​Rumble Over the Redwoods Returns for Third Annual Airshow

Preparations are underway for the third annual Rumble Over the Redwoods airshow at California Redwood Coast-Humboldt County Airport (KACV) in McKinleyville on August 8-9. To mitigate pyrotechnic risks, Dennis Dunbar of organizer Dunbar Airshows said that includes a prescribed grass burn. 

“Safety is key,” Dunbar said. “We do prescribed burns before most of the shows we do, and we always have [fire] trucks standing by during the pyrotechnics.”

The Arcata Fire District is conducting the burn.

“It is intended to reduce the grass on airport property to help mitigate potential risks associated with the pyrotechnics that will be used during the airshow,” said Anali Gonzalez, business manager for the Arcata Fire District. “The project will also support smoke management and aircraft and firefighter safety during the event.”

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According to Gonzalez, the burn will be conducted only under appropriate weather conditions as a controlled operation. During the burn, visitors and those in the airport vicinity may see fire in a designated area of airport property along with personnel actively managing and extinguishing the fire. Airport operations will not be impacted, and no road closures are anticipated.

Dunbar’s company is known for orchestrating some of the largest aviation events in the country, such EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo in Lakeland, Florida.

He said what makes the Rumble Over the Redwoods show unique is that this show was primarily created by a man who grew up in Humboldt County and remembered coming to the airshow at the airport with his Boy Scout troop. Fast-forward a few decades and the boy who became interested in aviation has grown up to be a pilot and local benefactor, helping the airshow return to his hometown.

Dunbar was introduced to the man, who prefers to remain anonymously behind the scenes, by well-known warbird pilot Steve Hinton.

“I was immediately taken back by his humbleness and could relate to his personal story of being inspired at an airshow,” said Dunbar. “His desire to provide his community, often referred to as the ‘Lost Coast,’ with an opportunity to see what the world of aviation had to offer coupled with his admiration of our veterans and honoring their service was inspiring to me.

“I had actually met this man before at the California Capital Airshow in Sacramento, where he was in blue jeans and looked like some guy off the street standing on the wing of a [P-51] Mustang that had a line of kids he was putting in the cockpit. Noting that it was unusual to see a line of kids getting to sit inside a Mustang these days, I asked him who he was, and he simply quietly replied, “It’s OK. I’m the owner.’ I then noticed the pilot, whom I knew well, was laughing at me as he gave me a thumbs-up.    

The airport’s size, specifically the runways and nearby homes, don’t allow for an aerobatic box that would allow the Air Force’s Thunderbirds or Navy’s Blue Angels or even the military single-ship demo team to perform. But there is room for demonstration flights, Dunbar said.

“Having a good safe show is the priority, and we want to entertain the public,” he said. “The crowds here are always appreciative. The first year the show drew 10,000 people. Last year we drew 11,000 people. We’re hoping to break that record this year.”

For perspective, the population of Humboldt County, per the U.S. Census Bureau, is 131,647.

Dunbar pointed out that about 175 volunteers help make the show happen.

The Rumble Over the Redwoods airshow is unique because the airport has scheduled airline service, and the event is paused as airliners come and go, and because the fog often doesn’t lift until noon PDT (or slightly later), which means the performers and public have to be flexible.

“This is [an] honor-the-sequence, not-the-time show,” said Dunbar, noting there will be plenty to see on the ground, including the Smoke-N-Thunder jet truck, along with pyrotechnics from the Tora Bomb Squad, which is a fan favorite.

“We have our largest list of static displays, including warbirds, local airplanes, assets from the U.S. Coast Guard and Cal Fire, and a FedEx 408 Cessna SkyCourier. And this year for the first time a Ferris wheel so our guests can get an even better view of the Redwoods, the ocean, and the historic aircraft. Depending on when the fog lifts, people may be riding it in IMC.”

Scheduled Performers

The airshow includes Luke Aikins from the Red Bull Air Force performing a specialty act called the “Pick and Flick,” where he flies over and grabs a skydiver out of a vehicle racing down the runway before pulling up to a safe altitude, where the jumper lets go of the rope before going under the canopy.

Aerobatic pilot Vicky Benzing, a local celebrity at the show, returns with her P-51 “Plum Crazy” and Stearman.

This year’s show headliner is the Patriots Jet Team, which will be joined by a B-17 and B-25 along with several P-51s.  A P-47 Thunderbolt will make its first appearance.  

“Steve Hinton will be doing a solo routine in the F8F Bearcat from Planes of Fame [Air Museum], and Warren Pietsch will do a routine in the P-51 Thunderbird, a truly unique aircraft coming from North Dakota,” said Dunbar. “Mark Peterson from Idaho will be bringing his A-37 Dragonfly jet for a Vietnam-era tribute also featuring an AD-4W Skyraider, often known as the Sandy, from the Erickson [Aircraft] Collection in Oregon Bernie Vasquez has also become a crowd favorite for his precision flying and always bringing a unique aircraft from the Ala Doble Flying Collection. This year he [will bring] the [Jim] Younkin[built ‘Goliath,’  a 1941 Super Stearman powered by a Pratt & Whitney 1340 600 hp radial engine.”

Dunbar said his team looks forward to the show.

“Rumble might be the smallest airshow we produce, but the crowd reaction and joy they express, coupled with the people, particularly the volunteers, we get to work with in Humboldt County makes it one of my favorites,” he said. “We are happy to have brought a large-scale community event back to this region.”

Tickets are available here.