'I Didn't Realize An Airplane Would Do That'

by ANN Correspondent Jeremy King

If you looked up to see an odd blue and green blur over AirVenture, don't worry. It's new to the whole event. It's called the MX-2, and Gary Ward is at the controls.

Ward, a native of Lincolnton, GA, soloed at age 16 in the venerable Piper Cub. He worked as a design engineer on the Cessna Citation before switching careers to the family lumber business. Gary continued his flying.

In the 1990s, the aerobatic bug bit, and by 1998, Gary had a Pitts S-2B of his own and started flying airshows.

In a show at Vidalia, GA, the late Eric Beard, who flew aerobatic performances in a Yak-54, gave Ward a warning.

"He came up to me and said, 'You sure are flying that thing hard with a two-blade propeller on it. Be careful, that crankshaft will snap if you keep flying that hard," Ward said. "A couple of weeks later, I walked into the hangar one morning and there was a puddle of oil beneath the Pitts. The crankshaft was broken, and had I flown it one more time, the prop would have departed and I'd have been flying a Pitts sailplane."

In 1999, he picked up a Giles 202, a high-energy aerobatic plane. Then, in 2005, he strapped into his own MX-2, and set the skies ablaze.

"The first time I flew the MX-2 was at [designer] Chris Meyers' place. He has an aerobatic box right over the runway, and I just did a few maneuvers to feel it out. I launched right into my routine right there, and wrapped it up with an inverted flat spin.

"They radioed me and told me that they'd not seen that before. I realized that if they hadn't seen it yet, then it hadn't been done yet. The design was that new," Ward said.

The MX-2's entire airframe is made of carbon fiber, with exception of the landing gear and engine mounts. The engine, a 350-horsepower, souped-up Lycoming from Ly-Con, pulls the plane through some amazing moves during the show.

"I really like to focus on the moves that make people say 'I didn't realize an airplane would do that.' The outside pushes in my Giles would absolutely kill my energy; I'd have to plug in a maneuver to build energy between the hard ones. The MX-2 tumbles nicely -- and it'll do a great knife-edge spin.

Oshkosh and Gary have a longstanding relationship.

"I started coming here on and off 20 years ago," he said. "I flew here three years ago, but I don't count that - I was a work-in, standing in to fill a hole in the show after a thunderstorm raked the field. I bet there weren't 500 spectators left on the field, and the wind was howling. I think it was the worst show I've ever flown."

This year's performances pushed Ward's career to an all-time high mark.

"I turned 66 last week. I'm excited to be here, doing this, and I'm flying hard - as hard as anyone here," he said. "I love the travel, and I love meeting the people here."

Although his performance is among the top flyers today, Ward is quick to point out performers he's admired over the years.

"Hands-down, Jimmy Franklin and Bobby Younkin were the two best showmen in this business," Ward said. "As far as performers now, I love to watch John Mohr. I watched him, saw him doing what he does with the Stock Stearman. I figured if he could do a ground-start show with that, I could do that with my plane, too. He's a master showman."

FMI: www.garywardaerobatics.com, http://www.mx2aircraft.com/