Jon Melby
| Jon Melby | |
|---|---|
 Yellowknife Air Show Jon Melby 01.JPG | |
| Born | August 6, 1961 Hastings, Minnesota |
| 💼 Occupation |
|
| 📆 Years active | 2002-present |
| 🌐 Website | |
Jon Melby (born August 6, 1961) is an American aerobatic aviator who has been performing in airshows across North America since 2002.
Early life[edit]
Melby was born in Hastings, Minnesota. At age 12, Melby decided to become an airshow pilot after attending an airshow in Duluth, Minnesota and watching pilot Bob Hoover perform.[1][2][3]
At age 15, Melby's family moved to Tempe, Arizona. While attending high school there, he was introduced to a friend who flew gliders at Estrella Sailport in Maricopa and shortly thereafter began learning how to glide. After 8 flights, Melby performed his first glider solo in a Schweizer 2-33 glider.[1][2][3]
Career[edit]
After Melby graduated from high school in 1980, he enlisted in the United States Air Force (USAF). He flew many missions through the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) and worked with the CIA, Navy Seals, Army Rangers, and Delta Force.[4][5]
While in the Air Force, at 19 years old, he bought his first airplane, a Cessna 150 and hired a flight instructor to obtain his private pilot's license.[2][3]
After leaving the Air Force in 1984, Melby returned to Tempe, Arizona. Later on he enlisted in the United States Air Force Reserve. He served with the Air Force Reserve until 1996.[1]
In May 1996, Jon Melby flew for the first time in a Pitts S2B aerobatic aircraft. This was his first experience flying aerobatics. Melby began his airshow career in 2002.[6][4]
In 2015 Melby appeared in the documentary TV series Airshow which follows airshow pilots in the US and Canada.[6]
Melby is the executive director for Salute-A-Vet, a non-profit providing aircraft related events and activities for US military veterans.[3]
Melby's airplane[edit]
Melby performs aerobatics in both his Pitts S-1-11B and his 1969 Aerobatic E33C Bonanza.[1][2][7][3][8][6] He has been flying the Pitts under the sponsorship of Hangar 24 Craft Brewing since 2017.[4]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Melby muscles bi-plane to delight of airshow crowds". Delta Optimist. July 16, 2014. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Kerton, Barry (July 21, 2014). "Pilots Promise Whitecourt Air Show Attendees an Exciting Show". The Whitecourt Star. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Jon Melby & His Muscle Pitts S-1-11B Bi-Plane". Aero Tech News. April 15, 2016. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Black, Brandon (May 18, 2018). "Jon Melby, the Man in the Cockpit for Hangar 24 Craft Brewing". CraftBeer.com. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Horn, Allison (September 27, 2019). "Stunt pilot Jon Melby performs at MCAS Miramar Air Show". 10 News San Diego. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Airshow. Season 1. Episode 9–12. 2015. Discovery Channel Canada.
- ↑ "It's Almost That Time Again". Aero News. September 23, 2004. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Shock wave vs Jon Melby 2018 MCAS Miramar Air Show". US Army Corps of Engineers - St. Louis District Website. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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