Lincoln Regional Airport swings its gates open to the public this weekend for the 15th annual Wings & Wheels, a two-day showcase expected to pull in more than 10,000 visitors from across Placer, Sacramento, Sutter and Yuba counties. The event pairs roughly 75 aircraft with more than 200 specialty cars, seven hot air balloons, food vendors and local artisans, turning the general aviation airport into a weekend fairground for anyone who loves things that fly, roll or float.
According to the Sacramento Bee, Friday's portion of the event kicks off at 5 p.m. with arriving aircraft, food trucks and musical entertainment, followed by a hot air balloon moon glow — inflated balloons tethered to the ground and lit from within by spotlights, weather permitting. Friday admission runs $5 for adults, with kids under 18 getting in free. Saturday ramps up considerably, opening at 7 a.m. with a hot air balloon launch, also contingent on weather, and running through a full day of static displays and flying demonstrations; adult admission that day is $10, with children again admitted free.
A Runway Built for a Growing Region
Saturday's aircraft lineup spans personal jets, home-built planes and general aviation aircraft, alongside two headline military pieces: an active-duty U.S. Coast Guard C-27 and a World War II-era A-26 bomber. The Coast Guard's C-27J Spartan comes from Air Station Sacramento at nearby McClellan Airfield, which maintains six of the twin-engine turboprops for medium-range search, rescue and maritime patrol missions across Northern California, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. That station fully converted its fleet to the C-27J platform starting in 2016.
The Douglas A-26 Invader on static display is a twin-engine attack bomber that saw combat in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, per the Commemorative Air Force. Known for its speed and heavy nose-mounted machine gun armament, the A-26 remained in active U.S. military service until 1969. The automotive side of the event isn't slouching either, with classic rods and relics, sports cars and exotic cars filling out the more-than-200-vehicle lineup described by the Sacramento Bee.
Youth Aviation Expo Draws on Regional Military Ties
Beyond the flight line, Wings & Wheels includes a Youth Aviation Expo offering flight simulators and hands-on educational activities for kids. The expo features a U-2 spacesuit tied to Beale Air Force Base, located 14 nautical miles north in Yuba County and the primary operational home of the Air Force's U-2 Dragon Lady reconnaissance fleet, according to the U.S. Air Force. Beale has supported national reconnaissance and high-altitude surveillance missions since the 1960s.
The expo also brings in exhibits from the Aerospace Museum of California, a Smithsonian Affiliate based 15 miles south in McClellan Park on the site of the former McClellan Air Force Base. The museum's 37,500-square-foot pavilion displays dozens of historic military and civilian aircraft, according to the Aerospace Museum of California. Local volunteers with EAA Chapter 1541, based in Hangar S-12 at the airport, co-host the youth activities, running flight simulators and a pancake breakfast while maintaining pilot scholarship programs and regular educational workshops in Lincoln, per EAA Chapter 1541.
From WWII Auxiliary Field to Suburban Aviation Hub
Lincoln Regional Airport's roots trace back to World War II, when it operated as Lincoln Air Force Auxiliary Field, a military pilot training satellite for Mather Army Airfield, before shifting to civilian municipal ownership, according to the City of Lincoln. Built in the 1940s by the U.S. Army Air Corps with four original runways, the facility was reconfigured into a single extended runway system in the 1970s. Today it spans roughly 775 acres with a 6,001-foot asphalt runway and logs more than 74,000 annual aircraft operations, with general aviation accounting for about 96 percent of all takeoffs and landings, per Federal Aviation Administration records.
The airport carries the official name Karl Harder Field, honoring C. Karl Harder, a U.S. Army veteran and former California Highway Patrol officer who managed the airport and ran a local flight school during its early civilian development, according to the Center for Sacramento History. Lincoln itself has changed dramatically in the decades since, growing 282 percent between 2000 and 2010 to become the fastest-growing city in the nation among communities over 10,000 residents, before reaching a population of 49,757 at the 2020 Census, per the U.S. Census Bureau. That rapid suburban expansion helps explain why an airport-hosted community event now regularly draws crowds from across Western Placer County and beyond.
Wings & Wheels won't be the airport's last big draw this year. Starting September 15, Lincoln Regional Airport is set to host the Commemorative Air Force's Flying Legends of Victory Tour through September 20, offering public ground tours and flights aboard a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress, according to the Commemorative Air Force. The tour brings rare operational WWII bombers to municipal airports across North America, making Lincoln's airfield a repeat stop on the national historic aviation circuit. Wings & Wheels offers free parking both days for anyone looking to check out the planes, cars and balloons before then.
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