Words and Pictures: California International Airshow

a photo journal by Deryck Santiago

We went to the California International Airshow in Salinas, on the last day of the event, Sunday 9 August. I took these photos with my Fuji digital camera and my Sony DV camcorder. The main event performers were the Blue Angels. I have seen them perform before at other airshows, but this was the first time my twelve year old niece got to see them in action.

The aerial performances were amazing! There was Fat Albert, a C-130 Hercules modified with JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) rockets, although this day it did not use them. Still an aircraft this big was very impressive to watch up close.

There was an aerial wing walking stunt performed by aviation legend Gene Soucy and his wing walking partner Teresa Stokes.

An A-10 Thunderbolt (aka the Warthog) performed some incredible maneuvers that not only showed off its strategic capabilities, but one really had to be present at the show to feel its intensity.

The A-10 performed a simulated attack using its 30mm Gattling gun. Of course, the stunt was actually a pyrotechnic display, but still the awesome explosions were amazing! We could feel the intense heat from each explosion as they happened, even back in the grandstand where we were sitting.

You can view my video of the stunt on my YouTube page here:
A-10 and the Wall Of Fire

Also performing at the show was Robosaurus. This monstrous mechanical marvel is the closest thing to a real transformer. It moved, it stood up, it picked up junk cars, bit the cars in half and set them ablaze, all to some really campy dialogue. It was fun to see this up close!

You can view my video of Robosaurus in action on my YouTube page here:
Robosaurus Barbecues A Car

The big draw at the event may have been the aerial stunts, but I always get attracted to the displays on the ground as well. And this year, they had plenty of fabulous aircraft to gawk at!