2009 Eagle Mountain Air Show gets financial boost

The 2009 Eagle Mountain Air Show committee received a boost Wednesday in the form of two checks for $7,500 each.

Committee member John Longley said the money — from the Tule River Tribal Council and Eagle Mountain Casino — is much needed.

“We really appreciate the money,” Longley said. “Without the support from the tribe and the casino it would be very difficult to put on the air show.”

The day before the show, on Friday, June 12, a pre-show dinner will take place to welcome the flyers and honor special guest and Hall of Fame aerobatic Wayne Handley. The dinner will take place at the Tule River Aero Industries facility. Cost to attend is $25 per individual, and $40 for couples.

Entertainment will be provided.

Air shows have been a part of Porterville’s history since 1947, when the Porterville Moonlight Fly-In started, Longley said.

The Porterville Airport was built by the Army Air Corps in the 1940s as an airdrome to serve as a reserve field for Lemoore and also as a base for coastal patrol B25s.

After World War II it transferred to the City of Porterville and by 1947 the Fly-In tradition started.

Fly-ins were not able to take place in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but by 2008, through the sponsorship of the Tule River Economic Development Corporation and others, the Eagle Mountain Air Show began.

This year’s Air Show will feature a jet team and other exciting acts.

The honorary “boss” of this year’s show is Handley, a Hall of Fame aerobatic champion.

Handley was born in Monterey County, and lived for many years in the Salinas Valley.

He began the more than 29,000 hours of flying at Hartnell Community College in Salinas, continued as a Navy aviator and flew agricultural aircraft for many years.

Handley is famous for flying the Oracle Turbo Raven, powered by a 750 horsepower Pratt and Whitney engine. It was the first air show aircraft to have positive thrust to weight ratio, Longley said via a prepared statement.

In April 1999, Handley broke his own world record for inverted flat spins by taking 78 turns.

Handley established a new time-to-climb record of 6,000 meters in the Oracle Turbo Raven with a time of 3 minutes 6 seconds.

His appearance, and others, is made possible by the check donations.

Porterville City Manager John Lollis said the check donations were extremely important to the show.

“We’ve received very generous support from the Tule River Tribal Council and Eagle Mountain Casino,” Lollis said. “Without that support the show could not go on.”

For more information on how to attend the 2009 Eagle Mountain Air Show, call 783-8408 or 784-7503.

-- Contact The Recorder newsroom at 784-5000, Ext. 1043.