Part of the reason is the navigable lane just north of the San Francisco shoreline which
is kept open for ships to transit. Another downside is the fact that many sailboats
choose to anchor in this area, making viewing and photography of low‐flying aircraft
difficult (but not impossible).
Matt Chapman brought us back to prop‐speed, but didn’t lower the excitement, in his
new, custom‐designed Embry‐Riddle Extra 330LX aircraft. His new two‐seater is
stressed to +/‐ 10g and has a roll rate of 420 degrees per second, and it seemed that
Matt was pushing the envelope as he put on a very high‐energy show. Next up were
the locally‐based RedStar Pilots Association CJ‐6 Team, flying their four Nanchang
trainers in a combination of formations. Michael Wiskus then took us back into the
aerobatic arena with his bright red Lucas Oil Pitts S‐1‐11b biplane. Many in the audi‐
ence mistook him for Sean D. Tucker, not only from the appearance of his aircraft but
also by the quality of his flying. Michael has been a powerhouse this season, putting
on a very aggressive and highly energetic show. He opened with a dozen snap rolls on
a vertical downline, pulling out just over the waves and proceeded with a series of
maneuvers that elicited repeated “oohs” and “aaahs” from the crowd during the rest
of his routine, most of which was spent low over the water or inverted.
Based in nearby Byron, the Patriots normally don’t rehearse during Friday’s practice
session. But they roared in on the weekend with the all the precision you would ex‐
pect from a team that includes two former Thunderbirds, a former Blue Angel solo
pilot and a former Snowbirds Outer Left Wing pilot. The six black L‐39s are fitted with
synchronized smoke systems that beautifully integrate red, white and blue smoke into
their maneuvers. There’s never a dull moment during their tightly choreographed rou‐
tine. However Saturday’s show included a unique performance as right before the fi‐
nal six‐ship break Dean “Wilbur” Wright proposed to his girlfriend by asking “Will you
be my wingman for the rest of my life? Say yes or no before I break!”
United Airlines has been a long‐time sponsor and regularly flies one of their passenger
jets in the show: this year they flew a 737 with the “march of dimes” livery on Satur‐
day and a 757 on Sunday. With three international airports in the area and hundreds
of takeoffs and landings every day, you wouldn’t think the masses of spectators would
be very impressed to see a wide‐body passenger plane perform. The pilots, however,
really put on a great show, banking sharply, climbing steeply and flying low and slow
with flaps