W-b, Firefighters See Victories In Contract 
For The First Time Since 1980, An Agreement Is 
Reached Without Binding Arbitration

Admitted Stalker Begins Monitored House Arrest

By BOB NOCEK; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Friday, August 16, 1996 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1C 





AVOCA -- The Snowbirds may not be the biggest name in formation flying, and
they're not even the fastest jet demonstration team in the air. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But with nine planes flying at over 500 mph, Canada's premiere pilots put
on a show that can't be matched. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "They fly with a style that's all their own," said Ed Ide, the Air Show '96
promoter, who has already seen the Snowbirds perform twice this year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "People can expect to see a very exciting performance," he said. "It's a
very graceful performance." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Snowbirds, the Canadian Air Force's elite squadron, will make their
first U.S. appearance this year at Armed Forces Air Show '96 this weekend at
the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In their only appearance in the Northeast U.S., the Snowbirds headline two
days of everything aerial. The gates open at 9 a.m. each day, and performances
begin at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $9 for adults, $4 for children age 6-12, and
free for children under 6 accompanied by an adult. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Air Show '96 will include ground displays of nearly 100 planes and
helicopters, everything from a Russian MiG-17 to a U.S. Army "Apache" attack
helicopter to a FedEx Boeing 727 cargo plane. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The performers include a wing-walker, fly-bys of military bombers,
skydivers, and, of course, aerobatics, including the Snowbirds, who made their
last local appearance in 1990. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They were an excellent hit," said Ide. "Their show this year is just
exquisite." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Snowbirds are a 22-person team, including 11 pilots, led by Major Steve
Hill, who joined the team in 1985. They bring 11 CT Tutor-114 jets, including
two backups for the nine that fly demonstrations. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Snowbirds' show is one of fluid, synchronized maneuvers made even more
graceful by flying slower than, say, the Navy's Blue Angels or the Air Force
Thunderbirds. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They don't disappear as fast," Ide said. "The Snowbirds have something
happening every 12 seconds, and the base formation stays in front of the
crowd. There's always something happening." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Snowbirds may be the headliner, but they certainly won't be only pilots
who will try to wow the crowds. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Northern Lights Aerobatic Team are the foremost propeller-driven
precision team, in four Extra 300 aircraft made for aerobatics. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And three solo pilots each bring an individual style to the show. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We've got three of the world's best aerobatic pilots, in Leo Laudenslager,
Julie Clark and Ian Groom," said Ide. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Laudenslager flies a Bud Light Laser 200, a plane he built himself when he
couldn't find one to his liking. He has won seven national and world
aerobatics championships in this plane. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Clark will perform in a MOPAR T-34 single-engine plane, a former Navy
training craft now painted to resemble Air Force One. A former beauty queen,
Clark became one of the first female pilots for a major airline in 1977, and
is a full-time captain for Northwest Airlines. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Groom flies a Russian-built Sukhoi Su-31, also built especially for
aerobatics. Groom brings a reputation as one who pushes his plane to the
limit. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A MiG-15 and a Swiss-built "Venom" will stage a dogfight in the skies, and
the American B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit will make several low passes over the
runway. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For a little extra adventure, the wing-walking team of Dave Dacy and Johnny
Kazian might just leave your heart in your throat. Kazian is a Hollywood
stuntman who's stepped in for such stars as Lee Majors, David Hassellhoff and
Robert Redford. He won't be tied to the Super Stearman bi-wing plane that will
travel at more than 200 mph, looping and spinning through the air. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And the Sky Shows Skydiving Team will descend from 12,000 feet, landing on
a one-foot marker despite reaching speeds of more than 120 mph on the way
down. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But there's little debating who the real stars of this show will be. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The Snowbirds do some formations that are really spectacular," Ide said,
"with nine planes in the sky." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Everything Aerial From Wing-walkers To Jets In Formation, Air Show '96 Will Keep You Looking Skyward