EAST TROY, WISCONSIN -- World Airshow News magazine (www.airshowmag.com) has 
announced that Greg Koontz is the 2014 recipient of the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship. Koontz joins a growing list of honorees that reads like an airshow hall of fame.
Greg Koontz is known throughout North America and parts of Latin America as a foremost authority on American Champion Super Decathlon aircraft. His aerobatic routines in both the Super Decathlon and the new Xtreme Decathlon have been featured at airshows from coast to coast and internationally, and culminate with an inverted ribbon cut in a stock aerobatic training airplane. His comedy act – The Alabama Boys – features Greg as “Clem Cleaver,” an Alabama Good Ol’ Boy who steals a 1946 Piper J-3 Cub. The act concludes with Greg landing the Cub on top of his pickup truck.
Koontz learned to fly in 1969 while he was still in high school and got his start in the airshow business at the age of 20 with Ernie Moser’s Flying Circus based in St. Augustine, Florida. While with Moser’s flying circus, he began perfecting the comedy act, the truck top landing, and began performing low-level aerobatics in the Great Lakes and the Decathlon. Greg stayed with the flying circus until 1981 when he began pursuing a corporate flying career.
Until 2002, Koontz flew jets for a corporation in Alabama while flying airshows part time. Today, he is a full time airshow performer and teaches basic aerobatics at the flight school/bed & breakfast called Sky Country Lodge that he runs with his wife Cora. Greg is a former chairman of the ICAS ACE Committee, holds an unlimited aerobatic waiver, and has been designated a Master Certified Flight Instructor-Aerobatics by the National Association of Flight Instructors.
The Bill Barber Award for Showmanship began in 1986, and is awarded to airshow performers or teams that have demonstrated great skill and showmanship. World Airshow News and the friends and family of the late Bill Barber present the award annually.
Plans are for the award to be presented on Tuesday, July 29 during EAA AirVenture at EAA’s Theater in the Woods.
Past Bill Barber Award winners include:
2013 Skip Stewart
2012 Matt Younkin
2011 Rich and Dee Gibson
2010 Steve Oliver and Suzanne Asbury-Oliver
2009 Michael Goulian
2008 Bud Granley
2007 Dacy Family Airshow Team
2006 Danny Clisham
2005 Pietsch Airshows
2004 Bobby Younkin
2003 Jim LeRoy
2002 AeroShell Aerobatic Team
2001 Northern Lights Aerobatic Team
2000 John Mohr
1999 Dan Buchanan
1998 Patty Wagstaff
1997 Gene Soucy & Teresa Stokes
1996 Wayne Handley
1995 Bob Hoover
1994 Bob & Annette Hosking
1993 Red Baron Stearman Squadron
1992 Sean D. Tucker
1991 Julie Clark
1990 Leo Loudenslager
1989 Jimmy Franklin
1988 No Award
1987 The French Connection
1986 Eagles Aerobatic Flight Team
Friday, July 18, 2014
Greg Koontz to Receive 2014 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Indy Transponder 11-JUL-2014 2345z
Greg Koontz to receive 2014 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship · General Aviation News | Greg Koontz has been named the 2014 recipient of the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship. Koontz is known throughout North America and parts of Latin America as a foremost authority on American Champion Super Decathlon aircraft, according to officials with World Airshow News, which bestows the award...
Amelia Rose Earhart | Everyone has oceans to cross... Today, Amelia and I cross one together. Thank you to everyone who has joined us as we flew around this big, beautiful world. I felt like we all shared a bit of Amelia's passion for adventure in the process....
Weekend Calendar * Fencecheck | All your weekend shows are listed by our friends at the link. 
History major embraces Blue Angels traditions * Pensacola News Journal | Blue Angels pilot Mark Tedrow is a quintessential aviator at Pensacola Naval Air Station: a Naval Academy graduate who loves his job with the elite flight team and especially enjoys buzzing the crowd at the annual Pensacola Beach Air Show. Lt Mark...
Saturday fly-in/air show: It will be loud * Valley Courier | “It's a lot of noise,” said Del Norte and former Army pilot Vern McCallister, who will fly his World War-II era T-6 in this Saturday's SLV Pilot's Association Fly In and Air Show based out of the SLV Regional Airport in Alamosa. “It's what the people...
Video: Jets Over Kentucky offers small-scale airshow in Lebanon * WDRB | An annual event - held in Lebanon, Kentucky - gives new meaning to the term "forever young."...
Latest Newsletter! * Planes Of Fame News | Read our newly released Newsletter, Vol.38, No. 2
Video: Yankee Lady take off at Waterloo Air Show * International Council of Air Shows
New BBC Two documentary follows RAF's Red Arrows * seenit.co.uk | The Red Arrows, the RAF's world famous display team, are being showcased in a new BBC Two documentary which airs later this month. One of the nation's true icons, the team celebrates 50 seasons of world-famous displays this year and acts as the public...
The Patrouille de France will eventually happen that late Monday morning ... * La Voix du Nord (translated) | Big disappointment this morning for all lovers of airplanes. Considering the awful weather which prevails in the Valenciennes region, the Patrouille de France (PAF) is not arrived at Valenciennes as expected. The eight drivers will stand on the tarmac late Monday that...
AIRSHOW NEWS: Farnborough Airshow selects Midair Squadron XH134 for Flying Display * UK 
Sponsor of Earhart search wants suit to continue * Seattle PI | ...The group is concentrating now on analyzing a piece of aircraft aluminum, about the size of a dinner tray, discovered on the island in the 1990s, Gillespie said. While the rivet pattern on the piece didn't match the Lockheed Electra, he said they're now focusing on whether it could be conclusively identified as a patch that was placed on Earhart's plane before it disappeared. "It's always so ironic to be working on this stuff, and then at the same time fighting a lawsuit that says, 'Ah, you found the thing years ago,' " Gillespie said....
Only flying B-29 in the world flies into Boise * KTVB | BOISE -- It was a once-in-a-lifetime sight for many at the Boise Airport Thursday as three World War II aircraft were flown in by the Commemorative Air Force. "The Commemorative Air Force is a not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to keeping...
B-17 wreckage a haunting hike * Colorado Springs Gazette | On June 13, 1944, an Army Air Corps B-17 flying a training mission out of Rapid City, S.D., went off course and slammed into a snow-covered mountainside a quarter mile from the Flowers Trail, killing four of 10 on board. Seventy years later, the...
