About Dan
“Dan is not only a showman…
he is an inspiration to people who wish to live their dreams.”
-- Dave Weiman, Founder & Former Publisher, WORLD AIRSHOW NEWS.
Dan was a New York & Connecticut home builder and flat-track motorcycle racer; then moved to Lake Tahoe, CA where he enjoyed the thrill of flying off mountain tops. He was getting his Private Pilot License when in 1981, he had a spinal injury landing a hang glider in bad weather that he shouldn't have even been flying in. Losing his ability to walk, he returned to college to pursue a career in mechanical engineering, landing him in Silicon Valley, CA.
Despite this new handicap, Dan returned to the thrill of flying within six months, and since then his tenacity and adventurous spirit has allowed him to accrue more than 2,900 hours of flight time in Hang Gliders and Sailplanes. Completing his Private and Commercial Pilot License as a wheelchair user, his motorless recreational flights are typically 3-6 hours long, thermal soaring as high as 18,000 feet over the western deserts and mountains.
After his first air show performance at Medford, OR in 1989, his appearances increased each year, and now he shares his thrill of flight with millions of people around the world during his annual 25+ city Airshow tour, driving 45,000+ miles each summer.
Performing principally across North America, his international venues have included Australia (8 times), Japan, Thailand, El Salvador, The United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Mexico.
Dan is also a Federally (BATF) and State licensed pyrotechnician trained by Hollywood effects pros. He installs, wires and sequences all of the special effects on the fabric wing himself. Can you blame him?
He is also a Commercial Glider pilot, enjoying sailplane aerobatics and giving glider rides to friends at Minden, Nevada when not on the Airshow tour. Dan owes Sailplaning to "Sky Sailing" in Warner Springs, CA, whose school has one of the few "hand control" equipped sailplanes in the US. http://www.skysailing.com
Some of his other adventurous passions include highspeed long distance desert riding and racing on ATV's, flat-water river kayaking and SCUBA diving on wrecks and in caves.
When asked why he flies, Dan's usual smiling response is,
"I have to fly... I can't walk!"
DAN HAS RECEIVED 3 SHOWMANSHIP AWARD HONORS FROM AIRSHOW ORGANIZATIONS:
- "The Art Scholl Award for Showmanship"
-"The Bill Barber Award for Showmanship"
-"The ICAS Special Achievement Award"
Fun over Nevada and the Sierra Nevada Mnts
Soaring the Pacific coastline