The hum of vintage warbirds and roar of modern military aircraft could be heard in the skies above the Santa Maria Valley as the annual Thunder Over the Valley soared again Sunday at the Santa Maria Public Airport.
The 25th annual show this year celebrated a century of Marine Corps aviation. As part of that celebration, the event included a demonstration by an MV-22 Osprey, which takes off and lands like a helicopter but then can convert to a turboprop airplane capable of high-speed, high-altitude flight.
The show also featured a demonstration and a mock battle between World War II fighter planes, an American P-51 Mustang and a Zero, a fighter used by the Japanese Imperial Army. Thunder Over the Valley is organized by the Santa Maria Museum of Flight.
8/27/12 Santa Maria Time Staff report