Duluth Airshow Preview: Inside the Cockpit of A Stunt Plane
Posted at: 09/21/2012 6:20 PM
| Updated at: 09/21/2012 6:22 PM
By: Alan Hoglund
ahoglund@wdio.com
Duluth's Air and Aviation Expo begins Saturday morning, but planes were in the air Friday. Eyewitness News got the chance to ride in one of them, with stunt pilot Dave Mathieson, who's also known as "Super Dave."
Mathieson pilots an MX-2. It's got a 385 horsepower motor, flies as fast as 340 mph and can role 1 1/2 times each second.
Mathieson tells us we pull 3Gs during our ride, meaning the human body feels 3 times heavier. During air shows, he says he'll pull more than 12Gs. "It's a little painful. You've gotta flex everything you can. The hardest thing is holding your head up straight."
He's been flying for 26 years, and taking part in air shows for 5. "It's the ultimate freedom. You're only limited by your imagination. With a lot of practice and dedication you can do some incredible things."
The air show is happening at Duluth's International Airport. Gates open at 9 a.m., and the flying starts at 10:30.
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