First Place Award - Memoir. Arizona Press Women's Competition, 2010
A True Experience Narrative by Katy Rovetto Featuring the Origin of the International Aerobatic Flying Team, The Royal Jordanian Falcons, Under the Leadership of His Majesty King Ali Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Dave Rahm, "The Flying Professor, "and Steve Wolf, Acrobatic World Champion. Katy held the team position of Competition Ground Judge using the Aresti Aerobatic System.
“Ladies and gentlemen, what you are about to see and experience is one of the finest exhibitions of flying in the world today, and what a great day it is. We have a clear blue sky and a windsock indicating a ten-knot breeze right down the runway.
“Hold your breath. Here comes the star of the main event now. Just listen to the roar of Bücker’s engine as `The Flying Professor,' Dave Rahm, makes a low-level knife-edge cut right across the staging area. Fantastic!
“Now keep watching as he straightens out, pulls up into a vertical climb, and makes a quarter turn to show off the golden starburst design on the black wings of his famous biplane, the Bücker Jungmann. What a magnificent aircraft!
"Watch as he reins that black beauty over on its left side in a hammerhead maneuver and heads straight for the ground. Whoa!
"With another quarter turn the professor levels off as he passes in front, center stage. I say, he is a friendly chap. I can see a diamond glint from his smile as he tips his wings in a side-slip greeting and immediately pulls up again and climbs. What finesse! Beautiful!
“He's turning on the smoke now to highlight a perfect figure eight. Watch that! As he completes each loop, he's tying it in the middle with a snap roll. Talk about a responsive beast! There's no stopping him now. Now he's picking up more airspeed, and again, he's pulling up into a vertical climb.
"This time he's pushing his beast over the edge into three colorful earthbound spins.
"I don't know how these aerobats can go through the contortion of diving and climbing so many times in succession. Maybe the violent shaking of their system is what keeps them young and alert.
"Back to the professor; now watch him! Watch him as he nails a precision eight point roll. Count it with me: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Right on, Professor Rahm!”
As the airshow announcer continues to shout out the maneuvers, "The Flying Professor" braces for the G-forces of an outside loop followed by another series of spins. The Bücker brilliantly shines through each maneuver, and then with a final display of his golden sunburst, he climbs heavenward one last time.
The announcer again picks up the sequence of events for an audience that is waiting in awed anticipation.
In feigned alarm he cries, "Folks, what do we have here? After a straight climb heavenward, he seems to have lost power! Did you see that? He slightly slid back on his tail and is lurching forward. Incredible! It looks like he's going to attempt the death-defying Lomcevak maneuver! Have you ever seen anything like it? Watch as he tumbles out of control. He's not doing a spin. He is, indeed, out of control! Will he be able to recover? Pull up, Professor! Pull up!"
"The Flying Professor" punctuates his
stunning performance with the Lomcevak maneuver. He forces his plane to climb until gravity starts reining Free Spirit, his Bücker Jungmann aircraft, back toward earth. Appearing to be in a near-death tremor, the biplane finally yields to the greater force of gravity and tumbles out of control.
Taking a handkerchief out of his back pocket, the announcer adds dramatic emphasis to the near tragic scene. He wipes his sweating brow and slowly shakes his head.
"Ladies and gentlemen, did that take your breath away or what?" As he speaks, a cold shiver seems to ripple through the crowd as they all feel a thrilling sensation.
Pilot and plane did regain control just in the nick of time! What an outstanding performance by "The Flying Professor" and his Bücker.
In reality, were it not for the design capabilities of the Bücker Jungmann, it would have been impossible for the pilot to regain control of the aircraft. The plane would have tumbled toward earth, crashing in a deadly fireball. The force of the impact would have buried both plane and pilot in the ground. However, given enough altitude going into the maneuver, the biplane eventually recovered on its own with the graceful finesse of a pro.
The pilot, stretching tall in the cockpit, waved to the applauding crowd as he taxied to the reserved tie-down down area. It was no ordinary man that jumped out of the Bücker. His flight of freedom completely revved and energized him. He tore off his leather helmet and, with a bold stride
and brilliant smile, walked toward the crowd to shake the many extended hands. It was apparent that he was as thrilled with his performance as his audience. Here was a man that was never more alive than when he was in the sky spinning and turning like a robust flamenco dancer. The dance over, he graciously bowed to thank his admiring audience.
Watching an airshow has always given me the thrill of a little kid at a carnival with all its wild rides. It's as explosive as fireworks on the Fourth of July. Notice I said watching. I had absolutely no interest in going up in a small aircraft, not since the time I went to an airshow at Miramar Naval Air Station in California.
My adrenaline soared to every nerve ending as the jets zoomed overhead, breaking the sound barrier. I loved the graceful smoke of the twirling aerobatic airplanes and the army of skydivers.
However, when I went up for a scenic tour in a small airplane after the show, the pilot took his hands off the steering wheel then looked at me with a big grin and said, "Look, no hands!" Well, I almost panicked! That did it. I had a very clear mindset that the sky wasn't for me. I would never go up in one of those small planes again.
