Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
Tehachapi's Online Community News & Entertainment Guide
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On Monday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m., a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held to unveil a patriotic mural at VFW Post 5948. Local artist and retired Air Force Colonel Mark Pestana has painted a mural representing the branches of the military on a city-owned utility box outside the VFW. This new artwork is part of Make Art Tehachapi's ongoing efforts to create, protect and preserve the historic murals in Downtown Tehachapi. VFW Tehachapi Mountain Post 5948 is located at 221 W. Tehachapi Blvd. Pestana...
A group of fifth grade students from Cummings Valley Elementary School recently had the opportunity to participate in the Department of Defense's STARBASE program at Edwards Air Force Base. This unique five-day educational experience, over the span of five weeks, was the first of its kind for Cummings Valley Elementary, marking a significant milestone in the program due to new DoD guidance that expanded eligibility beyond Title I schools. Teachers Angelica McKay, Haley Sexton and Lisa Newman...
A beautifully calm, warm day greeted guests as lots of pilots decided to fly in and display their aircraft for Plane Crazy Saturday, the monthly event sponsored by the Mojave Transportation Museum, Foundation. Each month, on the third Saturday, MTM invites pilots to bring their historic aircraft to Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field for display. When the weather is nice, they show up in force! A wide-variety of aircraft was on display, from a Piper J-3 Cub to Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet. The...
As of July 15, 2024, Doctor David G. Smith is the Chief Executive Officer of the Mojave Air and Space Port, a world-renowned flight research center spanning 3300+ acres, hosting the latest and most advanced aeronautical designs. Here more than 60 companies are engaged in light industrial to highly advanced aerospace design, production, flight test and research to heavy rail industrial operations. Flight Research activities include endo- and exo- atmospheric craft supporting private sector and...
The most beautiful Valentine's Day was Feb. 14, 1982. On this day God gifted the world with the birth of Christopher Joseph Calvillo. Christopher was born at Edwards Air Force Base to parents Julie Ann Doughty and Daniel Calvillo. He was raised in Tehachapi, graduating from Tehachapi High School in 2000. Shortly after High School he met the love of his life – Elisa Hernandez. Together they had two children. Son Christopher David and daughter Marley Grace. Chris was a baker at Kohnen's Country B...
Barbara K. (Peck) Grantham, 76, a compassionate, intelligent, beautiful lady went to sing praises with the Lord, on Thursday evening, July 18, 2024. She fought a courageous battle with Parkinson's disease and took her final earthly breath at her home with her loving husband, Buz Grantham, by her side. Barbara had the most beautiful smile, a wonderful sense of humor and an excellent wit that drew people to her. She loved to spend time with her family, singing, crafting, cooking and laughing. She...
This is a continuation of the article in the July 6 issue of The Loop newspaper. My longest flight was straight out up the Southern Sierra Nevada range to Olancha Peak near Lone Pine California. I was ultra conservative with all my sailplane flying, learning from all my great flight instructors during my 35 years of flying. Some higher mileage treks were 200 to 400 miles in an eight hour flight by the sailplane community back then. Olancha Peak is at an elevation of 12,132 feet on the...
Like most kids born in the 1950s, I wanted to learn to drive as soon as I could reach the gas and brake pedals. I also wanted to learn how to safely target, trap, shoot and receive aircraft flight instruction. I lived near El Monte airport in the San Gabriel Valley when I was 13 years old. I would ride my bike down to watch the take-offs and landings of all kinds of aircraft. My uncle Jim had pilot friends who owned a Beachcraft Bonanza. I was invited on a trip to Las Vegas in the aircraft, wher...
William Joseph Zeigler, 79, passed away on June 16. Born on Nov. 12, 1944, in Baltimore, Maryland, to William Joseph Zeigler, Sr. and Margaret Davis, Bill lived a life dedicated to his family, distinguished service to his country and his community. In line with his wishes, no public service will be held. Bill was a devoted husband, father and brother. He enjoyed 50 wonderful years of marriage with his dear wife, Melang (Pepper). He was immensely proud of his three exceptional children, Mina,...
Word was received that our pilot friend, Dick Rutan, passed away on May 3 and it saddened all of us at Mojave Air & Space Port at "Rutan Field." What a wonderful inspiration he was to generations of aviation enthusiasts. His spirit will live on at the airport where he flew and trained others in the joy of flight. He gave many young people their first ride in an airplane and for most of them, it propelled them into a career of aviation. He enjoyed talking to kids (of all ages) and encouraging...
Interested in local history? Mark your calendar now for the Friends of the Tehachapi Depot (FOTD) free event taking place Tuesday, June 11 at 6 p.m. in the Tehachapi Depot freight room. There will be food and drink served followed by a presentation from Antelope Valley (AV) Historian Bob Alvis. Bob will discuss the original Santa Fe railroad line that ran from Boron to Mojave, California. The line was relocated to its present location paralleling Highway 58 as a result of the expansion of...
This past week was an amazing personal and professional experience for me. I was a civic representative at the 70th Annual National Security Forum - via a nomination made by Edwards Air Force Base (Danny Bazzel). I spent the week, at Maxwell Air Force Base, with 98 civic leaders from around the globe and hundreds of brilliant military leaders who've been honing strategic skills to strengthen the defense of our nation. (Blended into the military team were citizens of other aligned nations and oth...
