Aviation Enthusiasts Gather at Petaluma Airport Day and “Special Day of Devotion Luncheon” in the ‘Seamax Hangar’
Petaluma’s Airport Day was spent learning about aircraft, reminiscing about aviation memories, and learning about the state of the aviation event industry. (Photo courtesy Kent Carlomagno)
By Kent Carlomagno
Sometimes an event is so much fun and so memorable that two months later, we find ourselves still talking about it. Petaluma Airport 069 in Petaluma, Calif. had one such event – a joyous airport day on Saturday, April 15. Airport tenants and staff came out to meet the public while aircraft owners showed off their planes to aspiring pilots and the general public, while warbird enthusiasts flocked to the airport to see these beloved aircraft and others walked the grounds and enjoyed the food truck concessions near airport center.
While aviation enthusiasts and local residents enjoyed the airport open house, a smaller group of pilots and enthusiasts gathered at the North West end of the airport in what has become known as “the Seamax hangar.”
Petaluma Airport in Northern Calif. had hosted airport day on April 15 where airport tenants and staff came out to meet the public while aircraft owners showed off their planes to aspiring pilots and the general public. (Photo courtesy Kent Carlomagno)
Local pilot, Kent Carlomagno, hosted a special event with several special planes to draw attention to warbird lovers (headliner of the show was “a WW II Goodyear built F4U Corsair from Santa Rosa like the one in a recent movie entitled, “Devotion”), a Beach 18/C 45, AT 6, seaplane, and other unusual aircraft like a rare composite built Extra 400 and awesome paint job “Velocity.” Pilots flew in from all over the state of California, and there was an impressive display of planes near the edge of the taxiway of the hangar. Carlomagno featured his light sport Seamax seaplane and showed the group what an awesome plane it is.
The group socialized inside and outside the hangar while sipping on cool drinks. Then Eddie Andreini Jr. came in from Half Moon Bay with some gourmet salmon and potatoes plus local Petaluma restaurant “Alfredo’s” bought in delicious chicken pasta and homemade Caesar salad. Attendees enjoyed a delicious lunch and some dessert, and then Carlomagno had quite a program lined up for his guests. First, he spoke about the Seamax and the importance of seaplanes in the industry. Next, his fellow colleague Herb Lingl, a seaplane pilot and aerial photographer from Clear Lake, Calif., talked about an upcoming conference that he was hosting a few miles up Highway 101 on April 22-23. A couple other speakers spoke about past history at “Hamilton field in both military and civilian airshow/air race use and the state of the industry and other upcoming aviation events plus inspiring aviation books that are a “must read”!
The afternoon was spent learning about aircraft, reminiscing about aviation memories, and learning about the state of the aviation event industry. This Petaluma event was the perfect pre-curser for the following week’s event in Clear Lake.
Carlomagno is an enthusiastic seaplane/warbird pilot who loves talking about his Seamax and getting groups together. To learn more about his flying operations and special involvement with Seamax here in Northern California, feel free to email him at: carlomagno@earthlink.net. For more aviation related information also, stop by the Petaluma Airport terminal building at 601 Sky Ranch Dr, Petaluma, CA 94954.