War aces and vintage aircraft land in Camarillo

By John Loesing Acorn Staff Writer

Photos by MICHAEL COONS MEMORIES-Above, Lowell Steward, a Tuckegee Airman during WWII, takes a look at a P-51 fighter on display at the 22nd annual Camarillo Air Show last weekend at the Camarillo Airport. Steward flew the fighters during escort missions over Germany and the Mediterranean. Below, a B-25 nicknamed "Executive Sweet" was one of the many vintage war aircraft on display. This year's show carried a military theme as the anniversary of Sept. 11 approaches.

All weekend, the big crowds and airplane engines roared to life, bringing a sense of urgency and excitement to the 22nd annual Camarillo Air Show. To the side of the main runway, in a special location set aside for America’s war heroes, a group of veteran pilots from World War II traded harrowing tales of combat and the times they nearly died.

Approaching the first anniversary of Sept. 11, this year’s air show was cast in a decidedly military theme with a slew of law enforcement aircraft, rescue helicopters and vintage warplanes on display.

Two pilots who attended the Saturday and Sunday show were forced to fight not only the enemy abroad, but also the social injustices of a nation at home.

Lowell Steward and William Ellis, both in their 80s, were part of the Tuskegee Airmen, the talented black fighter pilots who trained in Alabama and flew missions over Germany, Italy and North Africa.

"[Military command] told us they were black, but we didn’t care. They were there for us," said Hal Wilder, a B-24 bomber pilot who depended on the Airmen for fighter support.

"A lot of people did care and there was a whole lot of crap about that," said Ellis, who still recalls the blatant discrimination that almost prevented him from serving the country he loved.

Ellis wound up flying dozens of missions and served alongside Gen. Daniel "Chappy" James, the first black officer to earn four-star rank in any branch of service.

Wilder had his own troubles to deal with in the war against Germany.

"Our worst [incident] is when we caught a burst and cut the rudder cable and wounded the tail gunner," Wilder recalled. "We couldn’t keep up. One of the [Tuskegee] Airmen peeled off and stayed with us until we got to Italy."

"We ended up being the best fighter pilots in the Air Force," said Lowell, a Tuskegee Airman who flew 143 missions, mostly convoy escorts over the Mediterranean Sea.

Of special interest at this year’s show was an appearance by George Muennich, a German Luftwaffe pilot who flew Junkers and Messerschmitts in the skies over Russia.

"I’m the odd one here," Muennich said with his still pronounced German accent.

Now an America citizen living in Simi Valley, Muennich said he once was shot down near the Black Sea and had to walk 70 miles to reach German lines.

He also delivered supplies to the German troops stranded at Stalingrad.

"That was a disaster," he said. "We knew we could never win that battle."

Ed Burnham, one of the air show organizers, gave credit to all the pilots who fought in the war: black, white, German or American.

"They’re a vanishing breed," Burnham said. "They’re what I would characterize as a national treasure."

"It was a scary business," Wilder said, "and a hell of a way to make a living."

More than 100 aircraft appeared at this year’s show and among the dozen or so that performed for the audience was "Executive Sweet," a nicely renovated B-25 bomber owned by the American Aeronautical Foundation.

The B-25 "Mitchell" is best known as the aircraft that took Col. James Doolittle and his pilots on the daring 1942 raid over Tokyo.

The twin 1,700-horsepower Curtis Wright engines on "Executive Sweet" rumble as loudly as ever, but the aircraft’s bomb bay doors and dozen 50-caliber machine guns placed menacingly from nose-to-tail have been quieted forever.

Only about two dozen of the B-25s are still flying today.

Crew chief Rick Decurtins, who serviced F-4 jets at Da Nang Air Force Base in Viet Nam, said the restoration of the 60-year-old "Executive Sweet" remains a work in progress.

"We don’t want to tear it down completely because we want to fly it," he said. "We do it in sections."

Camarillo is the plane’s home base.

Also in attendance were several veterans who flew P-51 Mustangs and B-26 bombers, but not all of the pilots at the air show had military interests.

Don Miller, a resident of Westlake Village and the Camarillo Air Show "ground boss" flies a tiny Thorp T-18 experimental aircraft.

"It’s one of the classic, high-speed, all-metal, home-built aircraft," said the 55-year-old Miller.

The two-passenger plane has a single 180-horsepower engine and just a 21-foot wing span.

Miller is in his fifth year as director of the air show ground operations. He cultivated his love for aviation as a child and has been enamored with flying ever since.

"I’ve loved airplanes since I was kid," he said. "It’s freedom, fun and it totally recalibrates my day."