Skip Stewart Earns Air Show Industry’s Top Showmanship Award

LAS VEGAS - The International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) at its 48th annual convention presented its highest showmanship award to a Lakeland, Tenn.-based pilot tonight in front of nearly 1,000 air show industry professionals attending the event’s chairman’s banquet.

Skip Stewart earned the industry’s prestigious Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award by taking his aggressive style of low-level, hard-core aerobatic flying to air shows spectators throughout the U.S. and Canada, the Middle East, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America over the past 15 years.

From his custom-built “Prometheus” biplane to the time he spends with fans and spectators after every performance, Stewart focuses on providing audiences with world-class entertainment. In the air, he has combined outstanding stick-and-rudder skills with the creativity of an artist to develop his own, unique brand of air show flying.

Always looking for another way to capture the attention and imagination of the audience, Stewart has also teamed up with other performers to fly ensemble acts that have helped to redefine air show showmanship.

About the Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award

Each year, the International Council of Air Shows presents the Art Scholl Memorial Showmanship Award to the air show act or performer which best exemplifies the qualities of showmanship demonstrated by Art Scholl. Scholl was killed while filming a flying sequence off the coast of California in 1985. A long-time and active ICAS member, he was a renowned aerobatic pilot and air show performer having flown in front of an estimated audience of 80 million people over 20 years, and appearing in more than 200 motion picture films, documentaries and television commercials.

About the International Council of Air Shows

Headquartered in Leesburg, Va., ICAS was founded in 1968 as a trade and professional association by industry professionals to protect and promote their interests in the growing North American air show marketplace.