The A-10 Demonstration Team is a select group of professionals dedicated to showing the unique capabilities of the Air Force's high-performance aircraft through precision aerial maneuvers.
 
The A-10 was the first Air Force aircraft specifically designed for close air support of ground forces. It is a simple, effective, and survivable twin-engine jet aircraft that can be used against all ground targets, and is especially effective against tanks and other armored vehicles.
 
The A-10 Team exhibits the professional qualities that the Air Force develops in the people who fly, maintain and support these aircraft. The ACC Single-Ship Demonstration Team is located at Moody Air Force Base, Ga.
 
Notice any resemblance to the famous Fighting Tigers?

The Aeroshell Aerobatic Team has been performing air shows since 1985. The Team, consisting of four (4) pilots, flies formation aerobatics in the North American Advanced Trainer. This is the aircraft that launched thousands of American and Canadian cadets on their flying careers generations ago. Today, the Team combines the skill, competence and flair of the pilots with the roar and billowing smoke of the powerful 600 HP Pratt & Whitney engines. Performing a series of precision formation aerobatic maneuvers, including their bomb burst, avalanche, vertical rejoin, and the breathtaking "Switch Blade", the Team thrills audiences everywhere. As you watch these valiant birds soaring high above, the Team will bring a lump to your throat or a tear of remembrance to your eye. Come see one of the most widely used aircraft in history. As an advanced trainer, the T6 is best known as the "Pilot Maker." Don't miss this piece of history in our Gainesville skies.

Angel 7 is a crowd pleaser either on the ground or in the air. The Aero Vodochocy L-39. has been used as a jet trainer throughout Eastern Europe since 1974. Because it looks like the Douglas A-4J Skyhawk flown by the Blue Angels in the 1980's, pilot Peter Jacobs had his Aero L-39 painted in honor of that demonstration team. Pete has been flying since 1964 and puts his craft through spectacular high-G maneuvers, high speed fly-byes, and heart stopping rolls. Bring your camera for a close up shot of this crowd pleasing military jet.

Dan Buchanan was named the 1999 recipient of the prestigious "Bill Barber Award for Showmanship" which recognizes an airshow entertainer who has demonstrated superb showmanship ability. This showmanship will be clearly visible as you watch his creative launch from a moving vehicle. Spiraling up to 3,000 feet, Dan is chased by a pesky aerobatic plane as he wheels, circles and dives to live music. As he maneuvers his craft across the sky you will be amazed as he performs his "ribbon-cut" and catches them by hand as they float through the air. Factory built to rigorously engineered standards, this hang glider is designed for thrills. Dan continues the fun by talking and waving to the crowd while landing smooth and slow right near the showline. You won't believe all the thrills provided by Dan and his hang glider.

The East Coast Rhino Demo Team is part of the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Squadron 106, based in NAS Oceana, Virginia, and proudly flies the Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet, a combat-proven, 5th generation strike fighter with built-in versatility.
 
The multi-mission F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet" strike fighter is an upgrade of the combat-proven night strike F/A-18C/D. The Super Hornet will provide range, endurance, and ordnance carriage capabilities comparable to the A-6 which have been retired. The F/A-18E/F aircraft are 4.2 feet longer than earlier Hornets, have a 25% larger wing area, and carry 33% more internal fuel which will effectively increase mission range by 41% and endurance by 50%. The Super Hornet also incorporates two additional weapon stations. This allows for increased payload flexibility by mixing and matching air-to-air and/or air-to-ground ordnance. The aircraft can also carry the complete complement of "smart" weapons, including the newest joint weapons such as JDAM and JSOW.
 
Roll-out of the first Super Hornet occurred in September 1995, and it flew for the first time in November 1995, ahead of schedule and nearly 1,000 pounds under specified weight. In January 1997, the Super Hornet successfully conducted its initial sea trials on board the Navy's newest aircraft carrier, USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN 74).

The "Flying Babe", is the name given to Kelly Pietrowicz by air show legend Sean Tucker as she took the controls of the powerful Pitts S2C Bi plane over the skies of California. She now pilots the Pitts S2B, a muscle Bi plane with a Lycoming 540 engine that produces 260 hp. Most of her maneuvers start at 170-180 mph. Kelly delights the audience with non-stop spins, rolls, verticals and more all performed to music made for the skies. Her goal is to entertain showing her love of aerobatic flying with precision and skill. A former police officer, Kelly makes safety the number one goal and her aim in flying aerobatics is to find perfection in every flight.

Jurgis Kairys' interest in flying started at an early age when watching planes near his home in Lithuania. He became an airframe engineer and was able to start flying aerobatics at the Kaunas Flying Club in Lithuania. His talents and determination were obvious and he soon became a member of the elite National team.
 
