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Inland skies, spirits filled with planes
Flight fans delight in formation maneuvers of vintage aircraft
01:04 AM PST on Sunday, January 25, 2004
By JOAN OSTERWALDER / The Press-Enterprise
RIVERSIDE - Two-year-old Joshua Wright could have been a cheerleader for the pilots participating in the annual formation-flying clinic Saturday at Riverside Municipal Airport. Every time a plane took off, the boy waved furiously and shouted "airplane" or "bye-bye."
"When he sees airplanes, his eyes light up," said his mother, Deanna Wright, 41, of Riverside, holding Joshua's 3-year-old brother Logan and snapping photos. "It brings out the fantasy land in him."
The Wrights were among several dozen people who watched 15 World War II-era planes take to the overcast skies. The clinic gives pilots a chance to practice formation flying and be certified for air-show performances.
The event was hosted by the Inland Empire Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, a worldwide, all-volunteer organization dedicated to preserving WW II airplanes.
"These are all very specific military formations," said Bud Ukes, the wing's spokesman, as the roaring engines enveloped the crowd in deafening noise.
"These planes came from all over," he said, pointing to a British Royal Air Force Harvard.
 | | Two classic World War II Texan aircraft practice during the formation-flying clinic. | | | |
The aircraft took off in pairs and later teamed in fours. The pilots performed such maneuvers as breaks, where one plane veers to one side and the other follows, S-turns and V- and echelon-formations. They communicated mostly with hand signals and were about 10 feet apart in the exercises.
"It was an unbelievable experience to be so close to another airplane," said Will Kalbermatter, 43, of Ventura, after finishing his first formation flight.
"It's so much work," he said as he walked from his plane, a North American T6-G. "I'm actually exhausted already. It's so demanding."
 | | Mark Zaleski / The Press-Enterprise | | Travis Green, 17, of Riverside was among several dozen spectators at Riverside Municipal Airport to see classic warbird planes. | | | |
Kalbermatter, a commercial pilot and flight instructor, was among a half-dozen or so trainees paired with experienced pilots.
Rick Hosking, lead check pilot, knows the drill.
"It requires complete concentration," said the 56-year-old Sedona, Ariz., resident, who came to Riverside for the weekend. He stood on the wing of a North American SNJ-4 Texan, a Navy plane built in 1942.
A passion for aircraft drew Alan Granbacka, 48, of Riverside to the clinic. The self-described model-airplane hobbyist wore a hat decorated with pins of planes.
"I love it," Granbacka said, gazing at the vintage aircraft.
Oscar Hernandez, 73, of Moreno Valley looked at pictures of aircraft in the archival photo displays of WW II by the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and the Tuskegee Airmen. The Korean War veteran pointed to a few he recognized.
"I was a crewman on one of these," he said. "It brings back a lot of memories."
Former astronaut Gordon Cooper was scheduled to be a guest speaker at a dinner Saturday night. Cooper was the last American to fly into space alone.
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This months featured item is a T6 project. It is almost complete less engine, prop and avionics. Restoration started.
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