Reliving historic mail run into our fair city * Wangaratta Chronicle | Historic and unique planes, including some belonging to members of Wangaratta Aero Club, will take part in a re-enactment of the first air mail run in 1914. Frenchman Maurice Guillaux flew a Bleriot XI aircraft from Melbourne to Sydney from July 16-18...
New exhibit for kids opens at Hampton's Virginia Air and Space Center * Daily Press | Put on a spacesuit, build a pillow rocket, drive a lunar craft, inspect moon dust or sleep strapped to the wall in the new permanent exhibit for preschoolers at the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton. The "Space Racers" exhibit celebrates its grand...
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013: David Martin and Kirby Chambliss * The Aero Experience | EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is well known for attracting top-tier aerial entertainment, and we continue our photo essay series featuring David Martin in the Breitling CAP 232 and Kirby Chambliss in the Red Bull Edge 540. Martin is a third generation pilot with both military and civilian flying experience. Chambliss began flying at an early age, becoming the youngest Southwest Airlines pilot at age 24 and their youngest captain at age 28. He later became 5-time U.S. Aerobatic Champion and 2-time Red Bull Racing Champion. We present both here with highlights from their airshow routines...
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013: Cropdusters! * The Aero Experience | EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 featured two prominent agricultural aircraft: the Air Tractor AT-502B with P&W Canada PT6A-34AG engine and a Thrush S2R-H80 with GE H80-100 engine (also on display in front of the GE exhibit). The Air Tractor was similar to the AT-301 model used to represent "Dusty" from the movie Planes, and at times they were both static display together. The Thrush flew in the airshows, including a full hopper drop. Here are some views of both aircraft...
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Indy Transponder 10-JUL-2014 0300z
Greg Koontz to Receive 2014 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship | EAST TROY, WISCONSIN, 
June 27, 2014 -- World Airshow News has announced that Greg Koontz is the 2014 recipient of the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship. Koontz joins a growing list of honorees that reads like an airshow hall of fame. Greg Koontz is known throughout North America and parts of Latin America as a foremost authority on American Champion Super Decathlon aircraft. His aerobatic routines in both the...
National Cherry Festival aerial photos show record crowds at Blue Angels air ... * The Grand Rapids Press - MLive.com | TRAVERSE CITY, MI -- Organizers of the National Cherry Festival say record crowds flocked to Traverse City for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels performances. More than 500,000 people lined West Grand Traverse Bay parks and beaches to see the Blue Angels...
Geneseo Airshow lands this weekend at National Warplane Museum * The Daily News Online | GENESEO — The world's only flying mosquito airplane is expected at the Geneseo Airshow, which lands Saturday and Sunday, July 12-13 at the National Warplane Museum and airfield off Big Tree Lane. More than 50 historical aircraft, including the...
American Airpower Museum : Looks like our FG-1D "Corsair" will be heading to the Geneseo Air Show in Upstate New York this weekend.
Arlington fly-in to salute those who helped after mudslide * The Seattle Times | A free jazz concert and airborne pyrotechnic show Saturday night at the conclusion of the three-day Arlington Fly-In will be a gesture of gratitude to the many Stillaguamish Valley residents who helped their neighbors deal with the effects of March's...
Red Arrows hit 50 with party in the sky * The Times | Squadron Leader Jim Turner, known as Red 1, will lead the nine Hawk jets in the skies above Fairford in the Cotswolds on Friday as they take part in a special formation alongside the team leaders of Patrouille de France, Patrouille Suisse and Italy's...
Red arrows captured on camera, flying over York Minster * The Press, York | THIS fantastic photograph of the Red Arrows flying over York Minster was taken just minutes before their flypast at Harewood House to mark the start of the Tour de France. It was taken by Senior Aircraftman Adam Fletcher, a photographer with the RAF's...
Aerial thrills aplenty at this year's Fairford tattoo * Swindon Advertiser | The Prince of Wales will meet the pilots and aircrew beside their aircraft following the display and after the team has performed a special flypast with aircraft flown by the team leaders from the Patrouille de France, Patrouille Suisse, Frecce...
After delay, B-29 bomber expected in Cd'A * Coeur d'Alene Press | The B-29 Superfortress bomber Fifi is expected to be in Hayden this morning for the last day of the three-day vintage aircraft exhibition by Commemorative Air Force, the Texas-based flying museum. Mechanical problems kept the vintage bird grounded on...
Lancaster bombers to fly in formation over Britain * Express.co.uk | They will become the first Lancasters to fly in formation over Britain in 50 years. And next month aviation enthusiasts will get the opportunity to see and photograph the Canadian bomber in the air at close quarters. The Lancaster is in the markings of...
91-year-old Ernster flies vintage bomber at special event in Austin * Cuero Record | July Fourth had a little different meaning for Clete and Kathleen Ernster of Cuero this year. They were whisked away Friday morning by helicopter to Bergstrom airport in Austin for the Commemorative Air Force Central Texas Wing Barnstorming Event in...
Polka Dot Warriors · Vintage Wings of Canada | Somewhere over southern England, the crew of a fully bombed-up, four-engined Consolidated B-24J Liberator by the name of You Can't Take it With 
Australian B-24 Liberator Restoration * Warbirds News | Most aviation enthusiasts are aware of the role that the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator played in USAAF service during WWII. Many, however, are not aware that seven Royal Australian Air Force squadrons flew the B-24 Liberator in long range strikes against Japanese military targets in South East Asia. During WWII, the RAAF operated a mixed fleet of 287 B-24D/J/L and M models. RAAF B-24s flew missions from...
The life of a B-1 Aviator Part 1 * Newscenter1.tv | Ellsworth Air Force base is home to the very complex B-1 bomber aircraft. The B-1 is the backbone of America's long range bomber force and after following a B-1 Weapons System Officer around for a week, its easy to see that these brave men and women...
F-22 Pilot Celebrates 1000 Hours at Tyndall AFB * WJHG-TV | Major Daniel "Magic" Lee logged his one-thousandth hour Wednesday afternoon in an F-22 Raptor. Maj. Leep was supposed to be the fourth erson to log a thousand hours in a Raptor, but his friend, Maj. Jonathan "Stiffler" Gration, at Langley Air Force...
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013: Bill Barber Award Winner Greg Koontz! * The Aero Experience | It has just been announced that Greg Koontz has won the 2014 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship! Awarded annually by World Airshow News, it will be presented at EAA AirVenture 2014 (Skip Stewart was last year's winner). The Aero Experience has covered his performances in both the Decathlon and Piper Cub at Midwest airshows, and we have great photos from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013. Congratulations, Greg, and see you in a few weeks!...
EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013: The Breezers * The Aero Experience | EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2013 featured a flight of Breezer II home- built/light sport aircraft during some of the daily airshows. This aircraft is a German-designed, all-metal aircraft distributed by Breezer Aircraft USA in Lakeland, Florida. The aircraft were flown by young pilots from the Aerial Formation Demonstration Team, and they looked great against the evening sky....
Museo de la Brigada 2506 — the Bay of Pigs Museum in Miami * Travel for Aircraft | It is known as the Bay of Pigs Museum in Miami, by the Miami Times and on the streets of Little Havana. 
Access the Avro Vulcan * RAF Museum London Events | Sit in the pilots seat of the magnificent Avro Vulcan
Silver Line Will Link Air & Space Museums in D.C., Va.* Comcast SportsNet Washington | Metro's new Silver Line will provide the first public transportation link between the National Air and Space Museum's locations in D.C. and Northern Virginia. Beginning July 26, when the Silver Line launches, Fairfax County will begin running a bus...
Take flight this weekend with the Young Eagles program at Manitoulin East * Manitoulin Expositor | Manitoulin East Airport manager and Young Eagles pilot George Dobbs told The Expositor that all children, 7 to 17, are welcome but encourages pre-registration. These forms can be picked up at the Northeast Town municipal office in Little Current, the...
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Indy Transponder 17-AUG-2013 0200z
Skip Stewart- Bill Barber Award 2013 Video - Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | Aerobatic 
performer Skip Stewart, EAA 864349, of Wheeling, West Virginia, received the 2013 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship by World Airshow News on Tuesday evening during AirVenture at Theater in the Woods. Skip joins a growing list of honorees that reads like an air show hall of fame. Many of those latest honorees attended the ceremony MC’d by “Mr. Hollywood” Danny Clisham. Current 2012 award recipient, Matt Younkin also participated in Skip’s award....
A Different Air & Water Show On Tap - Chicagoist | ... But the show does go on. While many air shows were simply cancelled in the wake of losing many of their most popular performers, Chicago scrambled to add new acts to fill out the schedule for the 55th annual show. As in past years, the 2013 Air & Water Show will take place both Saturday and Sunday, from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at North Avenue Beach. As always, it's open to the public and free to attend. Those who want to catch the show without the crowds can hit the beach today, as most acts take part in a full rehearsal....
Lima Lima, other acts ready to show off skills at lakefront extravaganza - Daily Herald | John Rippinger acknowledges the danger. He flies his T-34 within inches of his Lima Lima Flight Team's five other planes during air shows. And that's why they conduct extensive briefing and debriefing sessions before and after every show....
Take off to the air show: Annual event includes performances from Team Aero-Dynamix - Jackson Sun | Vintage aircraft engines will roar back to life for the 13th annual Wings Over Halls air show Saturday and Sunday at The Veterans’ Museum in Halls.The event, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, will feature a two-hour orchestrated air show as well as aircraft exhibits, said Pat Higdon, air show coordinator. World War II aircraft across the U.S. will be in the skies and on display both days, including the B-17 “Yankee Lady” from Michigan....
YPSILANTI: 40000 wowed at Thunder Over Michigan airshow - Heritage Newspapers | YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP — Thousands of people gathered at the Willow Run Airport this weekend to watch vintage jets fly through the skies at the Thunder Over Michigan airshow. The annual air show features bomber planes, jets and helicopters that date back as far as the early 1900s. Aerospace fans of all ages visit the airport each year, and tailgate along the surrounding streets, to watch these planes streak through the sky at alarming speeds with deafening sounds...
Planes, spectators plentiful at Milaca Fly-In - Mille Lacs County Times (blog) | It was a magnificent sight when this 10-passenger Cessna 208 Caravan left the fly-in and flew into the clouds Sunday at the annual Milaca Airport Fly-In. The plane was piloted by owner Wally Fisk of White Bear Lake....
Family Fun at Moontown EAA 190 Open House and Young Eagle Event - Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | 8/15/2013 - Family Fun at Moontown EAA 190 Open House and Young Eagle Event Brownsboro ALABAMA- The sky above Moontown Airport will be abuzz with some 100 classic, vintage, warbird and experimental airplanes on September 21, 2013 when the airport welcomes the Experimental Aircraft Association Annual Open House sponsored by EAA Chapter 190. This free, family-friendly event is a unique opportunity for the public to rub elbows with amateur and professional pilots and explore up close a variety of light aircraft in a fun, laid-back environment...
Blue Angel commander lands first-pitch assignment at Tigers' game - The Macomb Daily | During his career as a U.S. Navy pilot, Cmdr. Thomas Frosch has logged thousands of flying hours and earned a chest full of medals for his airborne exploits. But come Friday afternoon, the commanding officer of the U.S. Navy’s decorated Blue Angels will return to Earth for a special assignment....
Vero Beach Air Show looking for volunteers - TCPalm | VERO BEACH — It’s been a long time since Vero Beach has hosted an air show, but that will all change on Oct. 5-6 when the sky over Vero Beach Airport will be alive with high flying aerobatics, daredevil stunt pilots, pyrotechnics and more...
South Carolina governor proclaims Aviation Week - General Aviation News | South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has proclaimed Aug. 19–23 South Carolina Aviation Week. The South Carolina Aeronautics Commission (SCAC) has partnered with the South Carolina Aviation Association (SCAA) to develop a week that promotes, educates and celebrates the aviation industry in South Carolina.“South Carolina’s airport system plays a vital role in the state’s transportation network and economy,” said SCAC’s Executive Director Paul Werts. “Not only does aeronautics support the development and maintenance of our local airports, but we try to promote and foster aviation education and connections to the workforce through economic development.”...
Tour the B-17 at Wings of Freedom - Daily Local News | Each year, World War II becomes a little 
Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame Gala & Inductions Ceremony 2013 - Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | The Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame Gala & Inductions Ceremony will again take place on November 9th at The Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center in Murfreesboro. Following last years successful event, moved to Middle Tennessee for the first time, the TAHF Board of Directors decided to remain in Murfreesboro. Chairman, John Black said, "Acceptance of the move to Middle Tennessee last year was very positive, so the Board decided to opt for this more central location again in 2013."...
Spitfire Fly-Over Honors Tony Gaze, Australian WWII Ace - Warbird News | Temora Aviation Museum‘s Spitfire Mk VIII flew over a memorial service held in the Geelong Grammar School chapel in Geelong, Victoria yesterday, honoring the highly-decorated WWII fighter ace and later Gran Prix race car driver, Tony Gaze, who died on July 29 at the age of 93....
