Pre-show activities included a demonstration of extreme motorcycle stunt riding.
The 45th Annual Watsonville Antique Fly-In and Airshow is one of my favorite small shows in California. The Memorial Day event brings out die-hard vintage aircraft enthusiasts that will savor each beautifully restored antique aircraft. This year, the major attraction was the Boeing 40C- Boeing's first passenger plane.
This year's airshow was well rounded with antiques, warbirds, and military tactical flight demonstrations. When airshow success is gauged by the number people that attend, type of aircraft heavily weighs in who attends. Watsonville attracts a crowd with diverse aviation interests as a result of scheduling the rare vintage, classic WW II, civilian aerobatics, and military performances.
Despite early morning fog followed by a low ceiling, the show went on with a P-40, Bearcat, P-51s, T-6s, AV-8 Harrier, C-17, and the F-18 Super Hornet. Civilian aerobatics by Eddie Andreini, Bill Stein, John Collver, and Tim Decker thrilled the crowd.