Page 8 - World Airshow News Autumn 2024

Greg Koontz: From the ACE

Chasing Dreams

Greg in his new (to him) Bucker Jungmann flying
over his home at Sky Country Lodge in Ashville,
Alabama (photo by Kevin Hanrahan).

A fter getting my pilots license on my 17 birthday, that dealer, so Decathlons are what I flew in the airshows, along with
th
goal was behind me, but the big one was still ahead. I
doing comedy and truck-top landings with the Cub. Those were the
was entering my last year of high school low on money
best years of my life. Truly a dream better than I imagined.
and high on desires to fly. I wanted to be an airshow pi-
Jim sold the Stearman to chase his own dream of buying a Buck-
lot, and reaching that goal wasn’t even close to being in er Jungmann. His was modified with a stretched cockpit to accom-
sight. I only had 62 hours of flying time and not much cash left. modate his size. Being a big guy myself, it was perfect. Jim had be-
I needed to be a professional pilot to earn the money for my come one of the best friends I ever had, and he knew I couldn’t af-
dream, and I knew my goals would take about three hundred ford such an awesome plane. He generously threw the Bucker keys
hours of flying. It seemed impossible to a kid flipping burgers at me every now and then. It was love at first flight! I used that
every night and working the summers as an animal care-taker Bucker to win my first aerobatic competition in 1983! I can’t really
(meaning Super-Scooper) at a research hospital. Renting planes describe it; Buckers are just a dream to fly.
for 300 hours would require me to rob banks to fund it all. I will always love Cubs. I usually kept two around, one that stayed
In my fruitless search for a solution, I gave up on the regu- in the trailer to be towed to shows and another as the “home Cub”.
lar path of renting planes. I stumbled on a Piper J-3 Cub for I’m down to one Cub now, and my wife Cora knows I will keep it
$1,400. It was restored, but the catch was, it needed to be as- forever. So, there will come a day when she will have the task of sell-
sembled. I bought it, took it home, and persuaded my dad’s co- ing it. My fond memories of Jim’s Bucker, though, always left a soft
pilot/mechanic to help me get it flying. I not only flew my 300 place in my heart. His old Bucker is still around, but it’s not for sale.
hours in it, but I also made enough money ($3,000) selling it to So, for me, if I was ever going to have a “stock” Bucker I was going
finish my ratings and get a job as a flight instructor! to have to shed a lot of weight.
A couple of years later, at age 19, I was starting to see a light And so I did! I had told Cora, “If I get thin enough to squeeze
at the end of the tunnel. I bought another J-3 Cub from an FBO into a Bucker I’m going to get one.” My airshow friend Matt Chap-
in St. Augustine Florida. They did airshows as Col. Moser’s Fly- man was kind enough to remember me when he decided to sell his
ing Circus, and before long, they asked me if they could use the beautiful Bucker. One call from him and I was the new custodian
Cub in their shows. They liked my Cub flying, and soon asked of a beautiful Bucker Jungmann! Another episode in a life of chas-
me to come work full time. My dream had come true. In May ing dreams.
of 1974 I flew my first airshow at 21 years old. Greg Koontz is a full-time airshow performer and teaches basic aerobatics
I worked with Ernie Moser’s son Jim Moser. Jim was a 6’4”
man with a personality even larger. He flew a Super Stearman at his Flight School/Bed & Breakfast called Sky Country Lodge. Greg is a
in the shows and his wife flew on the wing. Jim ran AeroSport, former chairman of the ICAS ACE Committee, holds an unlimited aerobatic
the FBO, and aircraft saIes, and I ran their flight school and waiver, and has been designated a Master Certified Flight Instructor-Aer-
aerobatic school. We all did the airshows. We were a Bellanca obatics by the National Association of Flight Instructors. Please send your
comments/questions to Greg@GKairshows.com.

www.airshowmag.com 8 Quarter 4, 2024