- John Klatt & Bill Stein at the 2010 Columbia Cup
Tri-City Water Follies is proud to announce that aerobatic performers John Klatt, Bill Stein and Noel Jones will return for the 2011 Hapo “Over the River” Airshow. The trio’s air show acts debuted at the 2010 event and were a huge hit with their awe inspiring, gravity defying maneuvers.
John Klatt has been flying for about 23 years and has over 13,000 hours of flying time. He flies the world famous Staudacher S-300D, which was handcrafted by John Staudacher in the Bay City, Michigan area. Weighing in at only 1,250 pounds and topping out at 250 MPH, the Staudacher is a world-class aerobatic aircraft, purpose built for high-performance, unlimited aerobatics.
It’s one wild ride, capable of pulling more than +/- 20 G’s, which is twice the load of the F-16 “Fighting Falcon” that John flies in his “day Job” as Lieutenant Colonel John Klatt with the 148th fighter wing of the Duluth Air National Guard. During his 15 minute routine, John knifes the Staudacher through an amazing series of heart stopping, pulse pounding, high-energy maneuvers that seem to defy gravity.
Klatt is sponsored by the Air National Guard and his appearance at the 2010 Columbia Cup helped introduce the Air Guard to the sport of Hydroplane Racing. The Air Guard signed an agreement in 2011 to be a series title sponsor for H1 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing.
Bill Stein has logged over 5,000 hours of aerobatic and formation flight. Bill began flying aerobatics when he was still a student pilot and has been dedicated to perfecting his skills ever since. Since 1995 Bill has performed at air shows all across the United States and has entertained millions air show fans.
Bill’s passion for precision flying is evident in his dazzling air show routine. He trains every day so that his skills stay razor sharp, and to maintain the all-out energy and excitement he puts into his air show sequence. Bill’s experience includes competitive aerobatics and years of flying on the world famous Red Baron Stearman Squadron. Bill also gives back to the air show community by mentoring new air show pilots including coaching the “Stars of Tomorrow” team which have performed at many prestigious air shows including the EAA AirVenture Air Show.
Stein flies the Edge 540 which is a highly aerobatic aircraft. Capable of a 420 degree per second roll rate and a 3,700 foot per minute climb rate, it has been flown to victory on the international Unlimited aerobatics circuit several times since the mid-1990s. The Edge 540X was the most common aircraft used in the Red Bull Air Race World Series, in fact all champions of the World Series have flown this aircraft.
Noel Jones is a multi engine rated commercial pilot with over 3000 hours in over 60 different aircraft. Noel is also a Gold Seal Flight Instructor who specializes in teaching Basic to Advance aerobatics, as well as upset recovery, and spin training. Noel is also an experienced aerobatic pilot who flies competition aerobatics and flies the Yak 52 in the Intermediate category. Jone pilots the Bad Yak!, a highly modified Russian built Yak 52. The Yak 52 was designed to be an advance military trainer. The power plant of Bad Yak has been replaced with a M14PF 640 cubic inch, supercharged 9 cylinder radial engine producing over 400 horse power! The empty weight of Bad Yak has also been reduced by over 240 pounds making Bad Yak one of the lightest most powerful Yak 52′s in the world. There is nothing like the thundering sound of a Radial Engine flying overhead!
Water Follies Air Show Director Scott Meyer had this to say about the returning acts, “Man, these guys are good! At the Waterfollies we are absolutely excited to have Bill Stein, John Klatt and Noel Jones back to perform for us again in 2011. These guys thrilled us last year, they’re excited to be back, they absolutely love this event and I’m sure they’re going to put on one heck of a show.”