The Long Beach Airport will welcome some very special guests for its 85th birthday celebration this weekend. The Airport will be the host of Wings Over Long Beach, a two-day event with more than two dozen military and civilian aircraft on display, as well as Air Force personnel to provide information bout the machines. Some of the legendary aircraft on display will include the C-17 Globemastr transport, the KC-135 Stratotanker, the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the B-52H Stratofortress bomber.
Holding the event in Long Beach was really a no-brainer for Dennis Lord, a County of Los Angeles Aviation Commissioner and 35-year Long Beach resident.
“We’re very excited to bring this event to this venue,” Lord says. “Long Beach is the only location in Los Angeles County that we could even consider holding this event because of its ability to bring in large aircraft.”
Lord also points to Long Beach’s rich historical link to the aviation industry. Both the B-20 and B-17 were produced exclusively in Long Beach during World War 2, and the legend of Rosie The Riveter was alive and kicking in Long Beach as women famously took to producing aircraft and other machinery. City Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske recently wrote a book about Long Beach’s own Rosies.
Lord and other organizers worked hard to provide a family oriented atmosphere. Tickets will be just $5 to attend the event.
“You can’t go to the movies for $5, yet I can put you inside a Boeing C-17,” Lord says. “This is a great opportunity to support our men and women in the military, and it ties in nicely with National Air Force Week.”
By Ryan ZumMallen, Managing Editor