ICAS
The Story Behind Air Show Excitement
Ever wonder how all the air shows that are performed at airports are put together? Think ICAS, International Council of Air Shows, whose primary missions of the organization are: 1) maintaining safety; 2) serving as an information resource on air show issues for those within and outside the industry; 3) providing for the training and continuing education needs of ICAS members and air show professionals generally; and 4) promoting the air show industry to the media, Corporate North America and the general public.
ICAS has an annual convention in Las Vegas the second week in December each year, well before the following season’s flights begin. Wayne Gauldin, our contact person, and a man who has both the time and a passion for the air show business, indicated the following. “ICAS headquarters are in northern Virginia. John Cudahy has been president since 1997. His email is Cudahy@aol.com. The annual convention mentioned…(has)…hundreds of members: performers, announcers, show directors, aircraft owners...all sorts of people connected to the air show industry.
“ICAS provides MANY services to these people. Convention seminars cover many topics, as air show management is a challenging position. Socializing at the convention is a most vital aspect of the activities. ICAS presents many awards in various categories (Large Show, Small Show, etc.) for website, print program, posters and such. There is a big banquet where these coveted awards are presented. Besides Cudahy, ICAS’s small staff includes Dan Hollowell, Marcia Lowry, Karen Connors, Mary Ann McManamay, Karen Dolan, and Mary Quigg, filling varied roles. They are usually not represented at shows other than very large ones such as Oshkosh and the show hosting ICAS Academy.
“Members get the quarterly magazine called ‘Air Shows.’ Also, Cudahy is a contributing columnist to another Wisconsin-based publication, ‘World Airshow News.’ Perhaps the two most vital aspects of ICAS and the December meeting are these: The exhibit area where as many as 500 displays are set up by performers, often including their aircraft, for the purpose of meeting with show managers and booking dates for the coming season: and the huge meeting on the first morning where the dates and locations for the Jet teams are announced.
The Thunderbirds and the Blue Angels have about 35 performance locations each, and when 300 or so shows are wanting them, it becomes a very important part of the convention to learn who gets what. Many shows, when unable to secure a jet team, change their dates or simply cancel until the next season. Often a change of date enables a show to book an ACC (Air combat Command (formerly Tactical Air Command demo) jet fighter demonstration.
“ICAS then releases a list of shows for the next season, this list being the shows whose management are ICAS members. The list is usually 150 shows, but the season is made up of about 250 shows as many shows are NOT members of ICAS. (Canada, where, tragically by the way, U.S. performers Bobby Younkin and Jimmy Franklin lost their lives three years ago, has about 12 of those shows. Well-known wingwalker Carol Pilon lives in Canada, and of course the Snowbirds jet team is based in Canada, so the I in ICAS is one example of the international aspect.) When the four-day convention ends many shows have fully booked their acts and many performers have filled their calendars. But negotiations continue well past the December meeting,” concluded Gauldin.
Gauldin directed us to the warbirds division of EAA, and there is an important division of performance, as indicated in the following from that source:
“In the late 1980s the International Council of Airshows (ICAS) developed their Aerobatic Competency Evaluator program to provide check rides for members' Statement of Aerobatic Competency. But warbird aircraft do not have the same flight characteristics as a purpose-built aerobatic airplane, so the EAA Warbirds of America, in conjunction with the FAA, developed the Warbird Aerobatic Competency Evaluator program, based on the successful ICAS ACE program. “This program has been important to those EAA Warbirds of America pilot members who need an aerobatic competency card to fly an aerobatic routine in air shows or even to perform basic aerobatic maneuvers during a warbird air show. The uniqueness of the program is that it utilizes our own Aerobatic Competency Evaluators, most of whom are also ICAS ACEs and maneuvers are limited to loops, rolls or any combination of the two at a minimum altitude of 250 feet. Surface level maneuvers require a checkout by an ICAS ACE.”
There are some 14 documents on the ICAS website regarding the Aerobatic Competency Evaluation Program, covering everything from bailing out to stalls and spins. It’s at ICAS HQ online. Safety is a major consideration, therefore. That dates back to the 1990s, as detailed in an article by Hugh Oldham, found by going to Click here: One Giant Step Towards Professionalism. Another item, the 2009 ICAS Academy, scheduled from July 16-18 in Dayton, OH, gives a limited (25) group of organizers a comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at how one of the best air shows in the country conducts its business. The ICAS Academy is at a different show each year, and the Academy dates match that show's dates, of course. Take a look at http://www.airshows.aero/docs/2009 for details.
Airshows are big business. Some 30 million fans visit them each year. ICAS contributes significantly to that business’s success. According to Cudahy, in time of recession times families cut costs, seeking quality and yet inexpensive entertainment. Air show attendance spikes in such times (12-15% in 2008, similar to 1980s and 1990s). Furthermore, ticket prices compare to movie ones rather than, say, sports prices, with unparalleled entertainment: military demo teams (i.e., Blue Angels, Thunderbirds), aerobatic routines by the most talented pilots, and vintage aircraft on display. "What's great about air shows is they showcase all that is good about our country," said Bill Roach, who runs the Wings over Houston Airshow. "They're exciting, patriotic, and educational. “Jets, vintage airplanes, parachute acts, sailplanes, ground acts…(there’s) something of interest for everyone."
By Herb Hill