Three Recognized For Their Contributions As Performers,
Ambassadors
The
International Council of Air Shows Foundation (ICASF) will be
inducting three worthy candidates into their Air Show Hall of Fame
during the 2009 convention, to be held December 6-9 at the Paris
Hotel in Las Vegas. This year's three outstanding inductees are
Bobby Younkin, Tom Poberezny, and Charlie Kulp.
At 18 years old, Bobby Younkin performed in his first
airshow using the Decathlon in which he learned to fly. Bobby's
aerobatic/airshow career included a stock Stearman act through the
1970s, and AT-6 in the 1980s, his famous Twin Beech in 1989, and
Steve Wolf's "Samson" in 1991. In 2002 Bobby secured a sponsorship
from American Champion Aircraft, and returned to his roots with a
low-level airshow in a Decathlon. In 2003 Bobby stunned the airshow
world by adding a smoke system to a Learjet, and becoming the only
performer to fly an aerobatic airshow routine in the Lear. Bobby
Younkin inspired and mentored countless airshow pilots through his
three-plus decades of innovation in the airshow industry. Younkin
passed away in 2005 in an airshow accident in Moose Jaw,
Saskatchuan, Canada. He joins fellow performer Jimmy
Franklin, who passed away in the same accident, in the Hall of
Fame.
Bobby Younkin
Tom Poberezny could have easily qualified for Hall of Fame
status either as a performer, but also as an event organizer and
industry leader. As a performer, Poberezny's 25-year career with
the Eagle Aerobatic Team was legendary, as the three-ship team
(including fellow airshow legends Charlie Hillard and Gene Soucy)
became the most successful civilian aerobatic team in airshow
history. The Eagles established a professional standard to which
all performers have subsequently aspired. Their commitment to
safety, their professionalism, and their showmanship are still
having a positive impact on our entire industry. As an airshow
organizer, Tom has overseen astounding growth in both the
attendance and the sophistication of EAA AirVenture over the past
30 years. Tom also served many years on the ICAS Board and has
always been a reliable leader on issues within the airshow
community.
Tom Poberezny
In 1971, Charlie Kulp became a charter member/founder of the
famous Flying Circus located in Bealton, Virginia. Two years later,
he became one of its star performers when he developed his famous
"Silas Hicks, the Flying Farmer" routine, an act he continued to
perform until his retirement in October, 2007 at the age of 82.
Charlie's routine changed little over his 800+ performances in the
U.S. and worldwide.
Charlie Kulp
Charlie's comedy routine featured him "getting an airplane ride"
in payment for mowing the grass at the airport. He'd approach the
Piper Cub with his cane, the "instructor" would strap him in, then
leave him unattended for a moment while he inspected the tail
wheel. The engine would pop to life, and off Charlie flew, on the
verge of a stall, into a loop, a spin, and rarely more than 200
feet from the ground. Charlie inspired today's crop of comedy
fliers to entertain low and slow, with a friendly plot and mastery
of the aircraft.