You know what they say about, "Never say never." Little did I know how my prop would spin in the years to come.
“Hold your breath. Here comes the star of the main event now. Just listen to the roar of Bücker’s engine as `The Flying Professor,' Dave Rahm, makes a low-level knife-edge cut right across the staging area. Fantastic!
“Now keep watching as he straightens out, pulls up into a vertical climb, and makes a quarter turn to show off the golden starburst design on the black wings of his famous biplane, the Bücker Jungmann. What a magnificent aircraft!
"Watch as he reins that black beauty over on its left side in a hammerhead maneuver and heads straight for the ground. Whoa!
"With another quarter turn the professor levels off as he passes in front, center stage. I say, he is a friendly chap. I can see a diamond glint from his smile as he tips his wings in a side-slip greeting and immediately pulls up again and climbs. What finesse! Beautiful!
“He's turning on the smoke now to highlight a perfect figure eight. Watch that! As he completes each loop, he's tying it in the middle with a snap roll. Talk about a responsive beast! There's no stopping him now. Now he's picking up more airspeed, and again, he's pulling up into a vertical climb.
"This time he's pushing his beast over the edge into three colorful earthbound spins.
"I don't know how these aerobats can go through the contortion of diving and climbing so many times in succession. Maybe the violent shaking of their system is what keeps them young and alert.
"Back to the professor; now watch him! Watch him as he nails a precision eight point roll. Count it with me: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight! Right on, Professor Rahm!”
As the airshow announcer continues to shout out the maneuvers, "The Flying Professor" braces for the G-forces of an outside loop followed by another series of spins. The Bücker brilliantly shines through each maneuver, and then with a final display of his golden sunburst, he climbs heavenward one last time.
The announcer again picks up the sequence of events for an audience that is waiting in awed anticipation.
In feigned alarm he cries, "Folks, what do we have here? After a straight climb heavenward, he seems to have lost power! Did you see that? He slightly slid back on his tail and is lurching forward. Incredible! It looks like he's going to attempt the death-defying Lomcevak maneuver! Have you ever seen anything like it? Watch as he tumbles out of control. He's not doing a spin. He is, indeed, out of control! Will he be able to recover? Pull up, Professor! Pull up!"
"The Flying Professor" punctuates his
stunning performance with the Lomcevak maneuver. He forces his plane to climb until gravity starts reining Free Spirit, his Bücker Jungmann aircraft, back toward earth. Appearing to be in a near-death tremor, the biplane finally yields to the greater force of gravity and tumbles out of control.
Taking a handkerchief out of his back pocket, the announcer adds dramatic emphasis to the near tragic scene. He wipes his sweating brow and slowly shakes his head.
"Ladies and gentlemen, did that take your breath away or what?" As he speaks, a cold shiver seems to ripple through the crowd as they all feel a thrilling sensation.
Pilot and plane did regain control just in the nick of time! What an outstanding performance by "The Flying Professor" and his Bücker.
In reality, were it not for the design capabilities of the Bücker Jungmann, it would have been impossible for the pilot to regain control of the aircraft. The plane would have tumbled toward earth, crashing in a deadly fireball. The force of the impact would have buried both plane and pilot in the ground. However, given enough altitude going into the maneuver, the biplane eventually recovered on its own with the graceful finesse of a pro.
The pilot, stretching tall in the cockpit, waved to the applauding crowd as he taxied to the reserved tie-down down area. It was no ordinary man that jumped out of the Bücker. His flight of freedom completely revved and energized him. He tore off his leather helmet and, with a bold stride
and brilliant smile, walked toward the crowd to shake the many extended hands. It was apparent that he was as thrilled with his performance as his audience. Here was a man that was never more alive than when he was in the sky spinning and turning like a robust flamenco dancer. The dance over, he graciously bowed to thank his admiring audience.
Watching an airshow has always given me the thrill of a little kid at a carnival with all its wild rides. It's as explosive as fireworks on the Fourth of July. Notice I said watching. I had absolutely no interest in going up in a small aircraft, not since the time I went to an airshow at Miramar Naval Air Station in California.
My adrenaline soared to every nerve ending as the jets zoomed overhead, breaking the sound barrier. I loved the graceful smoke of the twirling aerobatic airplanes and the army of skydivers.
However, when I went up for a scenic tour in a small airplane after the show, the pilot took his hands off the steering wheel then looked at me with a big grin and said, "Look, no hands!" Well, I almost panicked! That did it. I had a very clear mindset that the sky wasn't for me. I would never go up in one of those small planes again.
You know what they say about, "Never say never." Little did I know how my prop would spin in the years to come.
Slideshow - Press > PLAY (Hidden in Upper Left of Large Photo, both Audio and Slideshow)
"Desert Beauty"
by Katy Rovetto
Flying High: Soaring Above the Tragedies of Life Copyright © 2009 by Katy Rovetto. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the author except as provided by USA copyright law. Scripture quotations marked "NKJV" are taken from The New King James Version / Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. Copyright © 1982. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked "KJV" are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge, 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked "NIV" are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version °, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked "NAS" are taken from the New American Standard Bible 0, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved.