Aerobatic performer Skip Stewart, EAA 864349, of Wheeling, West Virginia,
received the 2013 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship by World Airshow News on Tuesday evening
during AirVenture at Theater in the Woods. Skip joins a growing list of honorees that reads like an air show hall
of fame. Many of those latest honorees attended the ceremony MC’d by “Mr.
Hollywood” Danny Clisham. Current 2012 award recipient, Matt Younkin also participated
in Skip’s award.
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Stewart is known worldwide for his innovative, high-energy performances in his highly modified Pitts biplane, Prometheus. He is a master at grabbing the audience's attention with his spine-tingling tumbles, ribbon cuts, and knife-edge passes. Stewart has also been an innovator with multi-dimensional theme acts like the Tinstix of Dynamite routine and flying under a jumping motorcycle.
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Stewart has been infatuated with airplanes for as long as he can remember, and built RC model planes as a kid. But it was the flying of 1990 Barber Award winner Leo Loudenslager that inspired him to set his goals high and eventually pursue aerobatics.
He learned to fly while in college and quickly went into aerobatics. Stewart began his aviation career with a variety of jobs with commuter airlines and corporate flight departments, and eventually saved up enough to buy a Pitts S2A.
As many do, Skip started out in competition aerobatics before moving into air shows. After taking an airline job with a major overnight freight carrier, Skip was able to sell the S2A and buy a stock Pitts S2S. Over the years and through numerous modifications, the S2S has morphed into Prometheus, his 400-hp muscle biplane.
Today, in addition to an extensive schedule of North American air shows, Stewart is one of a handful of performers who flies worldwide - with shows in the United Arab Emirates, Australia, the Caribbean, and Latin America to his credit. He now has two Prometheus biplanes to help facilitate his wide-ranging schedule and has a new, custom-designed, all-composite biplane under construction.
The Bill Barber Award for Showmanship began in 1986, and is awarded to air show performers or teams that have demonstrated great skill and showmanship. World Airshow News and the friends and family of the late Bill Barber present the award annually.