Cable Kicks Off First Show Of Year With A Bang

Story And Photos
By Jim Mumaw

Cable Airport in Upland, Calif. was the place to be in more ways than one on the second weekend of January.

While a large portion of the country was enduring extremely frigid temperatures, the weather for the opening airshow of the season was more like a pleasant summer's day in the mid to high 70s. A crowd larger than last year's filled the parking areas early on and enjoyed blue skies streaked with clouds.

After the opening ceremonies, things took off at a fast clip as Julie Clark took her impeccably maintained T-34 Mentor into the skies. The San Gabriel Mountains provided a great background for her aerobatics as her smoke generators left colorful trails in the skies above the field.

Another longtime airshow veteran, paraplegic Dan Buchanan launched from the bed of his truck and put on a graceful demonstration piloting his North Wing hang glider above the heads of the crowd. Buchanan is a favorite of the kids as he never fails to visit with the youngsters while handing out portions of the bright ribbons he trails behind him during his flights.

Frank "Dr. D" Donnelly was back with his 1946 Taylorcraft, putting on a demonstration that would have been at home in at a 1940 grass roots airshow.

Rob "Tumbling Bear" Harrison, who will turn 69 this year, was burning up the skies in his Zlin-50 (see cover). Last year's Cable Airshow marked Rob's return from a near fatal crash.

This year's show was probably the final time to see him in his current aircraft as he will soon be at the stick of a newly painted Zlin. Wife Susan did the design work.

Clay Lacy brought his orange Pilatus Porter PC-6 and showed how little that runway is needed when it comes to shortfield landings and takeoffs. Lacy likes to end his demonstrations with a dead stick routine.

The weather was so nice that the sound of the wing flowing around the fuselage was audible to the crowds down below as it was when Donnelly ended his demos with engine off and the prop stilled.

There was a mid-air collision on Saturday, when an R/C helicopter got smacked by an R/C fixed wing. The impact of the two craft rang out like a pistol shot as parts rained down onto the runway.

If you like parachutes, the show had some nice offerings under canopy as well. Besides the flying of the colors during the National Anthem, a group made up of parachutists from no less than three teams did a mass jump from Sky Dive Perris's shark-mouthed Twin Otter.

No less than 18 jumpers joined up for a formation during Saturday's show. There was even a tandem jump with one fellow wearing an ear-to-ear grin as he enjoyed the experience.

Speaking of formations, the pilots of the Chinese CJ6 trainers as well as a huge flight of Vans RVs made sure the sky was filled with aircraft as each group made numerous passes.

Warbirds and classics (on the ground as well as in the air) rounded out the day with Nazzi Hirani's P-51-25NT Mustang "Su Su" flying both days as well as Man O War on Sunday. On that day the Planes of Fame P-38 Lightning "23 Skidoo" took off and made a couple of passes to the delight of the crowd.

Also on hand were light observation craft such as the L-2 Grasshopper, a CAF AT-6, FM-2, a BT-13 and the big yellow bird itself, Big Panda, the An-2 Colt.

A couple of female models slipped past the lines for some impromptu posing but somebody decided they had to have permission, and they didn't, so they ran them off. What's the world coming to?