Favorite Aerobatic pilot

[GRNDP51]

Well???

[ShermB]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Lefty Gardner in his White Lightnin'.

[Box A35]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Wayne Handley and the Turbo Raven was flat out unforgettable for me.

I am still looking for a copy of the Sportflying Championship video that was produced by ABC Sports (I think) in 1999.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5224992639009239481#

[Team Six Cat]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Art..

[catalinadave]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Bob Hoover, with Lefty right behind him.

[wccivil]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

The Great R. A. Hoover

[Randy Haskin]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Hoover, definitely.

His act was never all that complicated, nor did it have a 'wow' factor that performers like Wayne Handley and Sean Tucker brought to aerobatics.

What Hoover DID have was incredible style and smoothness matched up with precision. It also had some of that poetry-in-motion that acts like Lefty's P-38 demo did extremely well.

Simply the best.

[EastCoastFan]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Hard to say, but I'll tell my favorites in the order that I saw them over time:

Hoover, Scholl, Loudenslager, Tucker

[GRNDP51]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

I met Sean Tucker back in 2005, and he says he would give me a ride when i was old enough. I saw him yesterday at Riverside and he said it is time!!! Wonder what plane?

[Ken from PG]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

All the above plus Jim Franklin and don't forget Julie Clark

[Race5]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Hoover, Franklin, Handley, Skip Stewart, and the Horsemen

[Big_Jim]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Just one? Can't....

Bob Hoover in both the Shrike and the Mustang...as the late Jim Driscoll said..."an airplane wouldn't dare not do what Bob wanted it to".

Sean D. Tucker in anything. Ditto for Wayne Handley and Leo Loudenslager.

Joe Hughes and Johnny Kazian/Gordie McCallum on the Super Stearman.

Jimmy Franklin and Elliott Cross in the Duelling Wacos...if only for Johnny K's narration.

Lefty in White Lightning....though I understand that those who saw my buddy Chuck Lyford in one of the rare Bardahl Lightning performances saw a show that would have wowed even Lefty.

And I know I've said this before, but the routine that Bud Granley did in Miss America at Abbottsford 1982 to the theme from Chariots of Fire still gives me goosebumps.

[kiwiracefan]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Hmmmmm Ray Hanna in a spitfire or P40.. beautifully smooth routines that showed off the airframe...
Jurgis karys.. anything he flies is taken to the limit..

Mark jeffries was great in a yak 50

one of the best duo displays i got to see was 2 kiwi pilots, Keith skilling and John Lamont, Keith flies a FG-1D corsair and John flew a P-40 in a formation routine that had John spending most of the time in the slot position behind the corsair, was a fantastic display to watch

[AirDOGGe]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

Lemme offer my choices of the top three during my lifetime.

My picks involve originality of performances and demonstrated piloting skills. Acts that require special 1-up aircraft like the Turbo Raven's extremely-overpowered airframe need not apply. My picks are based only on the pilots, not their steeds (nothing meant here against Mr. Handley....He's an incredibly-skilled pilot....no argument there.)


Picking number one is easy....Mr. Hoover, hands down.

I've seen many aerobatic performances but NOTHING even CLOSE to the unique things he did with the P-51 and Shrike, nor the razor-sharp, gravity-defying way that he flew them.

I can honestly say that air shows have always felt a little bit empty to me since his performances ceased, like the hollow feeling of the loss of a family member or best friend....The end of an era indeed!


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Number two is a bit harder to pick with so many incredible performers to choose from. But not so hard that it took me more than a few second to decide...

Need I say anything? Art Scholl takes the Silver!



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Number 3 is the hardest to choose. Jim Franklin? Joann Nottke?
Sean Tucker? Wayne Handley? Lefty? So many to choose from...

But, not too hard. I have to select...Leo Loudenslager.

I recall watching him at Reno performing standard stunts, but to the extreme. His Lomchevaks were so blindingly fast and neck-snappingly tight. Every time his routine took him close to the ground, say on the bottom of a loop or vertical-8, he'd lay airshow smoke on the runway every time, so friggin' close Leo would get, 6 feet or less I'd estimate. He was quite impressive!



Those are my choices... Mr. Scholl, Mr. Loudenslager, may you rest in peace and fly the skies with the angels forever.

Mr. Hoover, we really miss seeing you out/up there. God bless.

[Propellerhead]

Re: Favorite Aerobatic pilot

I can only pull my list from who I've seen. I never had the pleasure to see the legendary Art Scholl.

Hoover at the top spot. Not much to add to what everyone else has said already

Handley and Leo "the Looper" Loudenslager tied at the next spot. The inverted flat spins, Handley's Agro-batics, and - later - the headshaking performance of the Turbo Raven.

Jim LeRoy. I only saw his Bulldog Airshows routine once, but it left my jaw hanging open. Super aggressive. Always took the most difficult recovery (eyballs out) from each maneuver.

I do miss the "OH YEAHs" from Johny K narrating the Dueling Waco's. Yeah, it was the same act year after year, but like seeing an old friend again.