Tuesday October 16, 2012
Volume CXXXV Issue 7
A brief foray into aerobatic flying
RICHARD WEAKLEY/AVION
SITTING IN A BEECHCRAFT Bonanza with the door removed, Avion photographer Richard Weakley captures this picturesque shot of the Extra-300 containing pilot John Klatt (behind) and Avion Staff Peter Tan (front) as they make a pass over Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Peter Tan
Editor-in-Chief In the days leading up to the Wings and Waves Air Show, members of the media and select ROTC cadets from EmbryRiddle were privileged to go up into the sky in a variety of airplanes. Army ROTC cadet, Paul LeCompte, went up with the Canadian Snowbirds, flying the CT-114 Tutors. I was fortunate enough to go up with Lieutenant Colonel John Klatt of the Minnesota Air National Guard (ANG) in an Extra-300 unlimited category aerobatic airplane. For those that think this is the ride of a lifetime, you might want to reconsider that notion, especially if you are susceptible to motion sickness. The aerobatics part of the flight was essentially a rollercoaster on ridiculous
amounts of performance-enhancing substances and while it is a rush of adrenaline, the adverse effects do not kick in till much later. While a typical rollercoaster ride will thrill you to no end and leave you wanting for more, a ride that involves you pulling as much as 7Gs and graying out takes quite a toll on the human body, which is not designed to deal with such loads. Dave Kicklighter, one of the aircrew, assured me that I would sleep very well that night. The seven minute aerobatic segment of the flight saw us hanging by the straps of our seats as we flew upside down for about a minute before Klatt executed a series of snap rolls, tail slides, rapid climbs and dives before an Immelmann turn. The segment continued with a centrifuge that saw the plane maxing out its roll rate of 400 degrees per second as we made over
seven complete rolls in quick succession before concluded the day with a torque roll that saw us making a straight vertical climb while the torque of the engine rolled the aircraft before flipping head over tail and diving back down. I made the mistake of eating almost nothing the whole morning, playing into the urban legend that if you do not eat anything, there is nothing to throw up. Kicklighter corrected that notion saying that you feel sicker if you have an empty stomach when you go flying. Having some food in you helps you cope with the queasiness, but it is recommended to not overeat. For the aspiring aerobatic pilots out there, Klatt had this to offer. “There are plenty of good aerobatic schools out there, so find them and get started.” Klatt started his aerobatic career 22 years ago, with his flying career starting even
Jim answers a few questions Avion News Editor Allie Iacovelli and WIKD DJ Benjamin Gayer managed to interview Mr. Hot Pockets himself, Jim Gaffigan, before his comedy show on Friday. Avion: I heard you recently had a baby. Jim: I did. Well, not personally. I watched. Everybody’s healthy, but I still have my baby weight. A: What do you use as inspiration? J: Nicorette gum. No – everyday life. Maybe whatever is annoying me. It’s just always an ongoing process of coming up with an idea and obsessing over it to make it funny.
A: Do you actually eat Hot Pockets? J: I don’t. I tried one once for an extra on a bonus track for a DVD. I didn’t finish it, and I didn’t eat the other one. WIKD: How does a day in the life of a comedian go? J: Well, there is no typical day. I should also mention that I have five children. I would say that, on the whole, comedians are more late- night people. It’s not because we’re vampires, but you have to be your sharpest between the hours of eight and midnight. It is a relatively short workday – it might only be an hour of work.
But for me, it involves a lot of travelling. That’s a big aspect of a touring comedian. A: If there were one comedian you could pick as your favorite, who would it be? J: I’m not sure. Maybe Jonathan Winters. Do you guys even know who he is? Or maybe Mark Twain. A: How does it feel to kick off an air show like Wings and Waves? J: It’s an honor as long as I don’t have to fly a plane. Mr. Universe is Jim Gaffigan’s newest 75-minute stand up special which is available on jimgaffigan. com for $5.
earlier. He initially checked out as a C-130 Hercules pilot in the ANG, before he transferred to an F-16 fighter wing. His air show career started in 2001, and for the last seven years Klatt has been sponsored by the ANG. He travels the country for about six months of the year, spreading the message of the ANG and wowing audiences everywhere. The ANG is not part of the Air Force and is managed by the State National Guards. Service personnel in the ANG are not full time airmen and many of them have civilian day jobs in their hometowns but serve at the nearest air base. However, the demands of maintaining a modern air fleet mean that many of the technical personnel work full time, while pilots and aircrew still put in as much as 100 days a year. For more information, head to www.goang.com
Keep an eye out for an upcoming issue as the Avion brings you the story of a day in the life of an air show team. Piecing together the various stories and anecdotes from the performers at this year’s Wings and Waves, we’ll give you the inside scoop of their lives on the road in case you ever find yourself wanting to go down that path.