w as a solo aerobatic act was in July of 2014, the North Fraser Air Show in Pitt Meadows, British Columbia. The weather was terrible with low ceilings and heavy rain at times. Compounding that was an irregular air show display area, commonly referred to as “The Box”, which was offset to the far left of the spectator area. Despite the challenging weather and irregular Box, the Air Boss that day, Donna Flynn, of Showline Airshows put me at ease.
She said, “Geoff, this is your first show. The weather is crummy. The box is off to the side. I don’t want you to think about anything but flying a safe show, and if you need to knock it off at any time, that’s just fine, come back and land”. In an instant part of the stress of my first show was gone! That being said, I think I ate an entire bottle of Pepto-Bismol before I flew, as I was cautiously anxious about my first show with Nancy, our fully restored Nanchang CJ-6A.
When asked about advice for new performers, what can I say? That’s easy, the same thing Donna told me: Take it slow, and take it easy. Make sure you do all the studying you can to know your aircraft performance, and know your emergency procedures like the back of your hand. Then, take your time to know your display routine. Walk it through before every flight! Know your gates, and know what energy you need for each maneuver, how high you need to be, and what your min/max speeds are for each maneuver. Fly what you’ve practiced hundreds and hundreds of times before, and never add anything new to your display routine at a show site. Focus. Think safety. Breathe. You’ve worked hard to get here, now put everything else out of your mind except the flight, and go do your thing!
If I could add one more thing, it would be call me if you have questions! My number is on our website, and I would be happy to talk with any new performer about what I have learned.
Smoke ON!,
Geoff Latter
Geoff Latter Airshows
(778) 899-7513
Note from the Editor: Thanks for this highly entertaining article Geoff Latter. I hope that you and other airshow professionals will continue to send your stories and updates along with pictures to Editor@airshowCanada.ca