AirShowPix Productions
"Where Images Take Flight"
2009 Riverside Air Show
| Riverside Airport hosts annual air show
- By Clark Cook, Editor Riverside, CA - On Saturday, March 28, the skies over Riverside Municipal Airport roared to life with sounds from the past and present. Now in its 17th year, the Riverside Air Show promised to be one of of the Inland Empire's largest events. The annual event featured vintage warbirds, modern fighters and transports, as well as some of the nation's top aerobatic performers. 
A record crowd of about 93,000 spectators enjoyed the annual event with
perfect weather conditions. Attendance was estimated to be up by 1,000,
compared to last year.A traditional pancake breakfast at the D&D Airport Cafe kicked off the event. The flying acts began shortly after with the Just in Time Skydiving Team dropping in with the American Flag, followed shortly by four world class aerobatic performers demonstrating an aerobatic preview morning show. Several warbirds, including CJ-6 and T-6/SNJ formation fly-by's and a rare Japanese Zero zoomed past the crowd line. Military fly-by's included the KC-135 Stratotanker from nearby March Air Reserve Base and two F-16 Vipers from the California Air National Guard in Fresno, CA. The Riverside Police Department also performed a mock car chase with their squad cars and helicopter, followed by a K-9 demonstration.  The afternoon aerobatic performers included The Silver Wings Wingwalking Team, Dr. D''s "Old Time Aerobatics", John Collver and his AT-6, John Melby and the "Muscle Pitts", and the youngest female aerobatic performer in the air show circuit - Melissa Andrzejewski flying her beautiful Edge 540. An A-10 Thunderbolt II from Davis-Monthan A.F.B. flying with a Korea era F-86 Sabre Jet for the Heritage Flight graced the skies as a representation of the U.S. Air Forces from the past and present. The event concluded with the finale - A C-17 cargo jet from March Air Reserve Base demonstrating the abilities of a very short take-off and landing and the capability of backing up under its own power! In addition to all the flying activities, there was also a large static display of vintage warbirds and a radio controlled aircraft display and demonstration. |