Remembering Flying Tigers war heroes[1]|chinadaily.com.cn - China Daily | The Flying Tigers Exhibition Hall in Southwest China's Chongqing municipality offers the latest collection of relics, historical information and pictures to Chongqing Economic Times, revealing little-known stories about the "Flying Tigers", an American air force fleet that helped China fight against Japan's invasion during World War II....
Chinese to salvage Flying Tigers plane - Xinhua | KUNMING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- A salvage team on Thursday started to retrieve an airplane sunk under a lake in southwest China's Yunnan Province that was flown by the Flying Tigers during World War II. The Flying Tigers, officially known as the American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Chinese Air Force, was a group composed of ex-pilots from the U.S. military....
SPECIAL DELIVERY: Chinook Brings Plane To Camp Dodge - whotv.com | The newest addition to Camp Dodge’s Gold Star Museum made its way to Johnston Thursday. A refurbished A7K Corsair was dropped off at Camp Dodge via Chinook helicopter. The plane has been in storage at the Air National Guard base in Sioux City for decades. After cleaning it up, it was time to bring it to Johnston. It’s normally a 90-minute flight from Sioux City to Johnston. But when you’re hauling 18,000 pounds it takes a little longer...
2013 DVD TRAILER - RIAT | Our 2013 DVD is available for pre-order here and you can view the trailer below...
PHOTO COMPETITION WINNERS - Royal International Air Tattoo News | We have counted up all the votes for our 575 photo entries and identified our winners. With three categories (DSLR, Basic Point & Shoot, and Mobile Phone) offering a top prize of 2014 Air Tattoo tickets, and runner-up prizes of 2013 Air Tattoo DVDs, there were six prizes up for grabs - but due to the high volume of outstanding talent on display, we have awarded an additional two entries with prizes as voted for by a panel of judges here at the Air Tattoo offices....
Alabama Proclaims August 17 Model Aviation Day Video - Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | 8/15/2013 - Alabama Proclaims August 17 Model Aviation Day Video The Academy of Model Aeronautics is pleased to announce that the state of Alabama, led by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, has declared August 17, 2013, as Model Aviation Day. Montgomery ALABAMA-The Academy of Model Aeronautics is pleased to announce that the state of Alabama, led by Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley, has declared August 17, 2013, as Model Aviation Day....
Oban to see 70 year old floatplane fly 100 year old 1,450 mile challenge route to commemorate epic first attempt - For Argyll | At 10.30 on Wednesday 21st August 1913, A Sopwith floatplane 
Author to speak at museum’s Open Cockpit Day · General Aviation News Staff | ...At noon at the Oakland Aviation Museum’s annual Open Cockpit Day, she will share details of the drama and danger during this most violent time in commercial aviation. In addition, she will highlight sensational episodes she experienced between 1965 and 1972 in Europe, the Orient, and Egypt (during the infamous 6-Day War).
Area 51 -- It Really Does Exist -- Officially According to the CIA! - Milcom Monitoring Post | The CIA has finally acknowledged the existence of Area 51 in newly declassified documents detailing the area in the Nevada desert. These newly declassified documents...
Eglin AFB F-35 fleet exceeds 2K sorties, training presses on - Milcom Monitoring Post | By Maj. Karen Roganov, 33rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- Airmen and Marines assigned to the F-35 Integrated Training Center at the 33rd Fighter Wing here have consistently flown successful training sorties and generated their 2,000th sortie Aug. 13 with an instructor pilot of the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron-501 (VMFAT-501), at the controls...
Danny Boyle leads tributes to dead Olympic stuntman Mark Sutton - The Guardian - Team AeroDynamix | Sebastian Coe and Danny Boyle led tributes to Mark Sutton, the stuntman who was James Bond's stunt-double in the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony, who died in a wing-diving accident. Swiss police were investigating how the experienced 42-year-old wing suit flyer was killed on Wednesday, after jumping from a helicopter wearing aerodynamic equipment and hitting a mountain ridge at high speed....
The man behind the real ‘Propwash Junction’ - AOPA Pilot Blog: Reporting Points | Billed as coming “from above the world of Cars,” Disney’s Planes gives an imaginative glimpse into the world of general aviation. And while the animated film, which hit theaters Aug. 9, takes a few liberties with the story of a cropduster turned international air racer (it is, after all, an animated children’s film), it’s grounded in the real world of small airplanes....
Truth in animation - AOPA Pilot | Tucked away in a grove of evergreen trees, the rust-lined fuel truck had fallen into disuse. A visit from Disney filmmakers gave the vehicle new life, in a way, as a star in the animated film Planes. “That little one?” said Bob Leaders, owner of Leaders Clear Lake Airport (8Y6) in Clear Lake, Minnesota, when he heard that the truck had served as the inspiration for Chug, a friend and fan of the movie’s crop duster-turned-air-racer hero. Filmmakers had traveled to small airports across the Midwest while researching for the film; Leaders had no idea his privately owned, public-use airport surrounded by corn and alfalfa fields would be reimagined as Propwash Junction, the hometown of crop duster Dusty Crophopperin this extension of the Cars franchise....
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Skip Stewart to Receive 2013 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship
 |
| Skip Stewart (photo by Eric Coeckelberghs) |
Skip is known worldwide for his innovative high-energy airshow performances in his highly modified Pitts biplane. He is a master at grabbing the audience’s attention with his spine-tingling tumbles, ribbon cuts, and knife-edge passes. Skip has also been an innovator with multi-dimensional theme acts like Tinstix and flying under a jumping motorcycle.
Skip has been infatuated with airplanes as long as he can remember, and built remote-controlled models as a kid. But it was the flying of the great Leo Loudenslager, another Barber Award winner, which inspired Skip to set his goals high and eventually pursue airshow flying.
He learned to fly while in college and almost immediately began to learn aerobatics. He began his aviation career with a variety of jobs with commuter airlines and corporate flight departments, and eventually saved up enough to buy his first aerobatic airplane, a Pitts S2A.
As many do, Skip started out in competition aerobatics before moving into airshows. After taking an
 |
| Skip cuts the ribbon in “Prometheus” (photo by Jim Froneberger) |
Today, in addition to an extensive schedule of North American airshows, Skip is one of a handful of performers who flies worldwide, with shows in the United Arab Emirates, Australia, the Caribbean, and Latin America to his credit. He now has two Prometheus biplanes to help facilitate his wide-ranging schedule and has a new, custom-designed all-composite biplane under construction.
