Gee Force

POINT MUGU —  Mike Wolters and his buddy Bill Jensen are nuts for planes.

The pair ducked out of work early Friday, pulled their three sons out of school and headed to the opening day of Point Mugu’s 37th annual air show at the Naval Air Station.

The Newbury Park buddies reasoned if there was ever a day to play hooky, this was it.

“We go every year,” said Wolters, who, like Jensen, has attended the Point Mugu show since he was a kid.

“You know how it is--boys and planes,” Wolters said.

Friday’s show included nearly 150 aircraft in the sky or on display and more military hardware than any show the base has hosted before.

Sleek naval jets slashed through the air with alarming speed, rolling, banking and shooting skyward like ballistic missiles. Their engines sent a rumbling shock wave through 20,000 spectators.

Civilian aviators tumbled across the sky in stunt planes that left a trail of smoke. Military craft retired from active duty decades ago rumbled overhead, giving visitors a view of machinery that flew above the Pacific and Europe during World War II.

Hazy weather dogged the base throughout the gray day. But morning fog lifted in time for the first planes to lift off at 3 p.m. Three hours later, however, the pesky low clouds were back, delaying some flights and grounding others. Visitors used the delays to stroll past aircraft on display and munch charbroiled hamburgers.

Attendance was up 33% compared with the first day of last year’s show, officials said. Admission is free and there seemed to be something for everyone.

Youngsters pretended to shoot out-of-commission machine guns from the window of a giant helicopter on display. Nearby, visitors gawked at a looming black U-2 spy plane, the same type that was shot down over the Soviet Union during the Eisenhower administration, souring relations between the United States and the former USSR.

There was plenty of contemporary military hardware on hand as well, from Humvees to F-14s to giant cargo planes. An F-14 streaked from the sky and dropped a series of exploding dummy bombs near the runway, creating a loud series of booms and bright flashes.

“The Navy loves simulating blowing up the world,” said Don Lewis, who has coordinated the air show since 1990. “There will be lots of explosions for the kids to see.”

A solo F-117 stealth fighter swooped down late in the afternoon, its angular, sparrow-like shape silhouetted against the gray clouds. The fighter made several passes over the crowd before landing.

As machine-gun-toting soldiers moved the plane onto the tarmac, where it will be displayed through Sunday, a sign was erected reading: “Warning: Restricted Area--Use of Deadly Force Authorized.”

A crowd of onlookers gathered to marvel at the F-117.

“You get awe-struck by these things,” said Julie Walsh of Agoura, who was visiting the air show with her husband and two children.

Other displays included a transparent dive tank in which the Navy’s bomb squad, decked out in scuba gear, played tic-tac-toe with kids through the glass. A Navy SEAL team displayed a table of weapons and gear, including assault rifles and machine guns.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department, Ventura County Health Department and other agencies set up booths at the show. But visitors mostly kept their eyes skyward.

Wolters, Jensen and their boys couldn’t get enough. Lounging in front-row chairs--as close to the runway as they could get--the group cocked their heads as jets roared overhead. The grins were huge. The kids were happy.

Shane Wolters, 4, wore a pair of big, blue ear protectors--the type airline employees wear when they guide landing jets into the terminal area. His face was painted in camouflage and a pair of novelty dog tags hung around his neck.

He zoomed a toy F-14 Tomcat fighter plane around his dad’s shoulders.

“My favorite part is when they drop the bombs!” the child exclaimed.

The boys pretend they’re pilots each year around air show time, their fathers said, running through the house as though they were at the controls of a supersonic jet.

“When they know the air show’s coming, they’re stoked,” Wolters said.