Greetings from Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field! I remember seeing the first C-17 Globemaster III landing at Mojave Airport 29 years ago. My brother, Larry (Gale) Hellwig, was a Weight and Balance Engineer with McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach at the time and I could hardly wait to call him with the news. I drove out on Highway 58, nearly under the flight path and clicked off about three rolls of film. My, how times have changed. I use a digital camera now and have the results instantly....
In February, Air Force Sergeant Crystal Erskine was finally able to move into her new home in Tehachapi, as the owner had been preparing it for occupancy. Transferred from San Antonio, Texas, Erskine and her two children, 15-year-old Danielle and 11-year-old Josiah, lived on Edwards Air Force Base for a while until the house was ready for them. All of their belongings were put in storage during that time. Tagging along in the move was Coco and Cash, their two family dogs. Crystal was raised...
On April 30, the Kern Audubon-Tehachapi group will gather to delve into the world of avian conservation and citizen science. This upcoming meeting promises an enriching experience for bird enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Karen Pestana, a renowned wildlife biologist with a passion for avian conservation, will present Tehachapi Audubon's long-running Western Bluebird Nest Box Program. With over 24 years of dedication to the initiative, Karen brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the...
It was June 30, 2007 when PJ Simunovich opened Sim Sanitation in Tehachapi. His family-owned business specializes in septic systems, and rentals of portable toilets and fencing. But, he had no idea how far the business would go. Now, he and his team travel all across Kern and Los Angeles counties for clients. From jobs as large as working with Edwards Air Force Base and the Tehachapi and Lancaster prisons, to providing needed facilities for weddings and little league events, there is never a dul...
The Antelope Valley, also known as "Aerospace Valley" has been blessed to have many women who have contributed their talents and enthusiasm to aviation and aerospace. Jacqueline Cochran Odlum: first woman to break the sound barrier On May 16, 2003, an event was held to honor Jackie Cochran at Edwards Air Force Base. Jacqueline Cochran Odlum (1906-1980) broke the sound barrier at Edwards AFB on May 18, 1953 in a Canadair F-86, becoming the first woman to boom through the invisible boundary,...
The Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Committee (GTEDC) met for their first meeting of 2024 on Feb. 7. On the first Wednesday of each month, GTEDC meets in The Village Collective at 120 S. Green St. at 7:30 a.m. In addition to discussing an upcoming year packed full of local events and projects, GTEDC introduced three new board members. Since board member Jim Arnold tragically passed away last November, and Ron Depew, one of GTEDC's founders, lost his battle with cancer last October, two...
Elizabeth Mahurin moved to Tehachapi from California City at the end of December 2023. For the last nine years she had been living in California City while working as a substitute teacher, among numerous other jobs there. She retired on Dec. 22. Elizabeth had heard that Tehachapi was safe, beautiful and a nice place to live so she decided to check it out for herself. Accompanying Elizabeth to her new home is her service dog, a Jack Russell Terrier named Patches and two cats – Fernando, a 2...
At the Feb. 7 meeting of the Greater Tehachapi Economic Development Council (GTEDC), Tehachapi City Manager Greg Garrett was named an Honorary Commander of the 418th Flight Test Squadron at Edwards Air Force Base. The award was presented to Garrett by Danny Bazzell, Community Engagement Specialist for the 418th....
Here in Tehachapi, we have a wealth of informative retired folks from the military, many of which worked at Edwards AFB Flight Test Center. So I think this would be of interest to friends and family of these service men and women to see this "Peace Keeper" aircraft. Many I bet worked on jets, maybe flew jets in the military. This historic aircraft is on display just east on highway 58, about 60 miles from Tehachapi at the north gate of Edwards AFB. I was a freelance photographer for a few years...
On Oct. 31, 86-year-old Harry Davies moved to Tehachapi from Garden Grove, a community in Orange County where he had lived for over 30 years following his retirement from NASA. He purchased a home here to be close to his son, Tehachapi City Councilman and Mayor Michael Davies and his family. Raised in Los Angeles, Harry said he worked at a stable during his school years. Following high school, he joined the Air Force and spent four years active duty and four years in the reserves. As part of...
A total of $17,300 in scholarships is now available for Cerro Coso students pursuing a cloud-based education in Information Technology (IT) for spring of 2024. Cerro Coso Community College was one of three California community colleges awarded scholarships to distribute from Amazon Web Services (AWS). Amazon Web Services has been a valuable partner to Cerro Coso in preparing students for careers in cloud-based computing, cyber security and information technology pathways. Through their...
Universal Hydrogen's De Havilland Canada Dash-8-300 aircraft was the star of Plane Crazy Saturday on Oct. 21 at Mojave Air & Space Port at Rutan Field. A beautiful, calm and warm day greeted all attendees who were thrilled to see "Lightning McClean" parked front and center on the ramp. The cowling was off of the powertrain so everyone could gather around and ask questions. Universal Hydrogen website states: "Fueling carbon free flight!" Hydrogen is a true zero-carbon fuel. It is made from water...
Andrew Todd Wellner joined the United States Air Force when he was 18 years old. He served a total of 27 years achieving rank as Tech Sergeant, with duties that included ground support operation and radio communications. Andrew was 23 years old when he went to Iraq as part of Operation Desert Storm, where he earned additional awards and decorations for duty performance and operations that he completed. "You never knew what was going to happen next. Quite an adrenaline rush," Sergeant Wellner...
