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Greg Koontz joins list of Thunder Over Georgia performers

  • Published Sept. 16, 2019
  • By Geoff Janes
  • Robins Public Affairs

At a Glance:

◾ Gates open at 9 a.m.
◾Opening ceremonies start at 10 a.m.
◾Admission and parking are free in designated areas.
◾Times and performances are subject to change.

WHAT TO KNOW: The #ThunderOverGeorgia2019 air show is going to be action packed this year! Make sure to bookmark www.robins.af.mil/airshow for all the latest – from performers to tips and parking. Mark your calendars now for Sept. 28 and 29, 2019. Find out more on the Robins Air Force Base website at: https://www.robins.af.mil, and you can follow the air show on Facebook at facebook.com/RobinsPublicAffairs. 

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. – Greg Koontz is bringing 45 years of aerobatic experience to the Thunder Over Georgia Air Show.

Greg Koontz joins lists of Thunder Over Georgia performers

The Greg Koontz Alabama Boys perform during the 2018 Air and Space Expo April 28, 2018, at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. Greg Koontz Air Shows will be performing at the Thunder Over Georgia 2019 Air Show at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, Sept. 28-29. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal)

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The show, headlined by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and featuring the F-22 demonstration team is slated for Sept. 28 and 29, 2019 at Robins Air Force Base. Admission is free, and it’s the place to be for Air Force and aircraft enthusiasts alike.

Koontz has been a certified flight instructor since 1972 and has provided more than 8,000 hours of instruction. He has experience in more than 170 types of aircraft, and has been a surface level performer since 1976.

According to his website at http://www.gkairshows.com/Newsite/Airshows/ Airshows.html, “This year, Greg Koontz is getting back to his roots to bring back good old-fashioned family entertainment in the best flying circus tradition! With two complete airshow acts, Greg Koontz and the Alabama Boys are a complete airshow package!”

Greg Koontz joins lists of Thunder Over Georgia performers

The "Alabama Boys" perform Apr. 3, 2016, during the Luke Air Force Base, Airzona, air show, 75 Years of Airpower. Greg Koontz Air Shows will be performing at the Thunder Over Georgia 2019 Air Show at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, Sept. 28-29. (U. S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Staci Miller)

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ABOUT THE PERFORMANCE

Xtreme Super Decathlon:

The Lycoming AEIO-360 engine generates 180 horses. The aircraft has inverted fuel and oil systems, and a large wing which allows for an up-front and down-low performance.

Koontz flies his plane through a solo aerobatic routine that demonstrates its agility with a full set of outside loops, vertical rolls, snaps and tumbles, and inverted passes.

The grand finale is a down-low, in-the-dirt inverted ribbon cut! Koontz makes it easy on the announcer as well. He announces his maneuvers play-by-play directly from the cockpit during his routine.

Alabama Boys / World's Smallest Airport:

Flown in the 1946 Piper J-3 Cub, this act begins as Greg - farmer Clem Cleaver - climbs up on the announcer's stand, demanding a flight lesson. Later in the show, he "steals" the plane and takes off alone, with his whole crew chasing. Grandpa shoots off a tire to get him down, and Clem lands on his pickup truck driven by Grandpa Fred as it races down the runway.

Editor’s note: All acts are subject to change.

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