Meet Mr. Greg Knootz - Pilot

Watch as Mr. Knootz performs his "Worlds Smallest Airport" at this years INDY Air Show

2009 INDY Air Show Slide Show

By George Price

Pendleton, Indiana 05-05-2009/ During the INDYAir Show in 2008 there was an act that just flooded me. What it was is that a guy took this bright yellow air plane and landed it directly on top of a pick up truck while traveling around 50 mph down the runway. I have seen a lot of pilots perform a lot of stunts over the years but this one just defied gravity. I watched the video I shot of this stunt during the 2008 Indy Air Show for days.

Having a real attachment for airplanes and having always wanted to fly one myself I made up my mind that if God willing I was going to meet this person. I wanted to find out why someone would risk a beautiful vintage Piper Cub, a Dodge truck that looked to be in pretty good condition, plus there’s a change of great physical harm. Think about it. Where he lands this plane is no larger than a lot of back yard decks. Heck, I have trouble just parking my car downtown.

I got the chance and what a pleasure it was. As it turns this person just happens to be one of the best aerobatic pilots flying today not to mention he’s also a champion in aerobatics. On top of that he’s a flight instructor and teaches other pilots the skills of aerobat flying. And if that isn’t enough, he also owns his own airfield which is part of Sky Country Lodge, a Bed and Breakfast and flight school that is located in Ashville, Alabama.

(See Mr. Knootz’s full bio at the INDY Air Show’s web site)

During the 2009 INDY Air Show I spoke with one of the most interesting pilots ever to put a plane in the air, Mr. Greg Knootz. Mr. Knootz, after what was a whirl wind morning, flying two different aerobatic acts plus signing enough autographs to fill the trunk of a large car was gracious enough to take a few minutes for a video interview.

Folks, you owe it to yourself to at least once in your lifetime to see Mr. Knootz perform his aerobatic acts in person. There are several videos on the web of his flying, including mine, but none of them do what he does justice. To find when and where Mr. Knootz will be performing 2009 check out his schedule of performances on his web site at www.gkairshows.com.