ICAS Foundation Honors Significant Contributions to the Air Show Industry

The International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) Foundation has announced that three air show men of importance will be inducted into the ICAS Foundation Air Show Hall of Fame. Bill Sweet, Bob Herendeen and Wayne Handley join the ranks of 24 other aviation greats who have been honored in the Air Show Hall of Fame since its inception in 1995. The 2005 induction ceremony will be December 3 during the ICAS convention at the Coronado Springs Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

Bill Sweet (pictured below) may be best remembered as an announcer with a distinctive carnival barker flavor, but he did his most memorable work as the man behind National Air Shows. Sweet’s productions helped define the air show business in the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, as he carried on the idea developed in the barnstorming days of aviation of a traveling aerial circus with a collection of diverse and amazing pilots, aircraft and acts.

Bob Herendeen (below) became U.S. National Aerobatic Champion in his S-1C Pitts in 1966, at a time when the Pitts was mostly known as a “woman’s airplane.” In the same year he competed in the World Championships in Moscow in that plane, arousing considerable interest in Europe. The Pitts eventually became the most successful and recognized American-built aerobatic design. Many have said that Bob Herendeen was the best Pitts pilot of all time.

Wayne Handley (below) will always be remembered for his many contributions to the air show industry, from his vision and innovation in designing the Turbo Raven to his advocate role in safety and his world records. Wayne’s gifts of knowledge and mentorship to aspiring pilots and performers over the past twenty-plus years has helped put the air show industry where it is today.

“The contributions made by this year's inductees helped shape both the past and the future of air shows,” said Caroline Trinkwalder, chairman of the International Council of Air Shows Foundation.

“We are proud to recognize their accomplishments and celebrate with them."

The ICAS Foundation is a tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to preserving the air show industry's valuable heritage through cataloging and storing of artifacts, articulating the value of air shows and demonstration flying to the public, helping families of those in the air show industry who have suffered tragedy, and supporting the pilots and performers of the future through scholarships. In addition to the Hall of Fame, the Foundation’s programs include several aviation scholarships which memorialize air show industry leaders and a Family Fund to assist families when tragedy strikes within the air show community.

FMI: www.icasfoundation.org