Fall 2023

114 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • F A L L 2 0 2 3 March or April,” Clatterbuck says. “Things really ramp up in July.” She finds it a fun and fulfilling position and has become friends with several pilots and team members.“I love volunteering in general, but I really love this position, working with these teams.They are an amazing group of people.” She’s also passed on her passion to her children.“My kids were little when I started with the airshow and they’ve grown up around it. My son Jeff is now a volunteer and works with Bill Newman and his Super Tug.” The 2023 show once again features the USAF Thunderbirds demonstration team. This (Above) Kent Pietsch and Jelly Belly bring lighthearted and comedic fun to the airshow. (Left) The USAF Thunderbirds never fail to amaze airshow crowds with precision maneuvers such as this. Bill Newman and His Famous Super Tug B ill Newman and his Super Tug have been a familiar sight—and sound—at Salinas’ airshow for many years.The vehicle is a heavily modified, former United Airlines baggage cart tractor that Newman purchased from the Great America amusement park in Santa Clara, where it was utilized for pulling trash dumpsters. “It was a mess, com- pletely wasted away,” he says. “Six months later, we had a tug.” He and his team dropped in a small block Chevrolet 350 motor that puts out 700 horsepower, driving a two-speed Powerglide trans- mission. The tug weighs in at 5,000 lbs. “It’s noisy,” Newman says in a serious understatement. “We had mufflers on it but now it’s just straight pipes.” Prior to the pandemic, the Super Tug was appearing at around two dozen airshows each year, mostly in California and Nevada, but trav- eled to the famous airshow at Oshkosh,Wisconsin, one year. Super Tug is definitely unique.“I’ve never seen another one hot rod- ded like this one,” Newman says. Photo: Courtesy Air Force Thunderbirds Photo: PJF Military Collection/Alamy Stock Photo