th anniversary.

No air show was scheduled last year because organizers couldn't land a top precision flying squadron. The closure of the Marine Corps Air Station at El Toro in Orange County, however, opened the April scheduling slot for Point Mugu.

``I'm sure we'll get all of (El Toro's) crowd,'' said Phyllis Thrower, base spokeswoman. ``It will be quite packed.''

The Thunderbirds is a six-plane precision flying team based at Nellis Air Force Base, just outside Las Vegas.

The team's aerobatic displays in F-16 Fighting Falcon jets highlight the two daylong shows. The Thunderbirds' show will last about 30 minutes each day.

Also flying will be the F-14 Tomcat and F-4 Phantom teams from Point Mugu, and civilian planes piloted by Rob Harrison of Claremont and John Piggott of Berkeley.

``(The F-16) is the most state-of-art fighter that the Air Force has,'' said Don Lewis, the base's events coordinator. ``All six planes are flown in tight formation, demonstrating all aerobatic maneuvers.''

Gates are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. each day. Although parking and admission are free of charge, Point Mugu will offer ``five-star'' seating at $5 per person, as well as admittance and lunch in the Flight Deck Club for $25 per person.

The El Toro closure opened the door for an April show, and organizers also hope to take advantage of favorable weather conditions in the spring compared with previous fall shows.

Some 2.1 million people attended El Toro's three-day finale in April. The base was closed in October as part of federal defense cutbacks.

For the October 1996 air show, Point Mugu budgeted $200,000, with approximately $150,000 coming from corporate sponsorship, concessions and special seating, and $50,000 from the federal government.

With only $150,000 for the April show's budget - the federal government will not subsidize the show - Lewis said he is relying on corporations to pick up the tab for civilian pilots. The U.S. Department of Defense pays all of the Thunderbirds' operating expenses.

``We've had to tighten our belts somewhat,'' Lewis said.