Page 12 - World Airshow News Autumn 2024
P. 12
ROb HOLLAND By Steve Serdikoff
Blending Competition Excellence
with Airshow Excitement
C ivilian aerobatic displays could aviation was transitioning from curiosity
not have begun in a more chaotic
to commerce, some of those early stunts,
way. The United States had
along with military tactics employed by
entered the Jazz Age post-World
War I and, flush with surplus fighter pilots during World War I, were
being refined into precise maneuvers,
military airplanes, an eclectic and diverse giving rise to the lexicon of aerobatics.
cadre of men and women began staging Airshows would remain popular with
“flying circuses” across the country. audiences, but a more rigorous and
These early airshows were a far cry from precise kind of aerobatic flying was born
the modern version, often consisting of – competition.
wildly dangerous stunts that, while surely Unlike most sports, the competitive
thrilling, were also frequently deadly. Yet side of aerobatics is far less known than
from these early barnstormers emerged the exhibition side. Airshows are huge
such pioneering aviators as Bessie spectator events attended by millions
Coleman, Glenn Curtiss, Katherine of fans worldwide, while aerobatic
Stinson, Wiley Post, Pancho Barnes, competitions are almost cloistered affairs,
and Charles Lindbergh, many of whom staged with few concessions to fans or
became worldwide celebrities. spectators. Competition aerobatics are
Eventually, the foundations of flown at higher altitudes, emphasizing
commercial aviation would emerge from precision, with points deducted for
those heady early days of aviation. While even the slightest deviation from the
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