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Kendal Simpson From a very young age, Kendal was always fascinated
with airplanes and it was always his dream to fly. In May of
1995, at the age of 19, one of Kendal's life long goals was accomplished
when he obtained his Private Pilot Certificate with only 42 hours of flight time. In May of 1997 he graduated Liberty University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a minor in Aviation.
Not only was it his dream to fly, but it was also his dream to
master the three dimensional art of aerobatic flight. In late
2001 Kendal bought his first biplane and started practicing aerobatics.
In September of 2002 he entered his first aerobatic competition and won his first aerobatic trophy. After four short years, Kendal had moved thorugh the ranks of IAC competition winning first place in every
other category. In July of 2006 he moved up to Unlimited and
won second place for the freestyle flight in his four cylinder
Ultimate biplane. Since he started in 2002, Kendal has won over
35 different medals and trophies flying competition aerobatics.
He has accumulated over 6800 hours of flight time in more than 60 different aircraft types. Besides aerobatics, Kendal has experienced all different types of aviation including: flying freight, charter flights, flight
instruction, crop dusting, glider towing, corporate and airline
flying. He currently flies some of the most advanced corporate
jets in the world both domestically and internationally.
Michael Wiskus Like many of the show pilots, Mike’s passion
for aviation started when he was very young. Mike’s Dad took him to his first air show at their home town in Iowa at
the age of 10. The show made an everlasting impression so deep that at 14, Mike begged for a job at the Mason City Iowa airport
washing airplanes and cleaning hangars just to be around airplanes. Later, he traded his work for flying lessons and received
his Pilots License on his 17th birthday. Thirty years
later, Mike has accumulated more than 23,000 flight hours and has qualified in more than 30 aircraft. Today, Mike keeps busy
by flying for Corporate America as well as keeping a full time air show schedule from April through November. Mike owns and operates a high quality aircraft maintenance and
refurbishing facility in the Minneapolis, MN. area in addition to his Corporate Aircraft Management company where he manages
several corporate flight departments. But his real passion is strapping himself in to one of the highest performance air show
aircraft in the world. The Lucas Oil Pitts show plane.
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Kirk Wicker
Kirk has been flying both competition and airshows since 1985. Since then,
Kirk has been the East Coast Aerobatic Champion, placed at the International Aerobatic Club Championships, and has won nmerous
other regional aerobatic contests as well. With over 250 airshows under his belt, Kirk is one of the few pilots in the United
States that holds a surface waiver to fly airshow performances in ANY single engine land aircraft. This being so, Kirk has
entertained thousands of excited airshow spectators in various aircraft from the J-3 Cub to the CAP-21. Kirk's even entered
a few races against Les Shockley and his jet powered truck the SHOCKWAVE! Performing an average of 30 airshows a year, Kick
has never had to cancel a single scheduled performance due to mechanical failures. This is due to the fact that all Kirk's
aircraft are ipeccably maintained. At the altitudes that his acts are flown, Kirk can not and will not accept anything less
than perfection.
For many years,
Kirk has been a regular performer at the Flying Circus of Bealeton, Virginia. Not only flying high performance low level aerobatic
routines, but also thrilling the crowds with his stock J-3 Cub that will be at the Greenwood Lake Airshow.
Dan Marcotte Before Dan was flying aerobatics he was racing the Cassutt IIIM.
In 2003 he “flew away” with 4th Place in the Formula One Bronze Class at Reno. The Cassutt is a high speed
monoplane designed especially for racing, making Dan’s aerobatic demonstrations in it truly unexpected! The Super
AcroSport is a classic biplane, complete with smoke for traditional barnstorming excitement. Dan especially enjoys working with young
people, explaining basic flight and aerobatic principles, and offers these opportunities with every air show booked.
Jane
Wicker Jane
is not only a wing walker, but a true aerobatic pilot in her own right. She not only walks the wings of the Stearman
but flies it as well. She is one of few wing walkers that is actually qualified to fly the wing walking mount.
She has held a surface level waiver from the FAA and is an accomplished competition pilot. She is also a singer and
has sung the National Anthem at airshows. Jane has been seen and heard on several local and national broadcasts, such
as The Discovery Channel, The Learning Channel, The History Channel, National Geographic TV, ESPN, Speed Vision, the Sunday
Today Show, The G. Gordon Liddy Show, and many other publications as well.
