AirShowPix Productions
"Where Images Take Flight"
2009 El Centro Air Show
| El Centro Naval Air Facility hosts annual
air show - By Clark Cook, Editor El Centro, CA - This farming community nestled in the Imperial Valley roared to life on March 14 as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels kicked off their 2009 air show season. El Centro NAF, home to this legendary jet team's winter training base hosted the 2009 open house and air show. Under perfect weather conditions, thousands of people from Southern California and beyond enjoyed what was the one of the first official air shows for the 2009 season. Several military aircraft demonstrations and civilian performances took place at the  annual
event.The event was narrated by John Huggins, an Air Force pilot from Northern California and Dick Schulz. Opening ceremonies commenced at precisely 9:00 A.M. with the national anthem and the Black Daggers Parachute Team carrying the American and California flags. A change of command ceremony also took place between the air show acts. Military performances included a B-1B flyover, C-17 Demo, F/A-18 Super Hornet Demo, Search and Rescue (UH-1 helicopter) Demo and the F-15E Strike Eagle Demo/Heritage Flight with a P-51 Mustang from the Planes of Fame Museum. Civilian performances included a vintage Stearman flyover, The Thunder Delfins L-29 Jet Team, Bill Cornick Aerobatics, Spencer Suderman Aerobatics, John Collver Aerobatics and a vintage World War II B-25 Bomber fly-over. New to the air show circuit was an aerobatic race between Bill Cornick and Spencer Suderman in which each performed a series of aerobatic maneuvers. Highlighting the event was the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, performing a series of breathtaking maneuvers. There was also be a large static display of aircraft, both military and civilian. Many thanks go to the Public Affairs Officer, the Naval Air Facility at El Centro, the volunteers and the performers, who made this event a complete success. |