2013 Dayton Air Show

By Mike Heilman and Joe Gust

The 2013 Dayton Ohio Air Show was the site of the fatal crash, which ended the lives of wing walker Jane Wicker and her pilot, Charlie Schwenker. Wicker and her pilot were making their first appearance at Dayton in their modified Stearman. The aircraft lost altitude when Schwenker inverted the Stearman for a low level pass with Wicker sitting on the bottom of the wing.  The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it may take up to a year to find the cause of the accident.

The accident took place at the beginning of the airshow on Saturday, June 22. The airshow organizers cancelled the remainder of Saturday’s events. The spectators were informed that their tickets would be honored for admission on Sunday. This was the second accident in 39 years of the show. In 2007 Jim Leroy was killed when his Pitts crashed during the show.

Michael Goulian flying his state-of-the-art Extra 330SC over the Dayton Ohio Air Show. Goulian made is second straight appearance at the Dayton show. Goulian is the Air Show Industry 2012 ICAS Sword of Excellence. (Mike Heilman)The 2013 show went in the record books as the first all-civilian airshow in its 39 years of operation. The show organizers in 2012 moved the date to June to accommodate the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, but because of the federal sequester the Thunderbirds were removed from the show lineup. There were several large airshows that cancelled this year due to the military jet teams cancelling their participation in the 2013 season. The Dayton show officials decided to keep the date and to put on an all-civilian show.

Attendance for the 2013 show was expected to be smaller due the lack of the military aircraft for flying and static displays. An average draw for the Dayton show with Thunderbirds or Blue Angels is around 70,000 spectators. The 2012 show featuring the Blue Angels drew 47,000 spectators, but attendance was lower due to record-breaking heat for the two-day event. The 2013 show drew a record low attendance of 23,000 people.
D. Tucker flying his Oracle ChallengeSean D. Tucker flying his Oracle Challenger III upside down over the skies of Dayton, Ohio. Tucker made his 17th appearance at the 39th annual 2013 Dayton Air Show. (Mike Heilman)r III upside down over the skies of Dayton, Ohio. Tucker made his 17th appearance at the 39th annual 2013 Dayton Air Show.

In a press release, Dayton Air Show Chairman of the Board, Michael Emoff, indicated that the lower attendance was due to the federal sequestration, but still was a successful show. “We are pleased with the turnout at this year’s show given the circumstances,” stated Emoff who went on to say, “I want to extend our appreciation to the fans, sponsors and volunteers for their support of the wonderful community event.”

The 2013 show featured 14 of the top civilian aerobatic performers and more than 40 aircraft on static display. Show officials also added, for the first time at the Dayton show, a Performer Pit Row. The Pit Row allowed airshow spectators to see the performing aircraft up close before and after the acts flew.

Headlining the 2013 show was North American Aeroshell performing an aerobatic routine in their four AT-6G Texans. The team’s AT-6Gs are stock aircraft configured like aircraft that were used in World War II for pilot training. Aeroshell concluded the show with the Great Wall of Fire, a pyrotechnic demonstration. The team is based out of Birmingham, Ala.

North American F-86 Sabre jet flew an impressive aerobatic display at the Dayton show. The F-86 was also on static display during the two day event. (Mike Heilman)Sean D. Tucker made his 17th appearance at the Dayton show in his highly modified Pitts Special called the Oracle Challenger III. Tucker, who is a National Aviation Hall Fame member, performs a “Legends of Flight” program where a local legend has an opportunity to fly with Tucker. Local surgeon, Dr. Jonathan Saxe was selected for this once-in-a-life opportunity. Tucker has flown more than 1,100 performances at more than 450 airshows in front of 100 million spectators in his career.

Michael Goulian made his second straight appearance at the Dayton airshow. Goulian performed his high energy routine in his Extra 330SC airplane. Goulian has won several airshow industry awards including the 2012 ICAS Sword of Excellence. Skip Stewart also flew his modified PITTS S-2S, nicknamed Prometheus in an exciting aerobatic routine.

The 2013 show also included an award-winning aerobatic pilot, The World War II era heavy bomber B-29 “Fifi” was on static and flying display at the 2013 Dayton, Ohio Air Show. The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) also provided an opportunity for air show spectators a chance to fly in bomber for a fee. (Mike Heilman)skydiver and rock climber Melissa Pemberton flying a routine in her Edge 540. Pemberton also raced a jet-powered school bus down the runway. The “School Time Jet Bus” is equipped with a 42,000 horsepower J-79 turbojet engine, which is the same engine used in the F-4 Phantom II.

The only flying B-29 “Superfortress” made its first appearance at Dayton since 1994. The World War II heavy bomber was on static display and flew during the show. The Bomber’s nicknamed FIFI is part of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), which also provides airshow guests a chance to ride in the historic aircraft for a fee.

Dayton has been known in the past for its large modern military flying and static displays, but 2013 civilian owned warbirds took center stage. An historic “Rise Above” exhibit honoring the Tuskegee airman was part of the show. Airshow spectators could learn about the history of America’s first black pilots. Also part of The “Red Tail” P-51C of the Tuskegee airman fame was on static display and flew during the Dayton, Ohio Air Show. The P-15C was on static display at the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) ground display honoring the history of the Tuskegee airman. (Mike Heilman)the exhibit was a CAF “Red Tail” P-51C Mustang. The P-51C, painted with a red tail, flew a demonstration during the show.

The warbird flying demonstration also included an F-4U-5N Corsair. The Corsair was the first fighter to exceed 400 mph during World War II. The Korean War era was represented by a North American F-86 Sabre jet, which had a Korean War kill ratio of 10 to 1. Also performing was a Vietnam era MIG-17G, which was operational from 1960 to 1990 in the Soviet bloc countries.

Dusty, star of the Disney movie Planes which will be released this summer, was also on hand. Dayton was one of few select airshows where Dusty has made an appearance.

Dayton’s aviation heritage was represented by the flying and static display of the replica of the 1911 Wright B. Flyer. The airshow opened each day with announcer Danny Clisham flying in the Wright B. Flyer and giving spectators a description of the flight.

A view of the 1911 replica of the Wright B. Flyer. The Wright brothers lived in Dayton at the time of their historic flight. (Mike Heilman)Team Fastrax skydiving team performed several jumps, opening the show with a parachute jump that included the world’s largest American flag (7500 square feet). The Sky Soldiers, part of the non-profit Army Heritage Foundation, provided airshow spectators a chance to fly in a Bell UH-1 Huey or an AH-1F Cobra helicopter for a fee. The static displays included the B-25 Mitchell Bomber Champaign Girl, C-45 Expeditor Bucket of Bolts, C-54 Skymaster Berlin Aircraft Museum, T-2 Buckeye, a T-28 Trojan and two P-51 Mustangs.

The airshow industry has felt the effects of the federal sequestration at almost every show that was scheduled in 2013. The lack of military jet teams and static displays has had a factor in the cancellation or reduced attendance at these shows across the United States. The Dayton show organizers are now planning for the 2014 show, which is set for June 28 and 29. The U.S. Navy Blue Angels are tentatively scheduled to be the headliner in 2014.