SHOW ROCKS FOR AVIATION FANS.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - For veteran Rudy Navarro, Rockin' AirFest 2005 was about seeing other veterans and remembering his days aboard an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War.

``Kind of brings back a little bit of old memories,'' Navarro said.

Navarro's father was a turret gunner on a B-17 bomber during World War II, and on Sunday the Vietnam veteran got an up-close look at a B-17 similar to the one his father flew in.

Navarro was one of about 45,000 people who attended Rockin' AirFest 2005. The event at Van Nuys Airport invited visitors to see vintage and modern military aircraft and listen to live bands, said Stacy Geere, a spokeswoman for the Van Nuys Airport.

Visitors cruised the tarmac and looked in awe at about 50 aircraft on display. Master of ceremonies Gary Bryan, a disc jockey on K-EARTH FM-101, kept the crowd entertained between half a dozen musical artists.

A love of planes crosses generations for Navarro. His son's favorite is thMRV051605favorite he knows from Vietnam, the F-4J Phantom.

``Phantoms were louder than that. They had a double engine,'' said Navarro, 51, who lives in Simi Valley and works for a brewery.

Officials at Rockin' AirFest 2005 recognized the contributions veterans have made over the years. Also getting special recognition was Connie Stevens, who entertained troops with Bob Hope on USO tours.

``Remember our servicemen. These people are on constant vigil. It doesn't end with a war or a conflict,'' Stevens said.

The AirFest included an unveiling of a picture of Stevens painted on a Lockheed Super Constellation, a commercial airliner nicknamed the ``Connie'' that was used as a transport plane by the military.

Among the more than 50 classic aircraft on display Sunday were the B-25 Mitchell, the 1945 experimental Northrop Flying Wing and the Grumman TBM-3 Avenger. The Avenger is a torpedo bomber similar to the one former President George H.W. Bush was shot down in over the Pacific in World War II.

``It was cool to look at the different planes and seeing that now a car can go almost as fast as some of the planes can fly. And just how far technology has come,'' said Gretchen Hydo, 30, of Sherman Oaks as she stood with her family in the shade of a transport plane's wing.

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Collin MacKechnie, 8, of Valley Glen, plays with a toy airplane amid larger versions Sunday at Rockin' AirFest 2005.

(2) Visitors to the Rockin AirFest 2005 at Van Nuys Airport wait to climb inside a B-17 bomber Sunday morning.

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer