China Lake Air Show

Not surprisingly, there were lots of airplanes. The static displays were easier to look at than to photograph. I heard an estimate of thirty-thousand people in attendance, and you can guess the number of people surrounding the planes on the ground. Many of those planes were roped off under canopies so that they were mostly in shade with backgrounds in bright daylight.

The aircraft were more accessible to the camera while in the air. Aerial work began around 12:30 and continued past 4:00. At the start, the sky was mostly clear blue, but that gradually changed to pasty white. We saw a range of craft from paragliders to jet fighters. The show ended with the headliner act, The Blue Angels. Hard luck, having to strap yourself into a multi-million dollar aircraft and buzz the base. Well, somebody's gotta do it, so take your lumps and get her done. It was a splendid day and a good show. Below are twenty photographs from the event.