An Air Force F-16 Viper Demonstration Team raced across the skies above Santa Maria on Friday, dropping pyrotechnics that sent up a huge cloud of black smoke and sparked concerns on social media. 

The attention-grabbing military jet, from the headlining act for the second Central Coast AirFest, will be one of several performances entertaining crowds Saturday and Sunday at the Santa Maria Public Airport.

AirFest organizer Chris Kunkle and his army of volunteers added finishing touches on Friday, pausing periodically to watch the aerial artistry and eagerly anticipate the planned pyrotechnic show expected to be even more dramatic this weekend.

“I’m ready for it to go,”  Kunkle, AirFest director, said Friday. “I don’t want it to be over because I love this stuff, and it’s passion of mine. But we’ve done all this planning for a year; we’re ready to make this thing happen,”. 

“You want to get inside. That’s where the experience is at,” he added.

On Friday, air crews provided flight demonstrations in the sky while volunteers worked on the ground to park other aircraft that will sit on static display this weekend.

This year’s show also features Rob Holland and Bill Stein, both air show veterans, along with Ace Maker in a T-33 plane, Vicky Benzing, a skydiving team and a helicopter demonstration. 

A C-17 sits on display at the Santa Maria Public Airport ahead of the Central Coast Airfest. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo)

Cal Poly graduate Eric Tucker and Santa Paula’s Sammy Mason returned to entertain crowds with their aerial acts.

Gates will open at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with radio-control aircraft demonstrations starting at 10:30 a.m.

The second AirFest also will mark the return of the Plane Pull benefiting the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics at least 15 years after it was held at a different aviation-related event.

Teams will gather Saturday morning to pull an airplane some 12 feet testing their strength, stamina and heart in a bid to raise funds — and walk away with bragging rights. 

AirFest also will include multiple vendors, a beer garden, food trucks and a kids’ zone with bounce houses.

Central Coast Airfest workers pause to capture the action Friday at the Santa Maria Public Airport. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo)

Assorted civilian and military performances will fill the sky for several hours while additional military aircraft, including a huge C-17 and an Osprey, will sit on display, with some offering tours Saturday and Sunday.

AirFest debuted last year after the Santa Maria Valley, despite its rich aviation history, was left without an air show.

“We’re just happy to bring it back for another year,” Kunkle said. 

AirFest general admission tickets, ages 16-64, are $35, while senior citizens 65 and older, active-duty military members, and military retirees will be be admitted for $10.

Tickets for youths ages 5 to 15 cost $10, while younger children will be admitted for free.

A group rate, two general admission and two children or one general admission and three children, cost $45.

Reserved seating costs $45 while VIP tent admission is $150.

Parking at the airport will cost $10.

Air show attendees can enter through one gate just south of the Santa Maria Radisson and another gate between the Santa Maria Fire Station and English Air Service.

For more information about the event, go to the website by clicking here.

— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

Pyrotechnics sent up a cloud of smoke during the F-16 Viper Demonstration Team performance Friday in advance of the Central Coast Airfest at the Santa Maria Public Airport. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo)

Related Stories