Video: Stunt Pilot Challenge
Pilot Bio’s
Michael "Rocket" Blackstone
Born into a flying family, "Rocket" has been flying aerobatics since age 8 in his father's Pitts S-2A. He studied Business/Finance/Entrepreneurship at USC and flew over 3,000 combat missions all over the United States for Air Combat USA over the last 20 years. He has flown over 14,000 hours during his 25 years of flying in everything from the Pitts S-2A/C, Extra 300L, Waco YMF-5C, Marchetti SF-260 B/C/D, to the commercial jets including the Boeing 737-800,757-200ER, 767-200/300ERs for a major airline all over the world. "Rocket" has a passion for teaching flying that is quite rare in the world of aviation and hopes to share this love of flying with the world through his newest venture: A flying adventure television show using his vast flying experience across oceans and continents combined with his contageous passion for teaching flying with his fleet of aircraft to inspire millions of people from around the world to want to learn to fly.
Mike "Maverick" Blackstone
Michael began flying at age 12 as a first generation pilot who has always loved airplanes. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Cal Poly, Pomona and was hired at a major airline at age 23. He currently has over 32,000 hours of flight time spanning his 50+ year flying career. Michael recently retired from American Airlines flying the Boeing 767 Domestically and Internationally. He has a current CFI and has been teaching aerobatics in high performance stunt planes and fighters since 1981 flying the the Pitts S-2C, Marchett SF-260, Extra 300L and the Waco YMF-5C. Michael is the President of Air Combat USA, the world's first civilian air combat school, and he still loves to fly high performance aerobatic aircraft as much as possible sharing his passion for flying with everyone he flies with.
Ben "Joker" Clerx
Ben has been flying since he was a child starting out in gliders and then working his way up through the ranks to jets for the US Air Force flying the T-37, T-38 Talon, and the KC-135 as an Instructor and line pilot. A graduate from the University of Hawaii, with a B.S. in Meteorology, Ben is now flying for a major airline all over the world in the Boeing 777. Ben flies the Waco YMF-5C, the Pitts S-2C, the Extra 300L and the Marchetti SF-260 because he loves flying and sharing his passion for flight with his students.