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July 3, 2005 Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner Planes of the Red Baron Pizza Squadron fly in formation during Saturday's air show at the National Cherry Festival. The group was raising money to help the Father Fred Foundation. Airshow spectators enjoy blue-sky dayStunt planes, jets soar on first dayBY GARRET ELLISONRecord-Eagle staff writer  Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner Mario Pulido, 2, holds his years while his father, Mario Pulido II, watches the aircraft fly by. "In Detroit, we only have cars - no planes," Pawlowski joked. "Seeing it over the water is great, it makes a great backdrop." Pawlowski and his wife Angela enjoyed their first Cherry Festival Saturday and basked in sunny, 78-degree climes. "One thing we could count on today was the weather," air show Director Kristine Volk said. The acts started at 12:30 p.m. with a Coast Guard helicopter search and rescue demonstration. Among the planes on display were an A-10 Thunderbolt II, the Red Baron Pizza Squadron, a Staudacher 300, a T-6 A II Texan Demo, an SNV-1, and a HU 16 B Albatross - added at the last minute. The show ended just after 3 p.m. Flight teams are scheduled to repeat their programs today starting at 12:30 p.m. Festival Air Boss Steve Plamondon said rough weather on Friday had a minor affect on the performance. "It was a little tough yesterday because we didn't get a full practice in," Plamondon said. "We also had a couple little delays to get some commercial traffic out (of the airport)." Plamondon stays in radio contact with pilots throughout the show. The pilots "all said what a beautiful day it was," he said. "It certainty beats a runway in the desert somewhere." Lani Amsler, of Detroit, watched the Red Barons from the marina pier. "This reminds me of an Etch-a-Sketch in the sky," she said. The Red Baron Pizza Squadron last visited the Cherry Festival in 2003. "In some aspects, they seem more interesting than the Blue Angels because of the maneuvers in flight," said James Schaberg, adjunct instructor at Northwestern Michigan College's Flight Academy. Schaberg said the Red Barons seem loud because the velocity of the propellers creates miniature sonic booms. "It breaks the sound barrier - close to 600 to 750 m.p.h.," he said. "It's pretty incredible what they do with stunts and stuff." Down at show center, cherry queen candidates viewed the show from front seat perches. "It's always crazy to see them go so close to each other," said queen candidate Elizabeth Rountree. "You think they're going to crash." As the Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet made a sneak pass over downtown, the crowd jumped. "Ow, my ears!" Max Rysztak, 9, said as the plane screamed over. "It surprised me." The Super Hornet is the same type of aircraft as the Blue Angels, the U.S. Navy flight team expected back next year for the festival's 80th anniversary, said Susan Wilcox Olson, festival media relations director.
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