Belly full of laughs coming to Tyndall

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kirsten Wicker
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  As part of this year's 2011 Gulf Coast Salute Open House and Air Show, scheduled for March 26 and 27, a small yellow plane covered with painted jelly beans on its sides, will perform an aerobatic and comedy routine for visitors and guests.

Kent Pietsch, a professional stunt pilot and native of Minot, N.D., will showcase his 800-pound, 1941 Interstate Cadet sponsored by Jelly Belly-brand jelly beans. The aircraft has a 36-foot wingspan and a horizontally opposed four-cylinder engine that can generate 90 horsepower and a G-force ranging from -3 to +5.

"The Interstate Cadet can fly up to 100 miles per hour and travel to 500 miles before it runs out of gas," Pietsch said. "The Cadet airframe set the world record for reaching the highest altitude for a light sport plane. With just 65 horsepower, it climbed 30,800 feet over Pike's Peak in 1972, piloted by Canadian aviator Col. W. Roy Windover."

Since 1973, Pietsch has logged more than 25,000 flying hours and performed his aerobatic routines for millions of people at more than 400 shows at venues throughout the United States.

While most aerobatic performers have one basic program, Pietsch will perform two acts at Tyndall. These include a dead-stick (turning the engine off) routine from 6,000 feet up and a comedy routine.

"I fly up to 6,000 feet and stop the propeller completely in mid-air, cutting all power," said Pietsch. "Then I drop the aileron (wing flap) and act like I don't know how to fly, weaving all over the sky."

The plane will coast to the ground, land and Pietsch will guide the plane to the center of a waiting individual's hand.

"The act demonstrates that even without power or major parts of the airplane, it can still be flown and accurately landed to within inches of where the pilot wants it," Pietsch said.

In addition to stunt-style flying, Pietsch is best known for a comedy act that features a detached aileron (wing flap) and a wing tip-scraping pass down the runway. When he is at the controls of his plane, it is impossible not to watch him perform.

"If you can't entertain, you have no business being out there," he said. "The gratification is in knowing that people are enjoying themselves."

"It's my job is to entertain and I really enjoy that," he added.

Pietsch loves to fly, but the audience is always his number-one priority. His willingness to interact with fans make him a crowd favorite wherever he performs.

"Meeting people is my favorite part about this job," Pietsch said. "I get to fly from place to place and I get to meet people with so much enthusiasm and interest in flying and I get excited about that."

To learn more, click http://www.kentpietschairshows.com.