Camarillo Airshow
Saturday, August 19, 2006

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The Camarillo Airport hosted an airshow over the weekend of August 19 - 20. The airshow was sponsored by Chapter 723 of the Experimental Aircraft Association and featured flying performances by the airplanes of the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force.

Tour the Camarillo Airport on Google Earth.

North American SNJ-4 Texan N75964 #44 was manufactured in 1943. Its construction number is 88-9830.

North American SNJ-5 Texan, N89014 was ordered by the Army Air Corps as 41-34524, but it was diverted to the U. S. Navy as BuNo 84865 in 1943. Its construction number is 88-16676. It spent some time in the service of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force. Dennis G. Buehn and Warbirds West of Compton, California recovered it from Japan in October 1977 and registered it as N89014. Brandon O'Brien bought it in 1979. The Confederate Air Force of Harlingen, Texas acquired it in 1986.

General Motors FM-2 Wildcat, N5833 has been restored in the colors of a Royal Navy Martlett. It originally carried U.S. Navy BuNo 86819. Its General Motor construction number is 5877. It crashed in 1955 while flying as a sprayer for Butler Aviation of Redmond, Oregon. The rebuild project took many years and the airframe passed therough the hands of several owners. It received its current registration in August 1983. It was returned to the air on April 24, 1987 by Air Group One at Ramona, California. It spent a short while in the hands of Military Aircraft Restoration Corporation at Chino. It is now registered to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum and based with the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force at Camarillo.

Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C originally wore Navy BuNo 122674. Its Grumman construction number is D.1227. It was built in 1948. E. Weiner of Los Angeles registered it under its current tail number in 1958. It was bought by Leo Demeers of Aurora, Oregon in 1963. Richard Tobey of Newport Beach, California in acquired it in 1966 and then sold it to Paul Finefrock of Hobart, Oklahoma in 1969. Gary Levitz picked it up later that year. It has belonged to the Confederate Air Force since 1972. It underwent a major rebuild from 1989 to 1991. It made its first flight after the rebuild on December 17, 1991. It is now registered to the American Airpower Heritage Flying Museum and based with the Southern California Wing of the Commemorative Air Force at Camarillo.

Beech T-34A Mentor N134LM was built in 1955. Its construction number is G-292.

F8F-2 Bearcat N7825C.

North American SNJ-5 Texan, N1038A War Dog was built in 1944. Its U.S. Navy Bureau Number was 90917 and it still wears that number on its tail. It has been a familiar sight on the airshow circuit for many years. It is owned and piloted by John Collver.

Elmer Ward's North American P-51D Mustang, NL44727 Man-O'-War originally carried Army Air Force serial 44-72739. Its North American construction number is 122-39198. For a number of years it sat in open storage on the Universal Studios lot until Ascher Ward of Van Nuys, California recovered it in August 1970 and registered it as N44727 in 1971. For a while it was named Poontang. Elmer Ward acquired it in 1975 and restored it to the appearance of his original WW-II mount, 44-14292.

FM-2 N5833.

SNJ-5 Texan N1038A War Dog.

North American B-25J Mitchell, N30801 Executive Sweet has been registered to the American Aeronautical Foundation of Thousand Oaks since 1985. Its Army Air Force serial number was 44-30801 and its North American construction number is 108-35126. It was converted to the TB-25N configuration before its retirement by the Air Force. It was registered as N3699G by Avery Aviation of Greybull, Wyoming in 1963. Filmways Inc. of Hollywood acquired it in 1968 for use in the movie Catch-22. Challenge Publications bought it in 1972 and changed its registration to N30801 in 1978.

SNJ-5 Texan N1038A War Dog.

FM-2 N5833.

F8F-2 Bearcat N7825C.

T-34B Mentor, N341MR.

SNJ-4 Texan N75964 #44

SNJ-5 Texan, N89014.

Beech T-34A Mentor N134LM.

North American T-28A Trojan, N81643 served the Air Force as 49-1643. Its construction number is 159-155. Norman B. Dennis Jr. of Brookneal, California registered it as N9674C in 1966. Robert Eggmann of Belleville, Illinois registered it as N28RE in 1978. Edward A. Buerckholtz of Chesterfield, Missouri registered it as N81643 in 1985. It has been registered to Round Power Limited of Reno, Nevada since March 4, 2004. Its owner, Gregg Weitzman, recently had it restored in the colors of a T-28A that was flown by the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base in the 1950s. It is based at the Santa Barbara Airport.