Enthusiasm Soars at Tustin Marine Base’s Open House

TUSTIN —  The Blue Angels weren’t there to zig and zag through the sky, nor were the Thunderbirds. But the annual open house at the Tustin Marine Corps Helicopter Air Station did have Team Extra, a squadron of brightly painted planes that performed circles, spins and other crowd-pleasing maneuvers, even though their pilots never left the ground.

The Team Extra planes were just three of the dozens of gas-powered model planes performing stunts at Sunday’s open house, a once-a-year festival that allows the public to tour the grounds and see the base up close.

Of course, the thousands of people in attendance got to see more than models. The real attractions were the ferocious-looking Marine helicopters lined up side by side.

There were also a car show, a five-kilometer race and a full day of performing by bands, dancers and other acts on a portable stage in front of one of the base’s 18-story airship hangars.

“It’s a good time to show the taxpayers what they’re paying for,” said Capt. Ray White, 30, standing beside the 26,000-pound transport helicopter he pilots.

Walking through his helicopter with a gaggle of civilians, he paused occasionally to point out the functions of various knobs and switches. When someone mentioned how uncomfortable the seats along the sides of the copter looked, he chuckled and said, “This isn’t TWA.”

He and his crew chief, Lance Cpl. Ivan Colon, said the questions they field from civilians, especially children, are always the same. “How many people does this hold, and is this a bomb?” said Colon, slapping the oblong fuel tank that runs along the side of the copter.

But both said they enjoy getting to gab with the public about their jobs. “It gives you a nice feeling inside,” White said.

Many of those visiting Sunday were mesmerized by the high-tech aircraft on display, as well as by the towering hangars that were built more than half a century ago to house blimps that were used during World War II to look for Japanese submarines off the California coast.

“It just reminds me that this is all very important,” said Jimm Vest, 35, of Orange, who brought his girlfriend’s 9-year-old son to take a look at the helicopters. That the base has been scheduled for closure by 1999 brought a certain urgency to their visit.

“With the military budget cuts, I figured this might be the last chance to see it,” Vest said.

During last year’s open house, Marines flew helicopters into the base to demonstrate how they might storm a foreign airstrip during a real crisis. But the only aircraft lifting off Sunday were about four feet long, powered by chain saw engines and controlled from the ground by radio transmitters.

One of the biggest crowd pleasers was a model of a twin-engine B-25 bomber built by Nick Rivaldo, 56, of Long Beach. A few hundred people sitting in nearby bleachers oohed and aahed as Rivaldo put the plane through spins, loops and other stunts.

But the real applause came when the plane zoomed by and dropped miniature exploding bombs on the runway.

After the plane landed and Rivaldo rolled it back into position near the crowed, a number of spectators gathered around to compliment him. Rivaldo smiled proudly. “That’s nice,” he said to a reporter. “But my biggest thrill is when the old-timers come out and say, ‘I used to fly one of those.’ ”

Though the air station’s days are numbered, there were few signs of sadness or regret among the people who live and work there.

“It’s a good base and a great place to live,” said L.J. Connolly, a freckled Marine captain working in the public information office at the station. “But I’ve moved five times since I’ve been in the Marine Corps. It’s just part of the business.”