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Every U.S. air show is opened in this way.
Each day the "Opening Ceremony" takes place, then the National anthem is played
during a parachute drop and the national flag displayed. |
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Thousands of pilots of numerous nations have
colleted many hours on this airplane. The AeroShell team gives a breathtaking demo with
the North American AT-6. |
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Chandy Clanton makes this clean cork screw
with her Zivko Edge 540 to. Chandy is 32, member of the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic team and
has 1.200 flying hours, of it 500 in aerobatics. |
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At never seen elegance and precision the four
machines of the AeroShell team seem to be connected with invisible bars ... |
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Sean Tucker is considered to be "the Best
of the Best" in the scene of air show performers. With the tail slide his Challenger
II falls backwards with a speed over 100 mph. |
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... until leader Alan Henley, Mark Henlay,
Steve Gustafson and Gene McNeely with their 600 HP strong trainers make a split for the
final. |
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The "Ribbon cut". In a knife flight
Sean cuts a wire that is strained across the Runway. |
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In the 20's the grandfather of John Mohr was a
"Barnstormer". With show flights in the mid west of the USA, he earned himself a
living. |
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Sean Tucker is as unusual as his airplane. The
Challenger II resembles outwardly a Pitts Special, however it is made with a multiplicity
of strongly modified construction units, made to withstand the extreme g-loads. |
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With his 1943 Stearman, John flies mad low
level aerobatic routines. Highpoints are misfiring of the engine with meter-long flames,
which come from the exhaust during the inverted flight. |
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Biplanes like the Pitts Special have a special
character. Besides the well-known Sean Tucker, Jim LeRoy also offers breathtaking stunts. |
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The probably most extreme wing-walking
demonstration since the fearless Barnstormer days: Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes give their
best since 1988 on the modified Grumman AG-Cat. |
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"Jimmy Jammer", "Walking the
Dog" or "Rolling Harrier ", are names of these unbelievable manoeuvres. Jim
LeRoy does them all with his 400 HP strong Pitts S-2S. |
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This dramatic picture shows Teresa while
changing to the overhead position. Low level aerobatics are also made by Gene with Teresa
on the wing. |
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The Cobra manoeuvre is demonstrated by many
aerobatic pilots. Briefly after take off and only one meter above the runway, Kirby
Chambliss is demonstrating this rare and spectacular figure. |
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Wing-walking of a somewhat different kind.
When the passenger in the Boeing Stearman gets bored, he simply steps out ... |
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Kirby waves at the spectators on the
flight-line too. The captain of the U.S. Aerobatic team is four-time U.S. National
Championship Aerobatics and Freestyle world champion of the year 2000. |
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... and gets into a different transportation
device. Whether this is really comfortable, may be doubted ... |
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While performing his demonstration, a yellow
shoulder-wing monoplane suddenly crosses the flight path of Kirby Chambliss. A dangerous
moment. A few seconds later the howling alarm sirens underline this event. |
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Mike Goulian belongs to the best aerobatic
fliers in the USA. He flew in 1994, '96 and '98 in the U.S. National team. Here he is with
his 300 HP strong CAP 232 in inverted flight. |
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The air show newcomers are shocked, the
insiders know better of course. The yellow Interstate Cadet is steered by air show legend
Kent Pietsch, demonstrating his Crazy Flying program. |
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Probably the most successful female aerobatic
pilot is Patty Wagstaff. Six times she was a member of the U.S. Aerobatic team, three
times U.S. Champion. A legend by her own right Patty is inducted in the Aviation Hall Of
Fame. |
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After the landing Kent Pietsch is arrested by
Security personnel. Each year he performs a mad show! |
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Nick Nilmeyer, Eric Tucker and Jessy Panzer -
are the "stars of tomorrow", a new generation of talents, trained by
professionals like Mike Goulian. |
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