The skies above Avalon fill with a variety of aerobatic and historic aircraft as part of the Second Annual Scheyden Catalina Air Show.
Although scheduled events officially begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, informal fly-bys and pre-show rehearsals will be readily visible in the sky beginning Saturday morning. The show will also be simulcast by Catalina radio station KISL 88.7 FM, including the station’s website at www.kislavalon.com.
The skies above Avalon fill with a variety of aerobatic and historic aircraft as part of the Second Annual Scheyden Catalina Air Show.
Although scheduled events officially begin at 1 p.m. Saturday, informal fly-bys and pre-show rehearsals will be readily visible in the sky beginning Saturday morning. The show will also be simulcast by Catalina radio station KISL 88.7 FM, including the station’s website at www.kislavalon.com.
On a more down-to-earth level, Crescent Avenue and downtown Avalon will be the site of vendor booths, static aircraft displays and even a flight simulator.
On Sunday, the aviation action continues at the Airport-in-the-Sky with more static displays and the arrivals and departures of numerous aircraft.
The aerobatics portion of the event will feature nearly a dozen aerobatic performers, including an encore appearance by “Super Dave” Mathieson in his Team Scheyden MX2 stunt plane.
Hailing from Canada where he was voted the number one aerobatic pilot, Mathieson dazzled spectators at last year’s show with his death-defying and gravity-defying stunts.
Taking turns in the sky with Super Dave will be “Malibu Chuck” Aaron, the first and only civilian helicopter pilot licensed to perform helicopter aerobatics. Other fly-bys and performances will be turned in by John Collver, Jon Melby, Ross Granley, Marcus Paine, Team Rocket, Darren Moore in his restored P-51 Mustang as well as Mike “Maverick” Blackstone. In addition to aerial stunts, various fly-bys of classic aircraft will be held throughout the day, including Clay Lacy’s United Air Lines Mainliner DC-3 and Row 44’s classic Grumman HU16B Albatross.
Two planes on static display in downtown Avalon will represent opposite ends of aviation technology. The first will be a Bleriot XI Monoplane, a full scale replica of the original plane that was the first to cross the English Channel.
Also on display will be the return of the ICON A5, a streamlined state-of-the-art amphibious two-passenger plane built by Los Angeles-based ICON Aircraft.
For members of the public, including children, who want to get in on the flying act, an essay contest and a raffle will be held that will give the public a chance to take a ride in a stunt plane. The essay contest, run by retired Avalon Captain Steve Montague under the moniker “Chase Your Dream” will involve 500-word essays written by local youngsters. A pair of winners will be chosen based on the quality of the essays and will get to fly with Super Dave.
The essay asks young people to describe their dreams and how they intend to achieve them. “It doesn’t have to be perfectly written,” said Montague. “But it has to be written from the heart.”
Airshow volunteers are also selling $5 raffle tickets in the Arcade with winners getting a chance to hop aboard a stunt plane with passengers getting to choose the level of aerobatics. Outside of the raffle tickets, a “Thrill Ride Sponsorship” will also be available. For $500, people can purchase a ride with Super Dave ($700 for two people).
For those who want to enjoy the thrill of flying while keeping their feet safely on the ground, Sonic Boom Simulation Flights will be offering $10 rides in their Dual M-4 Personal Motion Flight Simulator. The simulator features both live-footage and computer-generated flight simulations and include 360-degree barrel rolls.
