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2007 Chilliwack Flight Fest Headline Performers
Bud and Ross Granley
Dan Buchanan
BUD GRANLEY &
ROSS GRANLEY
www.airshowpilot.com
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Flying has been a part of Bud's life since
he was 9 years old. He and his
brothers were outside playing, when they saw
a Tiger Moth biplane glide to a landing
on their uncle's farm. They ran to see the
airplane, and were amazed to find that the
pilot was their father. He had secretly
earned his pilot's license. Bud and his two
brothers were hooked on aviation after that.
Their father made a career of flying, and
saw his three children begin their lives in
aviation. Bob went into crop spraying; Bill
into corporate where he won the esteemed
Canadian McKee trophy in 1990.
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Bud Granley with his Harvard T-6 |
Bud joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in
1956 after earning his wings with a Royal
Canadian Air Cadet scholarship. He was
awarded honor scrolls at both basic, and
advanced flying schools. He flew the F-86 Sabre in Baden-Baden, Germany, and was
a member of the Canadian gunnery team which
won the NATO competition for the third
straight year.
Bud then instructed on the T-6 Harvard at
Red Deer Alberta. He was selected to be the
base solo demonstration pilot on the
Harvard, thus starting his career as an
airshow
pilot. A civilian who had purchased a World
War 11 surplus P-40 for $150 asked Bud
to fly his plane at local airshows. This was
Bud's introduction to WW2 type aircraft,
which he still flies. Bud became an A-1
instructor, and served in Standards flight
and
as base instrument check pilot.
Bud lives in Bellevue Washington. He flew
for United Airlines until retiring in 1997.
He
has six children; three of them served in
the Canadian Armed Forces. Two flew with
the Snowbird aerobatic team, and are now
airline pilots, Ross with United, and Chris,
Air Canada. Deb flies the 737 for Alaska
Airlines. Bob chose the Navy, and is now a
Captain with Royal Caribbean. He also flies
the planes to airshows when not sailing.
The T-6/Harvard, Yak-55, and Fouga Magister
are the usual airshow planes, but you will see Bud in a classic warbird like
the Wildcat, Skyraider, or P-51. The
favorite challenge for him is the formation
act with his son, Ross, who flies the
Yak-18T. The response has been amazing.
Bud will be racing around the pylons at the
Reno air races in a T-6 named Lickety Split.
He started his racing avocation racing the
Miss America P-51 for several years.
Bud was awarded the Art Scholl Showmanship
award by the International Council of
Airshows in 2005.
Granley was recognized for his many entertainment contributions
to air show business, for his air show showmanship skills in a
wide range of challenging aircraft, for his role as an air show
innovator, and for his commitment to doing whatever it takes to
use his aircraft to help entertain air show audiences.
Granley becomes the twentieth air show performer to receive the
prestigious Art Scholl Showmanship Award since it was first
offered to recognize air show showmanship. Perhaps the most
talented air show pilot of his generation, Scholl was a renowned
aerobatic pilot and consummate air show performer. He flew his
Penzoil Chipmunk aircraft before an estimated audience of 80
million people over 20 years and appeared in more than 200
motion picture films, documentaries and television commercials.
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DAN BUCHANAN
www.danbuchananairshows.com
Dan was a New England home builder and flat-track motorcycle racer,
and enjoyed the thrill of flying off mountain tops, when in 1981, he
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 worked in Silicon Valley, CA. |
Dan Signing autographs.
Photo courtesy of William Ortiz. |
Despite his handicap, Dan returned to flying within six months, and
since then his tenacity and adventurous spirit has 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, 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.
Performing principally across North America, his international
venues have included Australia (8 times), Thailand, El Salvador, The
United Arab Emirates, Canada, and Mexico.
Dan is also a Federally and State licensed pyrotechnician
trained by Hollywood experts. He installs, wires and sequences
all of the special effects on the fabric wing himself. Can you
blame him?
He is also a FAA Commercial Glider pilot, enjoying sailplane
aerobatics and giving glider rides to friends at Minden, Nevada
when not on the Airshow tour. Dan took instruction from Sky
Sailing near San Diego, CA from airshow performer Brett Willat,
who's school has one of the few "rudder hand control" equiped
sailplanes in the US.
http://www.skysailing.com Some of his other adventurous
pursuits still include flat-water kayaking, SCUBA diving on
wrecks and caves, long distance ATV cross-desert riding and
racing, and Hobbie Cat sailing.
TOP
Additional performers and displaysBill Phipps –
Steen Skybolt
John
Mrazek – Harvard Mark IV “Pussycat II”
www.airshows.ca
Matthew Groth –
Decathlon
DND –
CH-146 Griffon Demonstration
Horizon
Aerosports Skydivers
www.vancouver-skydiving.bc.ca
AV8FX
– Pyrotechnics www.AV8FX.com
Remote Controlled
Aircraft Club
Featured Displays
Canadian Museum of
Flight
DND – CH-156
Harvard II
DND – CH-124 Sea
King
Meet last year's Performers
Click
Here
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