Air Show Raises $85,000 for Groups

The Van Nuys Airport Aviation Expo raised $85,000 last weekend, up $10,000 from the previous year’s event.

The proceeds from food and souvenir vendors will benefit such nonprofit organizations as local schools and athletic associations, the Van Nuys Rotary Club, California Rangers, Mid-Valley Chamber of Commerce, and the Civil Air Patrol.

Event coordinator Stacy Geere said organizers were surprised by the success of the two-day expo, which drew 300,000 people despite a number of competing events, including the grand opening of the Metro Red Line subway and the weekend North Hollywood arts and theater festival. Geere said that holding the expo a month earlier than usual, rather than in the heat of July, added to its success.

“The weather cooperated,” she said. “It was the perfect weekend for an air show.”

Geere also attributed the high level of visitor enthusiasm to such activities as Saturday’s B-2 Stealth bomber flyover and all-day demonstrations by aerobatic pilots.