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Aviators flock to festival
By MICHELLE JONES, Times Staff Writer ZEPHYRHILLS -- Mark Curto, 51, jumped out of an airplane Saturday afternoon to the delight of several hundred spectators on the ground. Curto is a member of the Zephyrhills Skydivers Club, and his organization was a part of the entertainment at the fifth annual Zephyrhills Airport Festival this weekend. He started jumping in 1971 and since then has jumped 2,000 times. Carrie Logan, 10, of Valrico asked him what inspired him to sky-dive. "Fear of heights," said Curto. "I like being scared, and it is still scary. It would be boring if it wasn't." Twice during the past 30 years Curto has had to use his reserve chute. "There are two handles, one for each hand," he said. "If the first one doesn't open, you release the main shoot and pull the reserve." He said sky divers have a saying: When people look like ants, everything is okay, but when ants look like people, you are in trouble. Along with the skydiving exhibitions there were aircraft flown in from all over the state, arts and crafts booths, food and free biplane and helicopter rides for children ages 8 to 18 by the Experimental Aircraft Association Aviation Foundation's Young Eagles program. "We hope to spark an interest in aviation in some of the participants," said Rita DeBeer, a member of Zephyrhills EAA Chapter 118. Airplanes were flown in from the Flight of Fantasy near Polk City. Some were big enough to look inside. A Russian Antonor AN-2, built in China in 1959, was one of the vintage planes. J.R. Bergevin, 58, from Canada, was one of the visitors. He and his wife were in Zephyrhills staying with John Raccine and his wife, who live near the airport. "I saw it come in, and during its final approach it couldn't have been doing no more than 40 mph," said Bergevin, who owns a four-seat Cessna 172. "Most airplanes would stall at that speed. It is quite a specimen." He said that the plane had to be used for short takeoffs and landings. "It was probably used in war zones to drop off supplies," he surmised. Gene and Kathy White flew from St. Petersburg to the air show in their 1950 Cessna 170. "We heard about it and flew in to eat a hot dog and see what is going on," said Gene White, who has been flying for 30 years. "I fly a couple of times a week. We have gone to Wisconsin for the big fly-in and we have gone to Ohio and New York." He said he and his wife enjoyed the old cars and motorcycles at the show. "We go to anybody's fly-in," he said. "We love to fly. It's our hobby." Along with arts and crafts booths, there was food, and plenty of it. Dave Hawthorne was pitching his pork tenderloin sandwiches, big enough for two to share, for $3.50. "I live in Zephyrhills for four months," said Hawthorne. Cooked in peanut oil, the pork is lightly breaded and served on a hamburger bun. "They are really good," said Kelsey Lutz, 11, from New York. She sampled a friend's sandwich and decided to get one instead of a cheeseburger. One of the highlights of the air show was the ribbon cutting and dedication of the World War II barracks to the 10th Fighter Squadron. During the war training pilots and air crew were stationed in Zephyrhills. Ten of the veterans were on hand to attend the dedication Saturday afternoon. Bernie Morrison Sr., president of the squadron since the reunion group was formed, spoke for them. "This is an example of when you volunteer for something in 1961, and in 2002 you still have the job," he said. Now living in Georgia, he said it was great to be home again in the city of pure water. "When we came here from Orlando, we saw the water tower with city of pure water written on it and we were not afraid to drink the water," he said. "This is a real dedication to what we did 59 years ago. Zephyrhills is the best place we ever were stationed." He said they had standing invitations for Sunday dinners at local residents' homes. "We never saw so many people come out to make us feel welcome," said Morrison. The barracks will be used as a museum, with more than half of the model airplanes on exhibit belonging to curator Merv Beck. The models hang from ceilings and fill bookshelves in the building. Each of the veterans received a commendation from the airport that stated, "The people who visit this building will remember your courage and dedication." -- Michelle Jones covers central Pasco community news. She can be reached at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 4612, or (813) 909-4612. Her e-mail address is jones@sptimes.com.
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From today's Pasco Times Jan Glidewell |