His style of acrobatics was developed over twenty years ago while flying and competing on a Soviet team. Today every unlimited pilot flies in the style promoted by the Lithuanians in the seventies.
 
His engineering and piloting skills were evident when asked to work with the Sukhoi Design Bureau to develop the Sukhoi 26, 29 and 31 series of completely new aerobatics aircraft. This was achieved with the aircraft winning many championships from the European Championships to the World Grand Prix of Aerobatics piloted by Jurgis and the Russian team members. This legacy continues to this date with the Su31 winning again in the 2003 WAC in Lakeland, Florida.
 
Jurgis' forte has always been Unlimited Freestyle aerobatics. He recently flew his own creation in the form of the "Juka" aircraft.
 
He has invented several aerobatics maneuvers including the "Kairys Wheel", "Small Loop" and was the first to successfully perform the "Cobra" maneuver in a propeller driven aircraft, and has the talent to hover his aircraft like a helicopter.
 
This award winning pilot will leave you spellbound!

For amazing aerodynamic feats Jim LeRoy performing in his Pitts SPECS is unbeatable. Considered by many as the premier solo act in the business today, Jim has pushed his aerobatic flying to a new and unsurpassed level. With a routine full of signature maneuvers and heart stopping surprises, Jim redefines the limits with non-stop action from start to finish. Jim attacks the classic maneuvers with a "new age" energy, adds the state of the art gyroscopic stuff, throws in some tricks of his own and combines it all into a mesmerizing display of aerodynamic dynamite that will leave even the most seasoned Airshow spectators shaking their heads in amazement. Recipient of the 2002 Art Scholl Showmanship Award and the 2003 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship, Jim is one of only eleven performers ever to receive both of these highly prestigious honors. His entertaining flying style coupled with his dynamic personality and tireless energy has made Jim one of the most recognized performers in the history of the business. Jim is one of only a handful of full time "stunt pilots" in the world and actually makes his living by performing for air show audiences world-wide. Low, wild and seeming out of control Jim brings a level of aerial performance that keeps your eyes on the sky every minute.

Manfred began flying sailplanes in 1961 in Hamburg, Germany. He has now logged over 1,900 hours in at least 60 types of sailplanes. Reaching new heights in 1974, Manfred achieved an altitude of 35,000 above sea level over the Rocky Mountains. Flying the same sailplane in which he performs airshows, Manfred flew a distance of 375 miles over the Appalachian Mountains in 1986, a flight that lasted 8 hours and 45 minutes. Performing to beautiful classical music, the graceful and elegant H101 Salto sailplane (glider) is a stark contrast to the noise of powered planes. This fully aerobatic sailplane can withstand loads of +7G and -5 G and has a Red Line Speed of 175mph. Outside loops, snap rolls, tail slides and an inverted spin will culminate in a grand finale, "The Ultimate", a spectacular inverted ribbon cut. His mastery of his craft will leave the audience filled with awe and amazement. You have never seen a sailplane move like this one.

Family entertainment at its best. Performing since 1986, OTTO, a performing helicopter, is the Mickey Mouse of Airshows. OTTO allows Roger Buis to ride along with him since he has so much experience as an aviator. Starting his flying career in the Army in 1980, Roger has flown helicopters, rotary wing aircraft plus seaplanes and gyroplanes. He has received the SE Region's Army Aviator of the Year award and was selected as one of the first instructors for the OH-58D. Roger serves as the Chief Pilot for Heliworks of Pensacola, Florida, a helicopter operation that does off-shore movie filming and photography, news and media, sight seeing plus much more. OTTO enjoys playing games with the fans, racing barrels like a horse, catching a thief and watch what he can do with a 75 pound yo-yo! Doing his own aerobatics - Otto Style - he captivates and entertains the young and young-at-heart! Come meet OTTO and make plans to take your own ride with OTTO the Helicopter!

The Joint Aviation Unit of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office and the Gainesville Police Department has been providing the community with airborne law enforcement services for more than a decade. This unit is composed of flight crews, technical staff and equipment from both departments. Currently, the unit flies OH-58A+ Kiowa and OH-6A 'Little Bird' helicopters. JAU members not only assist patrol officers in their daily activities but also support fire departments, natural resource management agencies, federal and state law enforcement agents and many more. The JAU is striving to make our community a better place to live. Watch for the exciting demonstration of our capabilities during the show!

