Every year in June in Camarillo, an aviation society called the Quiet Birdmen have their annual barbecue and airshow. The ranch where the barbecue is held does not have an airstrip, so all of the aircraft are staged out of Camarillo airport. This is a wonderful opportunity to see some unique and rare warbirds. Not only are the sitting static until the flight operations begin, but they taxi, takeoff and depending on where the are based, land again at Camarillo. Each year, a different mixture and lineup of aircraft are there for the show. It is always interesting and exciting to see what will be on-hand when I arrive at the CAF hangars. This was my fourth year going to the staging event, but my first year with the Nikon. A couple of nice surprises showed up this year that made everyone excited. The Douglas SB2C Helldiver is a rare treat. It is currently the only Helldiver flying and it is based in Texas, so it is not normally seen in California. Clay Lacy brought out his beautiful DC-3 airliner "Mainliner O'Connor". A 1944 A-26 Invader based at Van Nuys also showed up and was really something to see. There were also a number of aerobatic aircraft in addition to the warbirds. Some of the aircraft on this page did not perform at the show, but were arriving or departing Camarillo during the flight ops. Enjoy the pictures!
