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Jon Melby first learned to fly at age 8, when he created a pile of leaves in his lawn, climbed onto the roof of his two story home, and jumped like a bird into the leaves! At the age of 12, he had the opportunity to meet the legendary airshow pilot Bob Hoover at a local airshow. Bob Hoover’s sincerity and great personality gave Jon the inspiration to pursue his dream of flying.
With the wide variety of performers and aircraft on the airshow circuit today, Jon has chosen to concentrate on flying freestyle maneuvers in a modern bi-plane. The bi-plane has a classic look, but Jon keeps the audiences attention with his aggressive performance style. He takes time prior to the show to mingle with the crowd to meet and greet them. This allows him to build a relationship with the crowd, which in turn, makes the crowd feel as if they are part of his performance.
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Nathan was born into the airshow world, his first flight at two weeks old on his mother’s lap. Raised in up-state New York, the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome Museum was his childhood playground and a major influence from day one. Fascinated by the thrill and excitement at the weekly airshows, Nathan’s approach to safely demonstrate aircraft for the crowd’s entertainment was developed.
In 2016, with a well-established airshow career, Nathan re-named the Chipmunk, GhostWriter, in reference to his skywriting. Today, Nathan fly’s GhostWriter in an action packed routine full of loops, rolls and verticals, held tightly in front of the crowd. When night falls and the stars come out, he lights up the sky with 200lbs of wing mounted pyrotechnics and special effect lighting, as he dances across the sky.
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The A-10C Thunderbolt II is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close air support of ground forces. They are simple, effective and survivable twin-engine jet aircraft that can be used against light maritime attack aircraft and all ground targets, including tanks and other armored vehicles.
The A-10C aircraft will captivate audiences with their impressive display of close maneuvers, intense flybys and breathtaking acrobatics, showcasing the capabilities of these military planes.
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Our precision aerobatics thrill airshow crowds across America as our two Russian warbirds perform exciting displays of breathtaking maneuvers. Our aviation professionals put on crowd-pleasing shows in big Russian Yak 50 airplanes with unmistakable radial engine sound, smoke, tight formation flying and jaw-dropping solo maneuvers.
Karl Gashler and Barry Hancock will please crowds with their stunning show. Between the two pilots they have over 22,000 hours of flying time with over 40 aircraft types.
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Formed in 1998 the Aerial Extreme Skydiving Team is one of the busiest parachute demonstration teams in the country. Performing over 30 times a year in the United States and abroad, the team has over 1,000 shows to its credit. Extreme Skydiving has performed in over 20 countries with a total of 40,000 skydives.
The team was started by its team Captain, former Army Officer, Tom Talbott. After his time in the military, he set out to put together a world class performance team that is made up of former special operations soldiers and world class skydivers. Together they hold numerous national and world records in the sport. Over the years the team has developed and pioneered several of the lighted suits, smoke and pyrotechnic devices used by skydiving teams throughout the world.
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 NextGen Eagles Aerobatic
Ask anybody in his family and they will tell you Leland Kracher has always been looking up at airplanes. With his late mother a flight attendant and his grandfather as airplane obsessed as he, Leland was no stranger to an airshow throughout his youth. Always having dreamt to fly, on Christmas 2005 his parents fulfilled that dream with gift certificates to the local flight school, and two days later he took his first lesson at the age of 13. Leland went on to solo on his 16th birthday and has been flying ever since.
Designed by Frank Christensen to compete with the Pitts Special, the Eagle II is marketed in kit form for homebuilding. It set a new standard for completely documented homebuilding kits that revolutionized the homebuilding industry. Leland Kracher is set to pilot this aircraft, representing the NextGen Eagles Aerobatic Team.
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The Desert Rats Warbird Formation Team is composed of former USAF and RCAF pilots who fly the Nanchang CJ-6 warbird trainer. The aircraft is used as the primary trainer for the Chinese Air Force and is similar to many WWII era aircraft; with a nine cylinder radial engine and pneumatic/mechanical controls. It is a rugged and simple aircraft that is particularly adept at formation training.
The Desert Rats have performed numerous times at Luke AFB, Davis-Monthan AFB, Nellis AFB and previous Buckeye Air Fairs. The pilots have a combined 50,000 hours of military and civilian flying experience. Come out and meet the pilots and see the aircraft after their performances!
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Kyle Franklin, a third-generation pilot, has immersed himself in airshows for over 25 years. His aviation journey began at the age of eight which quickly transitioned to professional performances. Sharing his love for aviation, Kyle's wife, Liz Franklin, hails from an aviation family. With a lifelong fascination with flight, she holds licenses as a tail wheel and instrument pilot, showcasing her skills across a variety of aircraft.
A favorite of Franklin’s Flying Circus, the Super Cub holds a special place in their hearts. This aircraft plays a crucial role in numerous acts, from motorcycle-to-airplane transfers to truck-to-airplane stunts, comedies, dual comedies and the flaming fire-wall crash.
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