The Bill Barber Award for Showmanship began in 1986, and is awarded to airshow performers or teams that have demonstrated great skill and showmanship. World Airshow News (www.airshowmag.com) and the friends and family of the late Bill Barber present the award annually.
Tentative plans call for the award to be presented during EAA AirVenture 2013 at EAA’s Theater in the Woods.
Past Bill Barber Award winners include:
2012 Matt Younkin
2011 Rich and Dee Gibson
2010 Steve Oliver and Suzanne Asbury-Oliver
2009 Michael Goulian
2008 Bud Granley
2007 Dacy Family Airshow Team
2006 Danny Clisham
2005 Pietsch Airshows
2004 Bobby Younkin
2003 Jim LeRoy
2002 AeroShell Aerobatic Team
2001 Northern Lights Aerobatic Team
2000 John Mohr
1999 Dan Buchanan
1998 Patty Wagstaff
1997 Gene Soucy & Teresa Stokes
1996 Wayne Handley
1995 Bob Hoover
1994 Bob & Annette Hosking
1993 Red Baron Stearman Squadron
1992 Sean D. Tucker
1991 Julie Clark
1990 Leo Loudenslager
1989 Jimmy Franklin
1988 No Award
1987 The French Connection
1986 Eagles Aerobatic Flight Team
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Indy Transponder 01-JUN-2013 2000z
Podcast: Palmetto Mornings: 5/31/13 John Cudahy - WRHI By Freddie Hammer | The potential to lose US Navy Blue Angels, US Air Force Thunderbirds and other patriotic air shows around the country is imminent unless we get Congress to vote down sequestration budget cuts.
Video: Museums help Air Force grads get ceremonial flyover, despite sequester cuts - FoxNews | The 
sequester cuts have grounded the Thunderbirds and other U.S. military flight demonstration teams, but it hasn’t stopped Air Force Academy graduates from getting their own ceremonial flyover....
Skip Stewart to Receive 2013 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | EAST TROY, WISCONSIN, June 1, 2013 -- World Airshow News has announced that Skip Stewart is the 2013 recipient of the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship. Skip joins a growing list of honorees that reads like an airshow hall of fame...
Waterloo Air Show - 570 News | The Waterloo Air Show takes flight this weekend and the show will be teaming up with the Canadian Aviation Expo this year.The expo will be offering free flight lessons, and you can also purchase a variety of aviation accessories and products. Diana...
Flag Day, Western Music and Air Show Fly Into East County - Patch.com | Flag Day, Western Music and Air Show Fly Into East County. You made it to the weekend, now what? Patch has you covered for weekend events in East County happening June 1-2...
RARA 90 day rule from Wasabi Air Racing by Elliot "Stinky" Seguin | ...We are happy to announce that thanks to the unwaivering support of our sponsors and fans that flight testing is complete and the associated report for was submitted on May 30th, ahead of schedule....
WWII Airplanes Barnstorm Dillingham to Celebrate 100 Year of Aviation in Alaska - KDLG | Jeff Siever is with the commemorative Air force and flew in on an AT-6. "The first step in their flight training would be to fly a basic trainer, like a steerman, then step up to the advanced trainer, the Texan. This would have a lot of the same...
IAF inducts Swiss basic trainer aircraft Pilatus PC-7 MK II - Daily News & Analysis | The 
Plock Air Picnic in Poland | May want to cut/paste text to http://translate.google.com as the URL doesn't seem to work in Translator.
The Frecce Tricolori in Vasto: the event program - Translated | The official program of the first International Air Show in Vasto. The event will conclude with a performance of the Frecce Tricolori in Vasto on 22 and 23 June. Seduito of the complete program...
An era's return flight - Hutchinson News | The only B-29 currently in flight is Fifi, owned by the Commemorative Air Force based in Addison, Texas. Were Fifi to visit Pratt, today's standards would require completely restructuring the runway, Stevens said. But a flight in a B-17, some of which...
Museum slates Open Cockpit Day from General Aviation News | The Oakland Aviation Museum in California will hold an Open Cockpit Day and aviation paraphernalia fundraising sale June 16 — Father’s Day — to support its A-3 Skywarrior restoration project. The planes will be open for inspection from 12 noon to 4 p.m...
Legacy Flight Museum plans open house, free breakfast - Rexburg Standard Journal | The Legacy Flight Museum's collection of flying history is unique because all of the aircraft are in flying condition. The collection of airplanes, some owned by the city and some by private owners, are on display to show examples of civil and military...
One of the first Gold Star Wives dies - Tampabay.com | Mrs. Tedesco was one of the founding members of Gold Star Wives of America after her husband, a B-25 pilot, was presumed killed when his plane vanished over the Pacific Ocean in 1945. She served as the third president of Gold Star Wives, a group of war...
Spitfire vs Bf 109 and F-14 vs Su-27: the difference is always the pilot from David Cenciotti's weblog | Not always the best aircraft is the one that wins in an air-to-air engagement. Most of the times it is the training the pilot has received and his/her skills, experience to make the difference: that’s why a well trained pilot with a less capable aircraft can defeat a more powerful plane piloted by a scarcely trained airman....
Belgian Spitfires from Let Let Let - Warplanes by Mick | In the late 1930′s Belgium had an interest in obtaining the right to produce Spitfires under licence in their own country, so in 1937 the Belgium Government requested one example of a Spitfire from the UK, this was to be used as a pattern aircraft. After talks between the two...
Airmen inspect bomber's 'bare bones' from Air Force Link Top Stories | With a career that spans across three decades and a warfighting reputation that rivals nearly every aircraft in the Air Force's arsenal, the B-1 Lancer has established itself as one of the United States' most crucial assets to maintaining air and ground superiority...
Friday, May 3, 2013
Indy Transponder 03-MAY-2013 0300z
News Magazine recently announced that ICAS member and air show performer
Skip Stewart will be the 2013 recipient of the Bill Barber Award for
Showmanship. Stewart joins a star-packed list of past recipients that includes... When Skip Soars, Summer Airshow Season Is Here from Featured by Webmaster | The name “Skip Stewart” has become synonymous with summer airshow excitement!...
Now, this weekend's events, summed up concisely by LiveAirShowTV:
Manassas, VA, Central Texas Air Show, and the Plane of Fame Air Show.
