Thunderbirds change command for 2010, 2011 air show seasons
2010-02-25
Lieutenant Colonel Case “Basket” Cunningham (right) took command of the Thunderbirds on January 15 at the team’s Nellis AFB hangar. Cunningham replaces Lieutenant Colonel Greg Thomas who led the team through the 2008 and 2009 air show seasons. He is shown here accepting command from Brigadier General Russell J. Handy, 57th Wing Commander.
Cunningham graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1994. Before his assignment to the team, he was the Director of Operations for the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall AFB, the squadron responsible for training pilots in the F-22A Raptor. He has logged more than 2,000 hours with more than 1,800 hours in the F-15C, F-22A, and F-16C.
He becomes the 33rd leader of the Thunderbirds.
Snowbirds change leadership, wing assignment
2010-02-14
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds have altered their leadership structure for the 2010 air show season.
Former Snowbird #2, Major Maryse Carmichael, will be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and assume command of the squadron. Major Carmichael was the first female jet team pilot for the Snowbirds. She now becomes the first military jet team commanding officer. She will remain at the team’s home base of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan during the show season.
Major Chris Hope, formerly Snowbird #5 during the 2003, 2004 and 2005 air show seasons, will assume the role of Team Lead and Snowbird #1.
The Snowbirds will now also report to the commander of 4 Wing, a CF-18 fighter base in Cold Lake, Alberta. Since its inception, the team was under 15 Wing Moose Jaw, a training wing.
In this their 40th anniversary year, the Snowbirds will fly at 34 shows in 2010.
ASB Releases Banquet Video
2010-01-13
ASB.TV (Air Show Buzz) recently released this video which it created for the 2009 ICAS Chairman's Banquet held on Wednesday, December 9 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas. Developed to visually summarize the just completed 2009 air show season, the video was used to set the tone for the awards presentation that many have described as the "air show industry's Oscars. ICAS members who would like to use any of ASB's professionally produced videos on their own websites are encouraged to contact Deb Mitchell at deb@asb.tv for more information.
Sanborn Makes Opening Keynote Address Available to Convention Delegates, Members
2009-12-15
In response to the many requests ICAS received following his presentation, Mark Sanborn, the opening keynote speaker for the 2009 ICAS Convention, has agreed to make his keynote address to ICAS Convention delegates available to all ICAS members. Held on the morning of Monday, December 7, Sanborn’s presentation was among the most well-received in ICAS Convention history. To order your copy of Sanborn’s 60-minute presentation, send credit card information or your $35 check (payable to ICAS) to ICAS headquarters, 750 Miller Drive, Suite F-3, Leesburg, Virginia 20175, Fax: 703-779-8511, e-mail: icas@airshows.aero. Please also include your shipping address. You should receive your DVD within ten days to two weeks.
Widespread Enthusiasm, Optimism Characterize 2009 ICAS Convention
2009-12-15
Delegates at the 2009 ICAS Convention reported brisk business, a palpable feeling of energy, and widespread optimism about the upcoming air show season.
Held December 6 through 9 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, the 2009 Convention welcomed 1,519 delegates, two percent more than 2008 and slightly higher than the 1,504 average for the last ten years.
“Despite the struggling economy, ICAS members had a successful convention and left Las Vegas with exciting and ambitious plans for the 2010 air show season,” said ICAS President John Cudahy. “We were optimistic going into the convention, but attendance and positive reports from our members exceeded even our high expectations.”
Highlights of this year's ICAS Convention included the annual Chairman’s Banquet on Wednesday, December 9 (see details below) and a members-only concert by country music recording artist Aaron Tippin and the release of the three military jet team schedules on Monday, December 7. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels released both their 2010 and 2011 schedules, providing some event organizers with a significant jump on their planning for the 2011 air show season.
The 2010 ICAS Convention will be held December 5 through 8 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas.
Bunce Receives 2009 ICAS Sword of Excellence
2009-12-14
During an award ceremony in Las Vegas on December 9, General Aviation Manufacturers Association President Pete Bunce was presented with the ICAS Sword of Excellence, the air show industry’s most prestigious award, in recognition of more than a decade of service to the air show community.
Bunce, who retired from the Air Force in 2005, first became involved with the air show community as Air Force liaison on the ICAS Board of Directors in 1998, helping to strengthen and deepen the Air Force’s relationship with ICAS and the air show community. Now serving as an elected member of the Board, Bunce has been a forceful advocate for air shows at the highest levels of the aviation community.
