Lauded For Aerobatic Performance

Airshow performer Jim LeRoy of Missoula (MT) has been selected to receive the WORLD Airshow News "Bill Barber Award For Showmanship" for 2003. "LeRoy is a true showman, and has rapidly risen to Airshow stardom over the past decade," says Dave Weiman, editor and publisher of WORLD Airshow News, sponsors of the award.

"His performance in his highly modified Pitts S2S is action packed and full of energy, just like the man behind the controls." A selection committee made up of past award recipients reviewed nominations made by the industry at large, and cast their votes by individual ballot. The nominee receiving the highest overall ranking was named the recipient.

LeRoy and his wife, Joanie, grew up in the small town of Bartlett, Illinois, and attended high school in nearby Elgin. They got married 10 years out of high school after meeting again at a class reunion. Joanie has since learned to fly, and has become her husband's greatest critic and supporter. She is now expecting their first child.

LeRoy comes from a family of aviators. His father, an uncle and his grandfather were all captains for major airlines, but LeRoy chose instead to pursue aerobatics as a profession after first serving in the U.S. Marine Corps as a marksman, and receiving a degree in aero nautical engineering. In 1982, LeRoy began to dabble in aerobatics at Art Scholl Aviation in Rialto (CA), and gained experience competing in International Aerobatic Club (IAC) contests beginning in 1992.

The Latest In A Line Of Awards

LeRoy won two bronze medals at the 1994 Advanced National Championships, and received his low-level waiver and flew his first Airshow that same year. He made the decision to become a full-time performer in 1997.

In the beginning, what LeRoy lacked in experience, he tried to make up in his demeanor and attitude. His intensity and aggressive flying style helped him to get noticed quickly, and it wasn't long before LeRoy was getting compared with the top performers. In 1996, Plane & Pilot Magazine chronicled him as one of several top rising acts in the business and he was featured on the cover of the 2001 edition of AIRSHOW PROFESSIONAL, and also on the cover of the November/December 2001 issue of WORLD Airshow News. LeRoy thinks the difference between his act and others lies in its entertainment value.

"Airshow flying isn't really about flying so much as it is about entertaining, whether you're on the ground or in the air," commented LeRoy. "It doesn't matter if your routine is brilliant from a pilot's perspective. If the crowd isn't emotionally moved at the end of your performance, then you've failed."

Out To Please The Average Joe

LeRoy has always identified his target audience as the person who doesn't really know too much about flying, but who came out to the show looking for a bit of excitement before heading back to work on Monday morning.

"To me, it isn't the maneuver or the plane that makes the performance," said LeRoy, "but rather the amount of 'heart' that the performer puts into the show." But even with heart, comes hours and years of practice." The Bulldog showplane started out as a factory-built Pitts S2S. LeRoy and his crew strengthened the wings; added a more powerful engine; replaced the propeller with an oversized, composite model; increased the sizes of all the control surfaces; reshaped and strengthened the tail and fuselage; and re-designed the fuel and oil systems.

The Bulldog has a 400-plus horsepower engine, compliments of LeRoy's sponsor, LyCon Aircraft Engines, and LeRoy pushes it hard to get as much power out of it as he can. And that is exactly what he is trying to do with the Airshow industry... Push it hard to get as much power out of it as he can.

LeRoy puts the success of the industry ahead of any personal success. "I've had a bit of success as a performer, but I also want to contribute to improving the industry as a whole," said LeRoy. "My dream is that when it's all over, I will be able to look back and think that I helped to make the Airshow business a better place."

In addition to his career as a solo performer, LeRoy has been the driving force behind the innovative Airshow troupe called the "X Team," which involves other big names in the industry including John Mohr, Jimmy Franklin, Warren Pietsch, Bobby Younkin and Scott Shockley. Mohr and Franklin are past recipients of the Barber award.

The WORLD Airshow News "Bill Barber Award For Showmanship" will be presented to LeRoy on Wednesday, July 30 during EAA AirVenture, Oshkosh (WI), sometime between 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.

FMI: www.bulldogairshows.com