Jetman to be at AirVenture from General Aviation News | Yves “Jetman” Rossy, the world’s first jet-powered man, will make his first public U.S. flights this summer at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh July 29-Aug. 4. The U.S. flights are supported by Jetman’s sponsor, the Swiss watch manufacturer Breitling. Along with the appearance at Oshkosh, Jetman will flyin the U.S. at the Reno Air Races in September....
It's the 500th Episode of Warbird Radio LIVE! Tom Reilly fills us in on the XP-... from Warbird Radio's Facebook Wall | It's the 500th Episode of Warbird Radio LIVE! Tom Reilly fills us in on the XP-82...
SAAF Museum airshow looking good - defenceWeb | But Museum Officer Commanding Lieutenant Colonel Mike O'Connor is confident the 2013 edition of the airshow will be another good one and he is hopeful it will again get the nod as the best airshow in South Africa. The Museum currently holds this award ...
In case you missed them earlier this week, we had two great posts covering an issue that has had incredible impact this year, but first a link, where you can do your part:
Bring Back the Jets - www.bringbackthejets.org | Join the White House Petition to Restore the USA's Military Flight Teams
SEQUESTRATION! | PFLUGERVILLE, TX – May 1, 2013 – It was supposed to be something so horrible that it would force lawmakers to strike a deal on budgetary restraint! Yes, you should probably never see “lawmakers” and “budgetary restraint” in the same sentence. Needless to say Sequestration was forced on the American people and air shows were among those who got hit...No military at Air Show; Cutbacks cited in pullout from annual event.Show won ... - Avionics Intelligence | DAYTON - For the first time in the four-decade history of the Vectren Dayton Air Show, the military won't provide support for the June 22-23 event, which means no Air Force or Navy fighter demonstrations or modern military aircraft displays, a top air ...
Sequester and Airshows - What Happens Next... | We recently learned that the Blue Angels, the USAF Thunderbirds, the Golden Knights and all the Military Demo Teams have cancelled their entire Airshow season due to the Sequester. The Military will not take part in Airshows in any way – not static displays, not flying, nothing. This information has sent the Airshow Industry back to their drawing boards to see how they can move on from here....
Stunt plane forced to land on Long Island highway - Fox News | ...Newsday identified the pilot as David Windmiller. The stunt pilot was forced to land after his engine seized up at about 2,200 feet....Windmiller has been a professional stunt pilot since 1994. He is a former member of the United States Aerobatic Team....
Ford Tri-Motor Tours Set to Launch in May from Featured by Webmaster | EAA’s vintage Ford Tri-Motor heads out on tour in May 2013. (Air Venture Museum)EAA’s 1929 Ford Tri-Motor and its “sister” plane from the Kalamazoo Air Zoo will tour the country this spring and summer, giving passengers an opportunity to travel back to the early days of luxurious commercial flight...
Final Push Is On for Bugatti 100P Racer Project By EAA Staff | Scotty Wilson’s Bugatti 100P Racer
project has wide international interest and support, and is nearing completion in his Tulsa, Okla. hangar.About two and a half years ago Scotty Wilson, EAA 572551, of Tulsa, Okla., traveled to Oshkosh to examine the original Bugatti 100P Racer that’s on prominent display in the AirVenture Museum after being donated to EAA in 1996....[Photo] Three B-2 Spirit stealth bombers are prepared for a night mission from David Cenciotti's weblog
Last of the legendary U.S. Air Force F-4 Phantom jets to become yet another missile victim from David Cenciotti's weblog | The last of the produced F-4 Phantom jets has been converted into a flying dummy target-drone for missile training. The plane was a part of...
Najla, The Winner of the Dreams Take Flight Scholarship, Spring 2013! from Life on the Road as a Pilot | We are so happy to announce the first winner for the 2013 Spring Scholarship Program: Najla Dorsey!
126 apply for Flying Club scholarship from General Aviation News by Ben Sclair | One hundred twenty six applications from 37 states were received after Ground Effect Advisors (GEA) announced a scholarship focused exclusively on Flying Clubs. GEA expected 40-50. On May 15, GEA will announce 10 finalists for the scholarship. The...
NASA Teaches Aviation to Middle School Students - WBOY | ...NASA organized an introduction to aviation workshop Tuesday for Philippi-area middle school students. The students learned aviation basics, and saw the FSU Cessna land at Fairmont Airport. They then went Meredith Field for a more realistic experience...
How to fly from Baltimore to Venus...in 1928 from The Original Rocket Dungeon by Dick Stafford | io9 has an article on Robert Condit and his gasoline-powered rocket...
Space Center Houston | Today is a great day for Houston! NASA has officially transferred ownership of the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA-905) to Space Center Houston. Get ready for an experience so big, it can only happen in Texas!
Monday, June 25, 2012
Indy Transponder 25-JUN-2012 1045z
Matt Younkin To Receive 2012 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship from Aero-News Network | Becomes First Second-Generation Barber Award Winner Matt Younkin has been named as the 2012 recipient of the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship. The award will be presented during EAA AirVenture 2012 at EAA's Theater in the Woods on Tuesday, July 24th at 7pm. Matt joins a list of honorees that reads like an airshow hall of fame. He also becomes the first second-generation Barber Award winner. His father, Bobby Younkin, won the award in 2004...
Westmoreland County Air Show soaring back to previous form - Pittsburgh Post Gazette | The four blue and gold planes, locked in a diamond formation, thundered down the runway toward June Kennedy, then screamed overhead and out of sight at ...
Reno Air Race Organizers Plan Memorial To Crash Victims - KCBS | RENO (CBS/AP) — Organizers of the Reno National Championship Air Races are pursuing plans to build a permanent memorial for victims of last year’s mass-casualty crash. Reno Air Racing Association officials hope the memorial can be installed at the crash site at Reno Stead Airport by the start of the Sept. 12-16 event....
Race Jets – The Rock Stars of Air Racing - Chasing Clouds | Chasing Clouds is back at it again 
The Finale – USAF Thunderbirds - Joey's Blog | As usual, the finale is loud! Instead of it being a mirage of fireworks, it was 6 F-16 Vipers called the USAF Thunderbirds, and boy did they make some thunder...
Indianapolis Airshow 2012 - Brokaw Images | Just for fun I went to the Indianapolis Airshow 2012 at the Indianapolis Regional Airport. I knew it was going to be extremely hot and sunny, but I figured there would also be aircraft, people, activity, noise, etc. You get it a photo rich environment...
Red Cans for the Red Tails takes off for the airshow - The Livingston County News | As the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group gears up for the 2012 Geneseo Airshow, so too is long-time volunteer Austin Hancock...
