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Chris Avery Corsair
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Chris Avery lives in Vero Beach, Florida. He served in the Marine Corps for 12 years and in the Army National Guard for 4 years. He is a Scout Sniper and is both parachute and SCUBA qualified. Chris has 3 combat deployments to Iraq. His personal decorations include the USMC Combat Action Ribbon, the Army Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Bronze Star Medal. Chris has been employed by a small regional airline in Atlanta, Georgia since 1985. He has over 25,000 hours of flight experience. He also has a heavy general aviation background. He is an experienced aerobatic competitor and airshow pilot with over 4500 hours in high-performance aerobatic aircraft. Chris is the former president of IAC Chapter 3 in Atlanta. He is also an A&P and has built 3 experimental aircraft. Chris also served as a production and experimental test pilot at Aviat and Bombardier Aerospace. Chris has flown the CAF Corsair on the airshow circuit since 1996. He has over 800 hours in the aircraft and has flown over 400 Level 1 demonstrations in it. Chris flys many other warbirds, but strongly prefers the Corsair. |
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John
McGillis' Extra 300L
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John was born and raised on a ranch in the wide open ranges of Montana, but now calls Friendswood home and is based at Ellington. In 1978, he learned to fly in a PA18-150 Super Cub and a Cessna 185. In his 28 years of flying experience, John has flown numerous civilian aircraft models while developing his love of aerobatic manuevers. He has flown in competition in a Pitts and Extra 300S, and currently flies an Extra 300L in his thrilling show. John has competed in numerous aerobatic competitions and has won the "Highest Scoring First-Time Competitor" award. | ||
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Stu McCurdy & Falcon Flight
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Falcon Flight Flying Team based in Texas. This precision formation team led by Stu McCurdy, a retired pilot with the U.S. Air Force, flies in a variety of close formations. Falcon Flight participated in a Guiness World Record 37-ship formation at 2009 AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin. The world record flight was directed by Stu McCurdy of Falcon Flight. All Falcon Flight pilots fly experimental category RV aircraft constructed from kits. (RV references the initials of the founder of Van’s Aircraft, a company that makes the kits for these popular home-built airplanes.) |
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Stanley Musick & Catch 22
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Dr. Stanley Musick of Ridgeland, Mississippi has a fever, but it's not the typical illness that he treats in his patients. Dr. Musick has a fever for aviation, and he says he got it at the age of 12 when he had his first flight in a Bonanza. Stan had to wait 5 years before he was in an airplane again, but it was well worth the wait. At the age of 17, he was working and saving up his money while taking flying lessons. Stan made his first solo flight, obtained his pilot license, graduated high school, had his 18th birthday, and bought his first airplane - all within 30 days! Since that time, Stan has been fortunate to fly several of the world's top aircraft, including World War II fighter planes like the P-51 Mustang, the Seafury, and the F4U Corsair, and trainer planes like the Stearman and the T-6. |
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B17 Texas Raiders
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The B-17, Texas Raiders, is an authentically restored World War II B-17 Bomber, painted in the colors of the 381st Bombardment Group, 533rd Squadron. Of the 12,731 B-17s built during the War, there are just 12 which remain flyable today. Owned by the Commemorative Air Force and managed/operated by the Gulf Coast Wing, Texas Raiders is headquartered in Spring, Texas at D. W. Hooks Airport. The public is invited to visit this vintage aircraft with walk-through tours for a modest tax-deductible donation. Rides can be arranged through B17rides@gulfcoastwing.org The Commemorative Air Force is a 501-c-3 nonprofit organization, and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. |
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Paul Fiala - Great Lakes Bi-Plane
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Paul
Fiala is a true showman and admired by crowds for his stunts and skill as a
pilot. He obtained his commercial pilots license his senior year in high
school, and since that time has never lost his love of flying. In 1987 he was
awarded the U.S. Navy’s citation from the Chief of Naval Air Training for air
show performances and support of naval aviation. He has over thirty years as
a corporate pilot for the King Ranch. His skill and experience flying naval
aircraft includes the F/A-18 Hornet with the Blue Angels. Paul may be a
modern barnstormer, but with him safety always comes first, the FAA honored
Paul with the Wright Bothers Master Pilot Award, which is bestowed to those
that have 50 years of incident free flying.
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Randy Henderson - Texas TCart
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The Texas T-Cart driver earned his private pilot's license during the two years he spent stationed in England as a medic in the U.S. Air Force. During that time, he began skydiving as well, and made 24 parachute jumps. Randy later began his professional career flying DC-3 freighter planes with only 380 hours of flight time under his belt. In just three years, he logged 3,000 hours in the air -- and survived thirteen engine failures as he worked his way up to Captain. Since January 1979, Randy has been a pilot for Southwest Airlines. He became their youngest Boeing 737 Captain ever when he upgraded less than three years later. But our National Champion's favorite pastime is flying good ol' grassroots aerobatics in his homebuilt Texas T-Cart! The Texas T-Cart is a highly modified, clipped-wing Taylorcraft BC12-D, and first rolled off the assembly line in 1946. Randy spent two years modifying this homebuilt taildragger in his hangar at Cottonpatch Aerodrome in Frisco, Texas. The wings of the Texas T-Cart have been clipped eight feet for a total wingspan of twenty-eight feet, and the engine is a 180 horsepower Lycoming. It also has both an inverted fuel system especially designed for aerobatics and a smoke oil system that Randy uses during all of his air show performances. |
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Al Saylor & The Re/Max Skydiving Team
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Soaring through the clouds, the RE/MAX® Skydiving Team is a show-stopping start that leaves crowds wide-eyed and breathless. The jump team will "officially" open the Airshow with an artistic multi-jumper parachute leap over the airfield. The team is lead by Skydiving Veteran Al Saylor. |
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Texas Heatwave
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Texas Heatwave Areobatic Team (T.H.A.T.) thrills crowds across seven states in the South Central Region. They are one of only 21 model aircraft show teams sponsored by the Academy of Model Aeronautics headquartered in Muncie Indiana. They are sanctioned and chartered by the AMA, a Division of the National Aeronautic Association, for the purpose of exposing people of all ages to model aviation and in turn to aviation in general. Texas Heatwave are also members of the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS). Based in the Dallas area, Texas Heatwave is the only AMA Show Team in Texas to have performed in front of over 3.5 million spectators in more than 200 events over the past 6 years |
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