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Wings Over Ashville Brings Stunt Pilots to St. Clair Co.
The event combines World War II-era planes with more modern aircraft that join together to perform amazing stunts.
"It's the newest airplane on the air show circuit right now," said Bryan Jensen, who pilots The Beast. "It likes to do a lot of vertical maneuvers since it has so much climb power. So you'll be seeing a lot of straight-up stuff."
Jensen often works with fellow pilot Christine "CC" Gerner. She flies a composite plane that is part metal, part fabric.
"I'm kinda fast, so I pull some pretty heavy G's," Gerner proudly admits. "The most 'G' I'll probably pull tomorrow will be a positive nine-and-a-half G's. And that's in my opening maneuver."
As for the stunts that spectators will see?
"Something I do a little bit different than everybody else is I fly a lot of negative maneuvers, which means I actually fly the airplane on the top side of the wing with my body being forced outside the cockpit," Jensen said.
Gerner added that she particularly enjoys meeting with children at the shows and talking to them about flying.
"It's wonderful to see the kids so that they can see that they can do it, too," she said.
And exactly how did she get into this line of work?
"Because I'm an airline pilot on the side, it just seemed like a natural transition for me to explore the other side of aviation and see how far you can push the limit," Gerner replied.
Admission to the show is free, though there is a $5 charge for parking. Money raised will help fund the Civil Air Patrol and local Boy Scouts. Organizer Jeff Caddell, an aviation enthusiast, said the show serves as a way for pilots and the public to share a common bond.
"Just to allow people to come on some farmland like the old days where pilots would barnstorm and bring their planes in, and people can gather and have a good time and watch great airplane aerobatics," Caddell said.
For more information, click here: http://www.myspace.com/ashvilleairshow
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