Idaho crash grounds pilot set to fly Breckenridge July Fourth - Summit Daily News | Buck Roetman and Gary Rower were set to attempt to break the record for the highest air shows ever to be performed over land and water this Fourth of July...
Bumper crowds at weekend airshow - ITV News | Organisers of the Lowestoft airshow say holding it over a weekend helped lead to bumper crowds turning out. Over 190,000 people attended the festival on Saturday alone. It was the first time in its 16 year history that the two day event airshow was held at a weekend. Organisers say they plan to do the same next year....
Keeping Red Arrows in Lincolnshire is worth £1.5ma year, say ... - This is Lincolnshire | "The high profile specialist aerobatic display team are well known throughout the world and attract visitors to our area to catch a glimpse of the Reds...
Both drivers rewarded the championship of France aerobatic - Maritima.info (translated) | The aerobatic team of the Air Force, led by Captain Fabrice Camliti, is with the Patrouille de France, the teams presented the Air Force established the Air Base 701 Salon de Provence . The aerobatic team of the Air Force, whose godfather is 2012 Luc Alphand, a former ski champion, aims to represent the Air Force at meetings and national and international competitions...
The arrows show the tricolor - Il Tirreno (translated) | The patrol world's most famous has not lived up to expectations: in thousands, from Cinquale in Viareggio, attended the stunts. The roar rends the sky Cinquale at 18 o'clock when two hundred thousand heads suddenly, as in a dance movement, is running simultaneously to follow the line of sound. And by the sound of the air here they are, finally, the tricolor arrows shot towards the horizon...
Flight Instructors To Embark On Nationwide Tour In A J-3 Cub from Aero-News Network | Plan To Write A Book To Support Aviation Scholarships A pair of flight instructors from Montgomery County, MD is planning an 8,000 mile 48-state odyssey this summer in a 1938 Piper J-33 Cub. Meredith Tcherniavsky, age 40 and her 51-year-old husband Dana Holladay have set July 4 as their departure date from Fallston Airport (W42) in Fallston, MD...
Chroma DC Supply Donation Powers B-17 Restoration - DigitalJournal.com | On Tuesday, June 26, 2012 at 10 am, California based Chroma Systems Solutions will contribute Modular DC Power Supplies to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum’s B-17, City of Savannah Restoration Project. This equipment will provide DC power to the aircrafts radio room, turrets, flaps on the wings along with its landing lights and interior lighting. The Museum will demonstrate the use of this power supply by operating the B-17’s chin turret on Tuesday morning.
T/Sgt. Howard Dillingham nearly shot down in B-17 over Osha Buren from War Tales by Don Moore | It was the railroad yard at Mannheim, Germany that was almost T/Sgt. Howard W. Dillingham’s and the other seven members of his B-17 bomber crew’s undoing. The five lines of penciled notes written nearly 60 years ago doesn’t do justice to his World War II tale. The ” Flying Fortress” flight engineer and upper-turret gunner [...]
Now that we have wrapped up the USPA CP Nationals, it’s... from Bonjour BlueSky | Now that 
Civil War Balloon Replica To Get A Lift From Macy's from Aero-News Network | Last-Minute Helium Donation … A ‘Macy's Miracle’ … Makes Civil War Replica Balloon Flight Possible When Peter Arnold, Genesee Country Village & Museum president and CEO, set out last year to build and fly the world's first replica of a Civil War manned balloon – the Intrepid – little did he know his dream could collapse from a nationwide helium shortage. But he also didn't bargain that one of the country's most iconic retailers would step forward to deliver a miracle at the last minute, literally raising the project off the ground...
TCC's Martinelli receives Emmy for aviation movie - New Philadelphia Times Reporter | The Raiders launched their B-25 Mitchell Bombers off an aircraft carrier so they ... Seventeen B-25 bomber crews volunteered to gather in honor of the Raiders...
Monday Motivation Appreciation from Flight To Success by Karlene Petitt | ...We will be seeing more of Aviation Universe, but for now let me tell you what a fabulous store this is. How do you find them? Fly into O'Hare, and they're just on the west side of the airport. 10 minutes away....
Video: Jetman – DC3 formation from Apron 6
AeroCamp To Be Held In Greenville, SC July 16 - 20 from Aero-News Network | First Time For The Airport To Host Such An Activity AeroCamp, which is designed to give young people a unique opportunity to explore the vast and exciting world of aviation and aerospace at their local airport, will be held at Greenville Downtown Airport in Greenville, SC July 16-20...
Short Final from AVwebFlash Current Issue | On a Young Eagles flight recently, the 8-year-old girl sitting in the right seat asked me what why I had a switch for "rotting bacon." Confused, I asked her 
'Son of Concorde': London to Sydney in four hours gets closer - Sydney Morning Herald | London to Sydney in four hours, they were saying, in the run-up to next month's Farnborough air show outside London in the UK, which is one of the aerospace ...
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Indy Transponder 20-JUN-2012 1100z
Matt Younkin to Receive 2012 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship from Alabama Aviator - Aviation News | EAST TROY, WISCONSIN -- World Airshow News has announced that Matt Younkin is the 2012 recipient of the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship. The award will be presented during EAA AirVenture 2012 at EAA's Theater in the Woods on Tuesday, July 24th at 7pm. Matt joins a list of honorees that reads like an airshow hall of fame. He also becomes the first second-generation Barber Award winner. His father, Bobby Younkin, won the award in 2004.
Blue Angels Winging Their Way to Arkansas for September Air Show - KARK | Also included in the air show portion of the day are demonstrations by the Canadian Forces CF-18 team the U.S. Navy F/A Super Hornet demonstration team, ...
Gold Team Visits Norfolk Nebraska for the 2012 Airfest from US Army Golden Knights by Brian 
Karst | The Gold Demonstration traveled to Omaha Nebraska on Wednesday for the opening ceremonies of the NCAA College Work Series. The team landed and went to survey the Ameritrade Park where the jump was to happen and received a positive weather forecast for the following day. Unfortunately out of nowhere a few hours before the jump, a severe thunderstorm with winds up to 65 miles per hour rolled in and forced the ceremonies and the jump to be canceled. After the storm passed the next morning the team headed out to Norfolk Nebraska for the local Airfest...
Red Arrows to return for Hoylake Lifeboat Day - Wirral Globe | THE world-famous aerobatics team will be among the attractions during the event on Bank Holiday Monday, August 27.
