The Chicago Air and Water Show is back. Thirty-two years ago I talked with stunt pilot Susan Dacy who, yes, will be barnstorming this weekend in her Super Stearman 'Big Red."
So what is the difference between piloting an open biplane that goes 100 miles an hour and can do barrel rolls and outside loops, and a Boeing 727 that goes 500 miles an hour and, ideally, never does any rolls or loops at all?
First, with a biplane, every day is a bad-hair day.
"It's a write-off when I wear my helmet," says Susan Dacy, who pilots both a 727, in her day job as a pilot for American Airlines, and a Great Lakes biplane, which she flies acrobatically at air shows such as the one in Chicago this weekend.
This is Dacy's third year flying at air shows, which she does in the summer as a break from flying the big airliners.
The two types of planes really couldn't be more different. Dacy's Great Lakes biplane - a replica built in the 1970s and based on classic barnstorming planes — burns 10 gallons of gasoline an hour. The 727 burns 9,000 pounds of gas an hour, or about 1,280 gallons.
As terse and no-nonsense as airline pilots are supposed to be, Dacy, 35, is not one to ramble on and on about the joys of flying and the lures that drew a girl from Harvard, Ill., to become one of the country's still-rare female pilots.
"There are getting to be a few more pilots out there, and people are starting to notice," said Dacy, checking out her biplane at Meigs Field before the start of the shows, which end Sunday..
But then, in her case, the reason for her career choice is obvious: she grew up on an airport — the private airport at Harvard, owned by her parents. If she ever wanted to do anything else but fly, she can't remember it.
By age 16 she had soloed in a Piper Cub, and by 18 she had rebuilt a Stearman biplane from the ground up.
She received an aviation degree from Southern Illinois University along with an Airframe & Powerplant Mechanics license. Since then, she has logged nearly 13,000 flight hours — more than 540 solid days in the air — and flown more than 60 different types of airplanes. She says she loves to perform at air shows.
"The most exciting thing is seeing the crowds, getting a positive response from them," she said. "Dealing with the kids is a lot of fun. Really fun to see the excitement."
Dacy sees herself as a good role model for children.
"I want to portray a positive image and basically get across to anyone that no matter what you want to do, if you try hard enough, you can pursue it," she said.
— Originally published in the Sun-Times, Aug. 23, 1993
One odd aspect of this piece is that while reporting it, I flew with Susan Dacy. We did barrel rolls and loop-de-loops over the lake. Yet I wasn't a columnist, and none of that entered into my story about her, which was either supreme self-control on my part, or lamentable negligence.
First, with a biplane, every day is a bad-hair day.
"It's a write-off when I wear my helmet," says Susan Dacy, who pilots both a 727, in her day job as a pilot for American Airlines, and a Great Lakes biplane, which she flies acrobatically at air shows such as the one in Chicago this weekend.
This is Dacy's third year flying at air shows, which she does in the summer as a break from flying the big airliners.
The two types of planes really couldn't be more different. Dacy's Great Lakes biplane - a replica built in the 1970s and based on classic barnstorming planes — burns 10 gallons of gasoline an hour. The 727 burns 9,000 pounds of gas an hour, or about 1,280 gallons.
As terse and no-nonsense as airline pilots are supposed to be, Dacy, 35, is not one to ramble on and on about the joys of flying and the lures that drew a girl from Harvard, Ill., to become one of the country's still-rare female pilots.
"There are getting to be a few more pilots out there, and people are starting to notice," said Dacy, checking out her biplane at Meigs Field before the start of the shows, which end Sunday..
But then, in her case, the reason for her career choice is obvious: she grew up on an airport — the private airport at Harvard, owned by her parents. If she ever wanted to do anything else but fly, she can't remember it.
By age 16 she had soloed in a Piper Cub, and by 18 she had rebuilt a Stearman biplane from the ground up.
She received an aviation degree from Southern Illinois University along with an Airframe & Powerplant Mechanics license. Since then, she has logged nearly 13,000 flight hours — more than 540 solid days in the air — and flown more than 60 different types of airplanes. She says she loves to perform at air shows.
"The most exciting thing is seeing the crowds, getting a positive response from them," she said. "Dealing with the kids is a lot of fun. Really fun to see the excitement."
Dacy sees herself as a good role model for children.
"I want to portray a positive image and basically get across to anyone that no matter what you want to do, if you try hard enough, you can pursue it," she said.
— Originally published in the Sun-Times, Aug. 23, 1993
One odd aspect of this piece is that while reporting it, I flew with Susan Dacy. We did barrel rolls and loop-de-loops over the lake. Yet I wasn't a columnist, and none of that entered into my story about her, which was either supreme self-control on my part, or lamentable negligence.
Interesting
ReplyDeleteAn inspiring woman…and still doing it in her sixties. If you weren’t a columnist then, were you doing general stories? I was a Trib guy in those days.
ReplyDeleteMaybe an update on Susan Dacy. Or women pilots in general. I read that there are still men who won't fly with a woman Captain.
ReplyDelete