Gene Soucy
Encyclopedia
Aerobatics
Aerobatics is the practice of flying maneuvers involving aircraft attitudes that are not used in normal flight. Aerobatics are performed in airplanes and gliders for training, recreation, entertainment and sport...
pilot. The son of 2 pilots, he would wash airplanes at a local airport in exchange for flight time while growing up in Kentucky. He soloed in a glider at age 14, and in a regular airplane at 16.
Soucy began flying professionally in airshows in 1968, and in 1972 qualified for a place on the U.S. aerobatics team. That year he was the youngest competitor flying at the World championships in England. He placed 6th overall, and contributed to the U.S. team winning the World championship for the first time.
Eagles Aerobatic Team
In 1971, he partnered with Charlie HillardCharlie Hillard
Charlie Hillard was an American aerobatics pilot, and the first American to win the world aerobatics title.Hillard formed the Red Devils aerobatic team in 1971 with fellow pilots Gene Soucy and Tom Poberezny...
and Tom Poberezny
Tom Poberezny
Tom Poberezny , has been the Chairman of the annual Experimental Aircraft Association Fly-In and Convention from 1977 to 2011, and president of EAA from 1989 to 2010.Tom took over from his father Paul Poberezny who founded EAA in 1958....
to form the Red Devils Aerobatic Team, flying the Pitts Special
Pitts Special
The Pitts Special is a series of light aerobatic biplane designed by Curtis Pitts. It has accumulated many competition wins since its first flight in 1944...
. In 1979, aircraft designer Frank Christensen invited the team to test fly a new aerobatic aircraft he had designed: the Christen Eagle. The Devils were so impressed that they switched their team aircraft to the Eagle, and renamed the Red Devils to the Eagles Aerobatic Team, with Hillard as the lead pilot. The Eagles Aerobatic Team would fly together for more than 25 years, and 1000 performances, setting a record for the longest running aerobatic team with the same members.
Other acts
Grumman Ag Cat
-See also:-References:* Michell, Simon. Jane's Civil and Military Aircraft Upgrades 1994-95. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1994. ISBN 0 7106 1208 7.-External links:*...
cropduster modified for a Wing walking
Wing walking
Seen in airshows and barnstorming during the 1920s, wing walking is the act of moving on the wings of an airplane during flight.-The beginning of air walkers:...
act, and named the aircraft the Showcat. His partner and girlfriend Teresa Stokes performs as the wing walker while Soucy takes the Showcat through various aerobatic maneuvers. The Showcat is also configured with pyrotechnics, used as part of a nighttime aerobatic show. After the Eagles team disbanded in 1995, Soucy began performing solo aerobatic in an Extra 300S, in addition to his Showcat performances.
Personal life
In 2002, he began to show signs of kidney disease, and in 2003 underwent a kidney transplant. Teresa Stokes was the donor, after Soucy's siblings proved to not be able to donate. He was back flying at airshows 3 months after the operation.Soucy has also flown as a stunt pilot for several motion pictures and TV movies. His credits include Aces: Iron Eagle III
Aces: Iron Eagle III
Aces: Iron Eagle III is a 1992 action film directed by John Glen and is the third installment of the Iron Eagle film series, with Louis Gossett, Jr. reprising his role as Col. Charles "Chappy" Sinclair. Also starring are Japanese actor Sonny Chiba and retired boxing champion Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini...
, where he flew with Charlie Hillard, and The Pancho Barnes
Pancho Barnes
Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes was a pioneer aviator, the founder of the first test pilots union and the owner of the Happy Bottom Riding Club, a bar and restaurant. She broke Amelia Earhart's air speed record in 1930...
Story.
Soucy has 2 daughters, and currently lives in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In addition to his airshow performances, he is a pilot with Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
.
See also
- Competition aerobaticsCompetition aerobaticsCompetition aerobatics is an air sport in which judges rate the skill of pilots performing aerobatic flying. It is practiced in both piston-powered single-engine airplanes and gliders....
- FAI World Aerobatic Championships
- FAI European Aerobatic ChampionshipsFAI European Aerobatic ChampionshipsThe FAI European Aerobatic Championship is an aerobatic competition held biennially, alternating with the World Aerobatic Championship.- Individual winners:- Winners by teams :- Bibliography :* * - See also :*FAI World Aerobatic Championships...