Expected Performers
One Team Defending Freedom
2012 Expected Performers
United States Air Force Thunderbirds
The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds, is an Air Combat Command unit, based out of Nellis AFB, Nev., composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, four civilians and about 110 enlisted people performing in more than 29 Air Force specialties. A Thunderbirds' aerial demonstration is a mix of formation flying and solo routines. The pilots perform approximately 40 maneuvers in a demonstration. The entire show, including ground and air, runs about one hour. -- http://thunderbirds.airforce.com
United States Army Golden Knights
The United States Army Parachute Team, nicknamed “The Golden Knights,” is the Army’s official aerial demonstration team. The team includes more than 90 people, including jumpers, pilots, administrators, parachute technicians, and media relations and supply specialists. The Golden Knights perform more than 100 demonstrations a year with the help of the team’s four dedicated aircraft. The team travels around the United States, performing parachute demonstrations at air shows, major league football and baseball games, and special events, connecting the Army with the American people. – www.usarec.army.mil/hq/GoldenKnights
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Ace Maker T-33 Airshows Army veteran Greg Colyer took his first flight at 7 in a
Cessna 172 and has been hooked ever since. He acquired the Air Force's first
operational jet and a piece of aviation history - the T-33, naming it "Ace Maker"
in 2008. He then founded the nonprofit "T-33 Heritage Foundation" to help in the
preservation of the type. Greg stays in shape for flying high performance
aircraft by competitive cycling and an occasional Ironman triathlon. - www.acemaker33.com |
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Vicky BenzingVicky Benzing has a passion for flying and she loves to share it with those around her. With high energy maneuvers like the “centrifuge” and the “spiraling tower,” she demonstrates her exuberance for and mastery of the 3-dimensional world she flies in. She flies a German-built single seat “Vesto” Extra 300S. Powered by a highly modified experimental AEIO540 engine and a high performance Hartzell “Claw” propeller, her aircraft is both powerful and nimble.—www.vbaerosports.com |
Bill Braack, Smoke-n-Thunder Jet Car
On takeoff, pilot Bill Braack pulls nearly 5-Gs and fights to keep speeds below 400 mph. Anything faster and he’ll fly. Since he pilots a “car,” the “Smoke-n-Thunder Jet Car,” flying is bad. At Air Expo 2012, Braack will race one of the winged performers and, usually, gives them a head start. With 6,000 pounds of thrust, it only takes the retired 446th Airlift Wing flight engineer, a few seconds to overtake his foe. – www.smoke-n-thunder.com
John Klatt Air Show Tour
In 1990, John Klatt began flying aerobatics, for the pure love of the experience. Now, John is known as one of the top air show performers in the country, and is proud to fly for the Air National Guard. In his Air National Guard Panzl S330 aerobatic aircraft, he hurtles toward the heavens and plummets toward the earth at speeds over 250 mph. Klatt is a lieutenant colonel on the ANG. – www.johnklattairshows.com
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Patriots Jet Team The civilian Patriots Jet Team flies the L-39 jet aircraft and have electrified spectators with their fast-paced formation flying, choreographed
six-ship diamond formation featuring their signature "tail slide" where the aircraft actually slides backward toward the ground. The team highlights its
flying with a computerized red, white and blue smoke system. This is the team's ninth year of operation featuring former U.S. Air Force Thunderbird,
U.S. Navy Blue Angel and Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbird pilots. --www.patriotsjetteam.com |
Kent Pietsch Airshows
While most aerobatic performers have one basic program, Kent Pietsch executes three storied acts that leave spectators mesmerized. These include a dead-stick (turning the engine off) routine from 6,000 feet and a rooftop landing on a moving RV! However, Kent is best known for a comedy act that features a detached aileron (wing flap) and a mesmerizing wingtip-scraping pass down the runway that you must see to believe. – www.pietschairshows.com
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We’ll continue to update this website when other performers commit to participating in the Air Expo 2012. Be sure to follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/JBLMAirExpo) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/JBLMAirExpo) to get immediate notifications.
