SLEMON PARK, P.E.I. - There’s a moment of intense silence as thousands gaze towards the sky to see Gary Ward tumble, twist and turn his high energy monoplane in ways many never thought possible at the Air Show Atlantic 2018, which took off in Slemon Park on Saturday afternoon.
Ward shoots his MX2 design aircraft thousands of feet high, before he intentionally stalls, allowing the plane constructed of carbon fiber to fall lifelessly toward the ground, only to soar safely and gracefully upward just in time. For those safely perched on the ground it’s a thrill to watch, but these supersonic manoeuvres are no easy feat.
“On some manoeuvres I pull an 8 gravitational force sometimes a 9, but it’s not sustained. It’s very intense what I do and during an air show people always say to me, ‘oh you must be having a great time.’ Well not quite so much. As soon as I come out of one manoeuvre I get set for the next,” he explained.
What makes this death-defying performance, which can reach speeds of more than 250 miles per hour, even more thrilling is that Ward is a 77-year-old aerobatic pilot.
“I work out on a regular basis doing push-ups, pull-ups and all sorts of other exercises to keep fit for flying,” he grinned, after his feet were firmly planted back on the ground.
“This is my fourth time performing in the P.E.I. air show and it’s always a pleasure to come back here,” he stated. “When I’m flying it’s about one thing – entertainment. My job out there is to make people happy and give them something to enjoy.”
Ward has performed for 21 years in air shows across the United States and Canada. He started flying at 15, much to the surprise of his family.
“I was discouraged at first to take flying lessons,” he admitted. “I lived in a small rural American town called Georgia and my family worked in lumber. Aviation is difficult, for the most part, and you really need to have a passion to get there because it’s expensive to get a licence and build up enough time with airlines.”
He continued, “I have a passion for aviation, for flying, and I have flown airplanes, but recently I got my helicopter license.”
Flying may be second nature to Ward, but he still knows what’s at stake.
“You need a healthy respect for aerobatics. Fear is what will get you in trouble," concluded the resident of Georgia.