AIRSHOW NEWS: Waddington confirm the illusive SAAB 340 AEW&C Argus from Flightline UK | This year’s RAF Waddington International Airshow is already looking to be the biggest for a number of years with over 20 nations participating and 76 foreign aircraft flying into the Lincolnshire airbase for the flying and static display. With just over 2 weeks to go the airshow team are happy to confirm the 77th aircraft in the form of the illusive SAAB 340 ERIEYE AEW&C, from the Swedish 
Wingwalkers will wow the crowds at Sunderland Airshow - Sunderland Echo | THESE wingwalkers are the latest addition to the line-up that will thrill the crowds at this year's Sunderland International Airshow.
Harbor homecoming for the B-17 and B-24 - Grays Harbor Daily World | Look to the skies Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and you'll see and hear vintage WWII aircraft courtesy of the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour...
Crowds wowed by assortment of planes at airshow in Mount Hope - Grand River Sachem | The contrasting fragrances of airplane exhaust, sunscreen, burgers and fries filled the air this past Father's Day weekend at the Hamilton Airshow as crowds in ...
'Warbirds' fly in: Featured fliers bring WWII 'living history' to Fargo - In-Forum | FARGO – At 22 years old, Alex Sahr was the nose gunner for an American B-24 bomber in World War II...
Vintage Warbirds at Fargo Air Museum - WDAY | Fargo, ND (WDAY TV) - If you look up in the sky in the next few days, you may catch a glimpse of history above Fargo-Moorhead.
Air Race takes off from Havasu - Today's News-Herald | Bessie “Tookie” Hensley, from Mohave Valley, and Sherri Dwyer, of Lake Havasu City, were the first to take off in the Air Race Classic, a cross-country air race ...
Upper Iowa University professor is co-pilot in women's air race - Cedar Valley Daily Times | FAYETTE – A UIU faculty member is part of a team of female pilots competing in the 2012 Air Race Classic from Lake Havasu City, Az., to Batavia, Ohio.
Descending out of 10000 ft for Lake ... - The Flyin' HawaiIowans | Our 2012 Air Race Classic adventure will take us from eastern Iowa to Lake Havasu AZ and then to Batavia OH via New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, S Dakota, Wisconsin, and Michigan. We invite you to join us on this ...
Windsor goes after 2013 Red Bull race - Windsor Star | WINDSOR, Ont. -- The Red Bull Air Race, one of the most exciting, dangerous and biggest crowd-drawing.
Talking with Acro Camp IP Don Weaver - Airspeed Online | ...Don Weaver is one of the IPs who will be instructing at Acro Camp. In this episode, you get to hear his take on aerobatics and what you can expect if we pick you as a camper...
Stearman Square Tails at Sky Meadows from Antique Airfield News | Elin Pemberton took these 
Famed 'Candy Bomber' honored at JB Charleston from Air Force Link Top Stories | Retired Col. Gail Halvorsen's legendary Air Force legacy is built on chocolate, bubble gum and hope. Leaders here renamed the C-17 Aircrew Training Building after Halvorsen June 15 with a dedication ceremony in honor of the legendary "Berlin Candy Bomber." In 1948, World War II was over and its aftermath had left Berlin in ruins. Allied bombings had reduced the city's once historical buildings to demolished shells. The streets, once filled with busy urban life, were left littered with debris. Its people, many of whom were children, were scared, homeless and hungry...
90-year-old WWII vet describes flying B-29 bomber - KFVS | His senior year he was selected as captain of the Southern Illinois University aerobatic team. They went on to win the Collegiate Championship that year with ...
Gone West: Maureen Dunlop de Popp
from Aero-News Network | WWII Female Spitfire Pilot Was Also A Cover
Girl ANN has learned that Maureen Dunlo de Popp, who had flown
Spitfires, 
Hurricanes, and Lancaster bombers during the Second World
War, passed away recently at the age on 91 in Britain.
These Are the Good Old Days... from Flight To Success by Karlene Petitt | Last night I attended a night of Aviation History.... And I was one of the guests. You know you're getting old when you're part of history....
From street gang to supersonic jet ride from General Aviation News by Janice Wood | It is pretty rare for a civilian to be taken for a ride in an Air Force supersonic T-38 Talon. But when Hualdo Mendoza volunteered his talents and time to assist the Air Force in rebuilding a highly prized replica World War I fighter, the Air Force offered him the ride of a lifetime as a gesture of appreciation for his contribution...
Friday, June 17, 2011
Rich and Dee Gibson to Receive 2011 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship
airshow hall of fame.Rich and Dee travel all over the world “blowing things up.” Both received formal training with explosives in the United States Army. Rich served a tour in Vietnam, putting his skills to work with the 101st Airborne Division. Dee, a retired Army Major, helped blast rock in Honduras while building roads between small villages. Together they formed Rich’s Incredible Pyro to provide airshows and other events with pyrotechnic expertise.
Using a carefully controlled mixture of dynamite, gasoline, and other explosives, Rich, Dee, and their crew create special effects to simulate an air attack on an airfield. They work closely with the pilots, airfield officials, airboss, and announcer to choreograph a truly realistic bombing display. Their trademark is a massive “Wall-of-Fire” that has become the standard by which all others are measured.
For 30 years, Rich owned and operated an air taxi business, flying everything from J-3 Piper Cubs to Falcon jets for the U.S. government and private industry. He has accumulated over 10,000 hours of flight time. Dee has also enjoyed flying small aircraft, and they met while skydiving.
The Bill Barber Award for Showmanship began in 1986, and goes to airshow performers or teams that have demonstrated great skill and showmanship. World Airshow News and the friends and family of the late Bill Barber present the award annually. To submit a nomination for the 2012 award please see http://airshowmag.com/
Past Bill Barber Award winners include:
2010 Steve Oliver and Suzanne Asbury-Oliver
2009 Michael Goulian
2008 Bud Granley
2007 Dacy Family Airshow Team
2006 Danny Clisham
2005 Pietsch Airshows
2004 Bobby Younkin
2003 Jim LeRoy
2002 AeroShell Aerobatic Team
2001 Northern Lights Aerobatic Team
2000 John Mohr
1999 Dan Buchanan
1998 Patty Wagstaff
1997 Gene Soucy & Teresa Stokes
1996 Wayne Handley
1995 Bob Hoover
1994 Bob & Annette Hosking
1993 Red Baron Stearman Squadron
1992 Sean D. Tucker
1991 Julie Clark
1990 Leo Loudenslager
1989 Jimmy Franklin
1988 No Award
