culture 36 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY september 26-october 2, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com Since he began operating radio-controlled planes, Brad Wursten knew he wanted to fly. But he lost interest in the traditional route of flight school to piloting commercial aircraft. One day a friend took him for a ride in an Extra EA-300, a propeller-driven monoplane designed for stunt performances. The Utah native had found success running a motorsports company, Power Addiction Racing. He also works in the family machine shop. However, the day spent dancing in the sky changed Wursten’s life. “I got really sick,” he recalls with a chuckle. “But I thought, ‘You know what, man? I really want to do this.’” Wursten began performing as a professional stunt pilot in 2008. In 2010 he bought an MXS—a state-ofthe-art aircraft—and began focusing on airshows. He travels to a dozen a year, twisting his plane through improbable routines. The California International Airshow Salinas will be the last on Wursten’s busy 2024 schedule. But he says it’s an event he anticipates with some excitement. Proximity to sea level boosts the performance of the MXS, allowing it to scream through the sky. “You have to be wired a little differently,” Wursten admits. “But it’s my passion.” Wursten’s aerobatic show in his MX2 aircraft is part of a diverse lineup at the annual gathering, a program that includes other stunt flyers. Jon Melby brings his highly maneuverable biplane to the Salinas airport. Sukhoi West is a tandem aerobatic team. The U.S. Patriots put jets through the demanding paces of an aerial act, while the volcanic Wall of Fire is less stunt than choreography, as flames erupt to the movement of aircraft. Once again, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds headline with a display of precision flying. But the airshow brings more than a schedule of routines to the field. Parked on the tarmac for tours and close-up inspection are some of the U.S. military’s workhorses. A massive C-5M Super Galaxy cargo plane will be open for visitors. Another transport, the C-130, will be nearby. And while a Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet is an example of combat aircraft of the present, a flight of famed P-51s will also take part. The P-51 Mustang was the iconic U.S. Army fighter from World War II, capable of escorting heavy bombers over long distances, but also used on ground support missions—fast, versatile and maneuverable. So there is history and purpose on the tarmac. But an airshow is more about the oohs and ahhs. According to Wursten, there are only some 250 professional stunt pilots in the U.S. It’s not an easy job to pick up—Wursten had no experience when he purchased his first aircraft. Even after flight training in King City and work with aerobatic legends Bill Stein and Carmel native Wayne Handley, it was tough to break in. “It takes time to build a reputation,” Wursten explains. “Nobody wants to take a risk on you. I never thought I’d ever be an airshow pilot.” Wursten says aerobatic performers are always chasing the perfect flight, always looking to improve. It may seem counterintuitive, but he notes that the maneuver itself—from spirals to loops to gravity-defying stalls—may be the simplest part for pilots. “It’s hard to explain—it’s rhythm,” Wursten points out. “The biggest challenge is adapting your routine to the box.” The box is an invisible section of sky set aside for air shows, and it can vary in size from one event to another. The trick to successfully completing a routine is for a pilot to keep their sense of direction while inside the box. “Getting yourself in position to do the maneuver is the hard part,” Wursten says. “The last thing you want to do is to spend that extra second.” Stunt pilots learn to quickly catalog reference points—which can be a problem. Once Wursten took part in a show at an airport with eight different runways. Spotting a strip of asphalt while pulling out of a loop wasn’t a problem. Quickly identifying which runway was, however. The box at Salinas is a diagonal away from the field itself. “At Salinas, you don’t have the runway as a reference point,” Wursten observes. “You have to find other landmarks.” Maverick’s Lounge kicks off the weekend with a culinary event and view of practice flights on Friday, Sept. 27. The airshow takes place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28-29. There is one certainty. Wursten and the other pilots scheduled to appear over Salinas will put on a show that prompts wows from the crowd below. “I’m really excited to be there,” Wursten says. California International Airshow Salinas begins at 9am (gates) Saturday, Sept. 28-Sunday, Sept. 29. Salinas Municipal Airport, 30 Mortensen Ave., Salinas. $20-$80. 754-1983, salinasairshow.com. Plane Sight Aerobatic pilot Brad Wursten and the other performers put on a spectacle at the Salinas Airshow. By Dave Faries Above: Pilot Brad Wursten shares high fives with crowds at an airshow. The stunt flying veteran has been entertaining audiences since 2008. Left: Wursten sends his plane into a dive as he begins an aerobatic maneuver. Below: The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds put on a demonstration of precision flying. Courtesy Brad Wursten Courtesy California International Airshow Salinas Courtesy Brad Wursten
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