Menifee Parachutists to Drop in on Riverside Air Show

Parachute jumps, wing-walking stunts and aerobatics displays will be featured Saturday in Riverside Municipal Airport's 21st annual Air Show.

More than 90,000 people are expected to turn out for the event, which gets under way at 9:30 a.m. with the "Just In Time Skydivers," a parachute team out of Menifee. The skydivers will leap from the back of a transport plane and deploy an American flag on the way down.

A little later, John Collver will steer his T-6 Texan single-engine warplane through a number of high-speed maneuvers during both morning and afternoon performances, according to organizers.

Famed aerobatics pilot Jon Melby is also slated to power up his Pitts muscle bi-plane for two performances, during which he'll demonstrate snap rolls, loops and dives.

The Silver Wings Aerobatics and Wing-Walking Team, featuring Margie Stivers and pilot Hartley Folstad, will wow the crowd with a "heart-pounding ballet in the sky," air show coordinator Tom Miller said.

"They're the best in the industry," he told City News Service. "Their show really delights everyone."

The Riverside Police Department will stage a mock police pursuit on the airport tarmac, using the agency's Air One helicopter crew, a K9 team and several patrol units, Miller said.

A classic car show, aircraft static displays and military vehicles will be available for visitors to see up close.

"There are quite a few things going on the ground as well as in the air," Miller said.

He said military jet demonstrations had been on the agenda until March 1, when the Defense Department stopped participation by U.S. Armed Services personnel or their equipment, due to the federally mandated budget "sequestration."

Sequestration kicked in because Democratic and Republican lawmakers could not reach a compromise on spending as laid out in the Budget Control Act of 2011. About $85 billion in cuts -- 2 percent of the roughly $3.4 trillion in outlays for the current fiscal year -- are being imposed.

"We've always had the military involved in previous shows," Miller said. "But you build around what you've got and don't worry about what you don't. We've got a lot of people looking to have a good time, and that's what we'll give them."

The air show, free to the public, will run from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Parking will be available at the airport and in surrounding lots owned by local businesses.

—City News Service