Airsho 2008!

To Brian Owen, the Commemorative Air Force's air show is "like going back to Mecca."

The air show at the Midland headquarters is by far the biggest CAF show in the world, bringing people even from Western Europe, said the B-17 crew chief the CAF's Arizona wing.

Two of Owen's crew came in from Berlin this afternoon. He said one of them even flew during World War II.

Owen and his crew landed their B-17s Thursday afternoon and head out to fuel back up for the big show, which starts today.

He's been flying for the air show for 24 years and said he doesn't plan to stop anytime soon.

The CAF is the sixth largest air force in the world, volunteer Mari Smoki said.

Smoki sat in the registration room in the new Commemorative Center signing up pilots as they landed Thursday. She's been volunteering with the CAF for 16 years, and said she does it because her daddy raced planes.

"We've got a love for planes here," she said. "There are no paid members of the CAF."

Herb Spencer knows what that's like, he flew in the show for 16 years, but that isn't all - Spencer actually flew B-17s in World War II.

Owen grew up around planes too. His father flew and worked on B-17s in World War II. When Owen's mother got pregnant with Brian, she made his father quit the dangerous hobby. So he took the hobby home, exposing Owen to planes daily. 

"I always got in trouble at school drawing pictures of planes instead of paying attention," Owen said.

This year, Owen took off two weeks from work to train and participate in the show. He is a tool dealer in Arizona for a living.

Owen said he and his fellow pilots will reenact World War II battles this weekend, including Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. He said his hobby is a lot of fun, because it lets him be a boy again.

"We are man children," he said. 

NEED TO KNOW

>> What: Fina-CAF Airsho 2008

>> Gates open at 5 p.m. today and flying will begin at 8 p.m. The Aaron Tippin concert begins immediately after the show.

>> Saturday and Sunday: Gates open at 7:30 a.m. for viewing. Flying events are scheduled from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

>> Where: near the Midland International Airport, 9600 Wright Drive.

>> Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-12, and children younger than 5 get in free. Special seating is an additional $10 a day.

>> The ‘Save the Girls' Luncheon is at 11:30 a.m. in the Commemorative Center. Tickets are $30.

CAF OFFERS REFUGE TO IKE PLANES

>> The Lone Star Flight Museum's B-25N and B-17G will be arriving today in Midland for a long-term stay at CAF Headquarters due to storm damage caused by Hurricane Ike.

>> The museum was able to evacuate the planes before the storm hit, but 8 feet of water stood in the hangers. The Lone Star Flight Museum will now participate in the Fina-CAF Airsho in the form of a donation box.

>> For information on the Lone Star Flight Museum and to view photos of the damage wrought by Hurricane Ike, visit www.lsfm.org.