Jane's wing walking is one of a kind. She remains the only female
wing walker in North America that not only hangs from the N strut, but sits on the bottom of the airplane during the inverted
pass. She also is one of just a few wing walkers in the world who transitions across the wings without benefit of a
safety line.
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Kevin Russo Kevin was 15 years old when he started to fly. He soloed on his 16th birthday and received his
pilots license on his 17th
birthday. Kevin went on to
get his Commercial, Instrument, Multi-Engine, and Instructor ratings by the age of 19. He now holds Commercial, Glider, Helicopter, and ATP ratings and has logged over 16,000 hours flying military, airliners, and corporate aircraft. Kevin
joined the United States
Air Force Reserve when he
was 22 years old and rose through the ranks as he flew numerous missions. Kevin was a Captain for a major airline flyign the A300-600 Airbus out of New York, flying routes to domestic and international destinations. Kevin is currently flying G-IV Gulfstream Aircrafts for a private corporation
out of New York to world
wide destinations. Kevin is
in his 10th year flying air shows with his SNJ-6/T-6 aircraft. His aircraft is a restored SNJ-6. The aircraft was built in 1944 and delivered to Pensacola NAS FL in August 1945. Kevin purchased the aircraft 14 years ago and restored it back to
the Pensacola colors you see today. Kevin's SNJ-6 is thought to be the lowest time Texan around with only 3,000 hours. Kevin is available after any air show
to answer questions and to sign autographs and/or pictures.
Dan Buchanan
Dan was a New England home builder and flat-track
motorcycle racer, and enjoyed the thrill of flying off mountain tops, when in 1981, he paralyzed his legs trying to land in
stormy weather. Losing his ability to walk, he returned to college to pursue a career in mechanical engineering and worked
in Silicon Valley, CA.
Despite
his handicap, Dan returned to flying within six months, and since then his tenacity and adventurous spirit has allowed him
to accrue more than 2,800 hours of flight time in hang gliders and sailplanes. His recreational flights are typically 3-6
hours long thermal soaring as high as 18,000 feet over the western mountains.
After his first air show
performance at Medford, OR in 1989, his appearances increased each year, and now he shares his thrill of flight with millions
of people around the world during his annual 25+ city Airshow tour.
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Debby Rihn-Harvey In 2008, Debby won the Mike Murphy Trophy making her the highest ranking competitor in the United
States. Debby
is also the longest standing member of the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatics Team, qualifying to represent the U.S. thirteen times
in World Aerobatic Championships in North America and Europe. In world competition, Rihn-Harvey has been a Gold Medalist and
she holds many regional titles. As a tribute to her many accomplishments, she was inducted into the Texas Aviation Hall of
Fame in 2003. This native Nebraskan is the third generation
of aviators in her family. Her grandfather, Roy Furstenberg, manufactured the Overland Sport Aircraft in Omaha in the 1920’s,
while her father, Jack Furstenberg, began teaching her to fly in her teens. Debby is a captain for Southwest
Airlines. Besides the many hours of practice it takes for competition and airshow flying, she also ownes a flight school and
fixed-base operation at La Porte Municipal Airport , Harvey & Rihn Aviation. The aerobatics school attracts pilots from
around the world. Debby is also an Aerobatic Competency Evaluator (ACE) for the International Council of Airshows and an FAA
Designated Flight Examiner who administers flight exams for Private Pilot through Airline Transport Pilot certificates.
David Brown
David
has been a licensed pilot for over 33 years and has been involved in the air show business just as long. He
began working as a ground crew member at the Flying Circus Air Show in Bealeton Virginia while attending high school and concurrently
obtained his private pilots license. After joining the U. S. Air Force he purchased an aerobatic biplane
and began perfecting his aerobatic flying in his spare time. He soon obtained an FAA aerobatic waiver card
and performed in several local air shows in Arkansas where he was stationed at that time. He later obtained
his commercial pilot’s license and instructor’s rating and began flying in the Flying Circus Air Show again and
flying commercial air tour rides. Flying with the Circus he developed a love for the WWII era biplane trainer,
the Stearman PT-17 and later purchased one of his own. He now performs an aerobatic demonstration in his
Stearman thrilling crowds weekly at the Flying Circus as well as other select air shows in Virginia and surrounding states.
David is also currently an active member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve participating in the global war on terror.
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