For about the last 15 years, the Astoria Regional Airport has been host to a number of community public events. This year is no exception. The Coast Guard, celebrating 100 years of naval aviation, is presenting the Astoria Air Show in cooperation with the Port of Astoria and with the assistance of the Astoria Air Fair Association.
John Raichl, an experienced multi-engine pilot, former performer, announcer at the show and a volunteer member of the Airport Advisory board, acts as liaison between the Coast Guard and the Port in setting up the show. Raichl is a real supporter of the airport and the show. "This air show is going to be heavily weighted in favor of the Coast Guard and they are going to try and have every airplane they fly," he said. "This summer, Astoria became a U.S. Coast Guard city and since it's also Astoria's Bicentennial, the Coast Guard is cooperating with the city in the celebration."
If all things fall into place (these are military planes and duty may call), attendees should be able to see an array of military aircraft. Scheduled to be seen is the workhorse H-60 Jayhawk helicopter, which is a maritime version of the Blackhawk the Army uses and is modified to fly over water rather than land. The Astoria Air Station has three of them, and they are a familiar sight in the area.
Another craft scheduled to be at the show is the Coast Guard's smaller helicopter, the H-65. They are commonly found on board Coast Guard cutters and in the North Bend and Newport area.
On the airplane side, they hope to have the huge fixed-wing, four-engine turbo prop C-130 Hercules on hand. It's like the Air Force C-130, but again, modified for Coast Guard use.
From back East, a Falcon jet, used for long-range jet patrol, is also scheduled to appear. These are mostly used on the East Coast, Mobile, Ala., Florida and the Cape Cod area. They are currently being phased out in favor of the CASA two-engine turbo prop high-wing, according to Raichl.
The Coast Guard, while prominent at the show, represents just part of the displays and continuous activity planned. Raichl explains: "We expect to have someone giving biplane rides for a fee. The Coast Guard will be presenting search and rescue simulations and Camp Rilea will be bringing in military and armored vehicles and doing demonstrations. We'll also have three aerobatic planes coming in: Greg Howard is our frontline performer from Vancouver, Wash., flying a Giles G-200 aerobatic plane. Two others volunteering their services are Noel Jones out of McMinnville, flying a Russian Yak 52 trainer, and Bob Harris, also out of McMinnville, who will be flying an Extra EA 300. Bob has been performing for a long time in the U.S. and Canada. All three planes will be leaving trails of smoke, always a crowd-pleaser."
Another military branch and some various public agencies will be represented, as Raichl details: "We expect, in addition to the Coast Guard planes, that the Oregon Air National Guard out of Portland will do an impressive F-15 flyover. Also, we hope for a flyover by a C-17 by the Air Force Reserve out of McChord, and maybe even a couple of A-10 Thunderbolts here on the ground from the Mountain Home Air Force Base out of Idaho. Of course, missions come first, so we can't be firm about any of these aircraft. In addition, the Hood River County Sheriff's Office is bringing down one of their Super Cubs they use for search and rescue missions up at Mt. Hood. They will do some demonstration flying, provided that ongoing fires or something else doesn't take precedence. We are trying to keep some kind of activity going on all the time."
As if that's not enough to fill your time at the Air Show, you'll find a food bazaar, a host of vendors, fire and rescue demonstrations, the Coast Guard Color Guard, the Astoria High School band and kit planes on display by Vans RV, the world's biggest kit aircraft builder. Incidentally, the president and general manager of Vans RV was a former manager of the Astoria Flight Center, lending a nice hometown touch.
The Air Show is a family event, so there are plenty of activities for kids, including plane rides from the Experimental Aircraft Association through a program called the Young Eagles. Any kid aged 8 through 17 whose parents will sign a release can go up for a free ride.
You can easily spend the day at the show, because it starts with a 7:30 a.m. pancake feed, and there will be ongoing activities, demonstrations and aircraft displays throughout the day. If you are partaking of any of the other activities happening in the area on Saturday and can only spend a few hours, the height of the activity runs from about noon to 3 p.m., so that is the best time to show up.
Raichl is a big promoter of the airport and he sees this event and the airport as a big plus for the whole area. "The Astoria Regional Airport is a fantastic facility. We as a community could never afford an airport like this had it not been developed by the military during World War II and then given back to the community. The Port of Astoria has been taking terrific care of it for many years now. Having an airport like this enhances the community, and a show like this is a good reminder of what a great facility the city has. UPS and FedEx use it, and of course our Coast Guard, upon which it is really dependent. We wouldn't have what we have without the Coast Guard command here. A lot of jobs are dependent on the airport. Lektro, a leading manufacturer of airport tugs (those vehicles that move planes around), provides a lot of jobs. The airport is a busy place, usually. You can go out there on some days and there are three or four jets sitting on the tarmac that have brought in parent company managers for the big box stores located here. In addition, there are all the other business- and tourist-related flights. Even all the movies that have been done here flew their companies into our airport on big aircraft. It benefits the whole community, southwest Washington and all of Clatsop County. It really does bring a big return to the community."
The Air Show promises to be all any aircraft enthusiast could want, so pack up the kids, some snacks, grab the folding chairs and fly on down to the airport for a great Saturday of up, up and away.
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