A Parade Of Airplanes

Yesterday, Palm Springs threw a block party. There is an aviation convention in town, and to celebrate, the city let the convention throw a rather unique parade. Over 80 planes—everything from WWI Biplanes, to WWII fighters, to Piper Cubs, to the latest Lear jets—taxied under their own power along city streets from the airport to the convention center. Thousands of spectators lined the streets to wave and cheer.

I was thrilled to partake in the fun. It was pretty remarkable. There were at least ten jets, and we all had to hold our hands over our ears as they roared by. As the planes reached the convention center, they were parked along two streets that were blocked off, and spectators were allowed to wander through the area, taking close-ups of each aircraft.

I think my favorite was the WWII Spitfire, although there were several varieties of ultra-lights that could be purchased as kits and built in your backyard, which I found amazing.  All in all, it was an exciting morning. The airplanes will be parked on the streets until Saturday, when they will taxi back to the airport. Can’t wait to see them again.