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Grissom pilot pushes limits of aviation

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jonathan Jones
  • 434th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRISSOM AIR RESERVE BASE, Ind. (AFNEWS) --  His aircraft spins more than 50 consecutive times as it plummets toward the ground. Then the plane begins to perform cartwheels, a move that would invoke fear in the most seasoned pilot.

These moves don't bother Capt. Billy Werth, a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot with the 72nd Air Refueling Squadron here, because he does them in a smaller aircraft as an aerobatics stunt pilot.

Captain Werth, an aerobatics instructor with Grayout Aerosports in Indianapolis, said he feels like he has flown since birth.

His dad, retired Col. Gerry Werth, was a pilot at Grissom when the base flew A-10 Thunderbolt IIs.

According to the captain, his father's experience influenced him in a positive way and helped him realize that he wanted to become a pilot.

Captain Werth piloted his first plane, a Cessna 152, in November 1988. At the time, he was going to Indiana State University and majoring in professional aviation technology. He holds a bachelor's degree in the subject.

It was not until 1991, while taking an emergency maneuver class, that he became interested in aerobatics.

"I took that class and was hooked," he said.

In 1992, he became certified to begin performing aerobatics. The choice changed the dynamics of the Air Force Reserve Command pilot's flying career.

"It's an adrenaline rush getting an airplane to do things that some people think an airplane shouldn't do. Going fast, going slow, flying straight up, flying straight down and flying upside down are satisfying feelings," the captain said.

Although aerobatics is fun and exciting, he believes there are certain factors and characteristics a person must possess before becoming an aerobatic performer.

He believes a person should enjoy performing, but at the same time be responsible by practicing good operational risk management, possess a strong confidence, and continually increase his knowledge of the aircraft, surroundings and environment.

Having these qualities and becoming knowledgeable about aerobatics will help a person during all of aspects of aerobatics training, he said. Some of this training includes basic aerobatic training, advanced aerobatic training, and emergency maneuver training.

Since his first flight in 1988, Captain Werth said he continues to feel that adrenaline rush every time he takes his Pitts SC2 aircraft into the sky.

"It's a more extreme level of sports, and it's that part of your brain that gets triggered by doing stuff that's a little more dangerous than your average walk across the street," he said.

(Courtesy of Air Force Reserve Command News Service)

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