From the incredible moves of the Showcat biplane to daredevil wing-walking these two will bring excitement and flair to the skies over Gainesville. Gene Soucy, a Master of Aerobatics, began his professional airshow flying career in 1968 and has appeared in every major airshow in North America. He is the recipient of many, many awards including 3-time U.S. and Canadian National Champion. Having flown for 25 years with the famous Eagles Aerobatic Team and Red Devils Aerobatic Team, Gene Soucy brings precision and a high energy performance that will thrill audiences. His breathtaking gyroscopic tumbling and a heart stopping ribbon cut combined with smoke and noise will keep all eyes on Gene and his famous Showcat. A modified agricultural aircraft, this Grumman biplane has proved to be the perfect Airshow airplane. The addition of a wing rider stand allows Teresa Stokes to amaze and entertain the audience with her artistry. Since 1988 Teresa has been performing with Gene Soucy on his Showcat. With loops, rolls, turns and headstands, you will hold your breath as Teresa walks on the edge. Her talents as an artist are also evident on the ground though the artwork she has displayed in museums and galleries all over the world. Both of these award winning performers will thrill you with their daring showmanship. Watch for that one wheel landing too!

Don't let their size fool you. These radio controlled craft range from giant scale aerobatic planes, to many unique novelty aircraft, jets reaching 200 miles per hour and slower moving prop planes. These realistic planes fill the sky with excitement. Controlled by a team with more than 20 years experience you won't believe your eyes when you see a flying doghouse.

The aerial artistry of Nikolay Timofeev is uniquely demonstrated as Nikolay, piloting his SU-26M with precision excitement, complexity and concentration, performs a unique three dimensional aerobatic ballet in the sky to the beautiful music of Swan Lake. Winner of three gold metals at the World Aerobatic Championships in France, South Africa and the USA, Nikolay personifies the word concentration. With much more to offer than an impressive list of aerobatic championships, the "Russian Bear" learned his love of aviation from his father, a WWII fighter pilot. At a young age Nikolay flew in the National Aeroclub, and at 25 was invited to join the Russian National Aerobatic Team. Since 1981 he has been a pilot instructor for the National Aeroclub of Russia, member of the Russian National Aerobatic Team, and an aerobatic trainer in Europe, South America and the United States. Holding double master degrees in mechanical and aeronautical sciences, Nikolay currently lives in Ocala, Florida where he is a main trainer and owner of Hi-Tech Aerobatics Ltd. He wishes to promote European style flying and provide U.S. pilots training in flying Russian aircraft.

Shaw Air Force Base is home to the Viper East Team, one of two F-16 aerial demonstration teams in Air Combat Command. The F-16 Fighting Falcon, more commonly known to military pilots as the Viper, is a compact, extremely maneuverable multi-role fighter aircraft. The F-16 has proven itself in air-to-air combat as well as air-to-surface attack. It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the air forces of the United States and other allied nations.
 
The F-16CJ is a single-seat, multi-mission fighter with the ability to switch from an air-to-ground to air-to-air role at the touch of a button. With its lightweight airframe and powerful General Electric engine generating 31,000 pounds of thrust, the F-16CJ can fly at speeds in excess of Mach 2.  
Watch as this powerful, fast and impressive craft commands the skies over Gainesville.

The first women to win the title of U.S. National Aerobatic Champion, Patty has since won multiple awards that confirm her ability and experience. Known for her low-level aerobatic routines, her smooth aggressive style sets the standard for performers around the world. Trained from an early age she has honed her skills through thousand of hours of practice. Piloting a powerful Extra300S, Patty demonstrates why her skill and artistry in the air are admired by spectators throughout the world. This aircraft is capable of executing the rigorous routines of unlimited aerobatics in a wide performance envelope. The Extra's clean lines and superb performance make it the premier competition and Airshow airplane. Patty will demonstrate her creativity through an exciting front-row seat view of the precision and complexity of modern, unlimited hard-core aerobatics. We will see why the sky represents adventure, freedom and challenge for this outstanding performer. Don't miss the excitement of Patty Wagstaff as she pilots her beautiful red, white and blue Extra300S.

Tim's aptitude for flying was evident from an early age. After soloing in several different types of gliders, he began exploring aerobatics. With a natural ability and aggressive flying style Tim has become one of the top airshow performers in the United States today. His choice of performance aircraft is the German built Extra 300, an unlimited-class composite monoplane stressed to handle even the most demanding maneuvers. With over 300 horsepower this aggressive mid-wing aircraft provides the performance and looks to make it an instant crowd pleaser. Tim Weber presents high energy aerobatics including lomcevaks, tailspins, torque rolls and other maneuvers that are uniquely choreographed to music that Tim wrote and recoded himself especially for his airshow. His style of hard-core aerobatics thrill audiences. Joining forces with GEICO Tim's Extra300 proudly displays that name as he soars through the skies. Watch for the excitement Tim Weber's brings through his experience and creativity.