Wings Over Wine Country airshow returns with tribute to fire responders

The two-day event returned Saturday after a break in 2017.|

Streaking across the sky with a trail of smoke behind him, aerobatic pilot Brad Wursten dived his MXS-R plane over the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport on Saturday, twirling the aerobatic aircraft in tight circles before nosing up and climbing once more.

Below him, hundreds of spectators at the Wings Over Wine Country air show craned their necks to take in the action, which filled the skies and the tarmac with all manner of antique and ear-splitting aircraft.

The two-day event, put on by Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, returned this weekend for its 27th year after a hiatus in 2017. This year’s theme, “Rising Together,” pays tribute to the first responders who helped during the October fires last year.

Fire engines with Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Graton and Windsor stations, as well as patrol cars with the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, were among the group of local agencies represented in a parade. Attendees clapped and waved as the land-based procession went by.

“We’re part of the Sonoma County community,” said Doug Clay, the marketing director for the museum. “For everybody who helped deal with the fire, we want to say thank you.”

More than 30 airplanes were on display Saturday, ranging from cargo specialist C-17 Globemaster III with a 170-foot-long wingspan, to an F-15 Eagle fighter jet that was the first to respond to the ?Sept. 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center towers in New York City.

Families walked from plane to plane, talking to volunteers and even hopping into cockpits to check out controls.

Rohnert Park resident Mike Nofi shared the experience with his son and granddaughter.

His father worked for the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency responsible for managing the country’s airspace. His father’s job inspired him to learn more about planes, and he eventually earned a private pilot’s license. He hopes to pass down his passion to his granddaughter.

“It gives them an appreciation for aviation,” Nofi said of the airshow. The field is “very commercial now and this brings it back to its roots.”

Cloverdale resident Tom Henderson, 32, and his 10-year-old stepson wandered between the parked planes, pointing out models they recognized.

Henderson said he played with toy aircraft as a child, and his stepson recently started learning about planes and their role in World War II.

“He’s super into aviation right now,” Henderson said. “His grandparents are World War II veterans.”

While the event brings delight to longtime aviation enthusiasts, the show’s organizers hope it will help cultivate a younger group of fans and inspire them to pursue careers in the aviation industry, Clay said.

In that regard, the show made a positive impression on Amanda Mason’s 2-year-old son, Ethan. The Santa Rosa family makes regular trips to the airport to watch the planes go by.

On Saturday, the boy jumped in her arms, pointing to members of the Air Force Academy’s Wings of Blue parachute team floating to the ground in front of him.

“He loves planes,” Mason said.

UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy:
  • This is a family newspaper, please use a kind and respectful tone.
  • No profanity, hate speech or personal attacks. No off-topic remarks.
  • No disinformation about current events.
  • We will remove any comments — or commenters — that do not follow this commenting policy.