Bunce becomes the 36th recipient of the Sword of Excellence and joins a list of past recipients that includes Paul Poberezny, Art Scholl, Dick Schram, Patty Wagstaff, Bob Hoover, and Tom Poberezny.
Aaron Named 2009 Scholl Recipient
2009-12-14
Aerobatic helicopter pilot Chuck Aaron was named 2009 recipient of the prestigious Art Scholl Showmanship Award. Presented each year to an air show performer who personifies the showmanship for which Art Scholl was known during his air show career, the Art Scholl Award had not previously been presented to a helicopter pilot.
Aaron was cited for his technically demanding, uniquely entertaining brand of air show flying, as well as his status as the only helicopter pilot in the world to hold an FAA-issued Statement of Aerobatic Competency. The 24th recipient of the award, Aaron joins air show legends Bob Hoover, Leo Loudenslager, Jim Franklin, Sean Tucker, Gene Soucy, and Michael Goulian on the list of past recipients.
NAS Oceana Takes Home 2009 Schram Award
2009-12-13
For its groundbreaking community relations effort using its air show as a breast cancer awareness initiative, NAS Oceana was named recipient of the 2009 Dick Schram Community Relations Award during the Chairman’s Banquet held in conjunction with the 2009 ICAS Convention last week in Las Vegas.
When a scheduling conflict forced the NAS Oceana Air Show to move from their traditional mid-September show dates to new dates in mid-October, the show’s leadership saw the change not as a problem or inconvenience, but as an opportunity to strengthen and extend the community relations aspects of this highly regarded air show and open house.
The October dates allowed show management to supplement all that they normally do with an additional program to support October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month with the tag line, “A Celebration of Flight, a Celebration of Life.” And with that decision, the outreach opportunities and community interest in the air show increased suddenly and dramatically.
Kulp, Poberezny, Younkin Inducted into Air Show Hall of Fame
2009-12-13
During ceremonies held in conjunction with the 2009 ICAS Convention, air show legends Charlie Kulp, Tom Poberezny and Bobby Younkin were inducted into the ICAS Foundation Air Show Hall of Fame on Wednesday, December 9 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel.
Charlie Kulp was recognized as the quintessential flying farmer performer during an air show career that spanned nearly 40 years. Flying low-level, slow speed, cross-controlled aerobatics, Kulp would dupe spectators into believing that he was not a pilot and had accidently taken off in his 65 horsepower J-3 Cub. Kulp retired as an air show performer in 2008 at the age of 83.
Tom Poberezny was recognized for a career that could have easily qualified him for Air Show Hall of Fame status as either a performer or an event organizer. A member of the legendary Eagles Aerobatic Team for a quarter century, Poberezny was one-third of a formation aerobatic team that helped to define air show entertainment during the seventies, eighties and nineties. But, more recently, Poberezny is best known for his tenure as EAA president. For more than 30 years, he has overseen astounding growth in the attendance and the sophistication of EAA AirVenture. From sponsorship and programming to marketing and business management, Poberezny has been both a pioneer and industry leader in the air show business.
Bobby Younkin described himself as a “working class” air show pilot. The air show industry recognized him as the consummate showman, eager and able to entertain a crowd in anything that could fly. This Arkansas native combined natural showmanship with his well-developed skills as a pilot to entertain tens of millions of spectators throughout the United States and Canada.
Poe Featured on CNN
2009-11-11
Earlier this year, ICAS member and air show performer Greg Poe established a program that rewards strong students with aerobatic incentive rides in select locations around the country. Last weekend, as part of his appearance at the Randolph Air Force Base Air Show near San Antonio, Texas, Poe gave two San Antonio-area teenagers the aerobatic thrill of their lives and CNN documented the experience in this news segment.
Golden Knights Increase Fee for 2010
2009-11-10
In response to the increased costs of operating the team and budgetary challenges in the coming year, the U.S. Army Golden Knights recently announced that they have increased their show fee from $3,000 per day to $4,000 per day. The increase will be used to offset transportation, fuel and per diem costs. The team emphasized that all other details related to hosting the team will remain as specified in the team’s support manual.
For more information, contact SFC Paul Sachs, the team’s new show scheduler at 910-907-3205 or by e-mail at paul.sachs@usaac.army.mil.
MCAS Yuma Wall of Fire Certified by Guinness
2009-11-10
Guinness World Records recently certified the 10,178.3 foot long wall of fire at the MCAS Yuma Air Show on March 14, 2009 as the longest wall of fire, ever. Nearly two miles long, this pyro spectacular was created by the Bomb Squad of Tora Tora Tora.