District X Report - 2009/08
Event Overview
The Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor held the "Biggest Little Air Show on Ford Island" on March 21, 2009, on historic Ford Island, Oahu, Hawaii. The first annual event featured the Birds of Paradise Air Show Team, which conducted spectacular model flight demonstrations throughout the one-day event before a crowd of roughly 1,000 people.
Venue
The original World War II concrete apron fronting Hangar 37 was used as the runway. The former seaplane hangar that survived the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor was completely restored and houses Phase I of the Pacific Aviation Museum. The structure provides an ideal setting for an aviation museum, with impressive floor and overhead exhibits highlighting the attack on Pearl Harbor and the first year of World War II in the Pacific.
Future Phases 2, 3, and 4 will feature more stories of World War II, as well as Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War. A neat gift shop featuring aviation-related items and a restaurant make the museum a definite must for anyone interested in aviation. For more information about the museum, visit www.pacificaviationmuseum.org.
Organization and Support
Kudos to the Pacific Aviation Museum for a well-planned event and to the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Cadets for their manpower support. The show center was organized with a generous spectator seating area, organization kiosks, military displays, and a food concession area.
Displays and Weather
- The museum’s Grumman F-14 Tomcat, one of the last two US Navy Tomcats to fly in service, was on display.
- An interesting line-up of military vehicles was provided by the Hawaii Historic Arms Association and the Hawaii Military Vehicle Preservation Association.
The entire day was blessed with near-perfect weather—15–20 mph trade winds under partly cloudy skies.
Ceremony and Flight Operations
The opening ceremony was conducted by the Navy Sea Cadet Honor Guard, with an impressive rendition of the National Anthem by the museum’s Education Director, KT Budde-Jones. Mike Machado (air show announcer) and air boss/team manager Mark Malczon ran the flight line flawlessly and coordinated more than 80 flights by day’s end. Mike also doubled as door prize announcer, keeping the event lively and fun between performances.
Performers and Demonstrations
Team members impressed spectators with realistic warbird demonstrations; the 1/5-scale models were often hard to distinguish from full-scale aircraft thanks to scale-like flying and the historic airfield setting.
Team members:
- Billy Chandler
- Bill DeRego
- Mark Goodin
- Jeremy Lindhe
- Mark Malczon
- Ron Reeve
Additional performers and demonstrations:
- Urban Lindhe’s huge 46% Ultimate Bipe and Ryoji Koike’s composite 33% Extra 330 thrilled audiences with precision aerobatics and dazzling 3-D maneuvers.
- Tim Chrismer, Duke Chung, and guest pilots Larry DeRego, Woody Hoppler, and Andy Ruiz presented authentic jet turbine and helicopter demonstrations. Many attendees were amazed that real turbine engines can now power models.
Acknowledgments and Future Plans
A big thank-you to Ken DeHoff, Pacific Aviation Museum’s Executive Director, and KT Budde-Jones for their vision, enthusiasm, and support. A great partnership has evolved, which will undoubtedly benefit both the museum and model aviation in Hawaii.
Clear Channel Radio and go! Airlines deserve special recognition for the generous door prizes that made the day fun and exciting. The air show was an overwhelming success, drawing hundreds into the museum as well. Plans are already in the works for another museum air show later this year.
Congratulations to the Birds of Paradise for a great air show performance!
Submission
This report and pictures were submitted by Hawaii Associate Vice President Wayne Hamada.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
