Dan Buchanan

Dan Buchanan flies some of the quieter aircraft on the air show circuit - a silent tow launched hang glider. He flies in complete counterpoint to most other air show professionals in the business and this great-hearted entertainer throws in a few surprises during each performance.

He’s received the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship and a Special Achievement Award from the International Council of Airshows.

Dan was a New England home builder and flat-track motorcycle racer and enjoyed the thrill of flying off mountain tops when in 1981 paralyzed his legs trying to land in stormy weather. Losing his ability to walk, he returned to college to pursue a career in mechanical engineering and work in Silicon Valley, CA. Despite his handicap, Dan returned to flying in six months and since then, his tenacity and adventurous spirit have allowed him to accrue more than 2,800 hours of flight time in hang gliders and sailplanes; his recreational flights are typically 3-6 hours long thermal soaring as high as 18,000 feet over the western mountains. After his first air show performance at Medford, OR in 1989 he went full-time, sharing his thrill of flight with millions of people around the world during his annual 25 city air show tour. Performing principally across North America, his international venues have included Australia, Thailand, El Salvador, The United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Mexico .

Dan’s air show glider and motorized wing are the only two aircraft of their type in North America to carry “N numbers” and airworthiness certificates. Both aircraft are registered with the FAA and certified as experimental aircraft. Dan’s factory built aircraft are rigorously engineered and stressed for 6 G’s positive and 4 G’s negative. He is also a FAA Commercial Glider pilot, enjoying sailplane aerobatics and giving glider rides at Minden, Nevada and San Diego, CA when not on the air show tour.

Dan launches his glider with a custom designed winch system and rolling launch trailer that he designed and constructed specifically for air show take-offs.  Lifting off the towed trailer at an air speed of about 30 mph, while talking live over the P.A., he quickly tow-climbs to an altitude of 1,200-1,800’ while the vehicle drives down the runway. The winch on the launch vehicle, operated by an experienced and trained crewmember, spins out up to 3,000’ of tow-line against applied brake pressure during his ascent. 

http://www.danbuchananairshows.com

Dan thanks Bud Field Aviation of Hayward Airport, California for making his appearance at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh possible.

See more exciting air show photos in the AirVenture photo gallery.