The impact of smoke in an airshow performance - If you go to the US National Aerobatic championships in September, in north Texas, the competitors in the 4 Minute Free Program have the option to fly with smoke and to have music on the public address system. For the last several years that I can remember, the winner always made use of smoke and music. You can "feel" the difference in impact and just standing back you can tell who will post the highest score. You can find the rules for scoring in the IAC rulebook at the IAC web site. That is one measure of "audience appreciation".

You can go to Oshkosh and compare the crowd reaction to an act with lots of smoke and noise to a quiet act with no smoke. I will note that even the sailplane acts use smoke. Smoke on a sailplane is expensive. I know as I used to buy it and use it. They would not spend the money unless there was a payback.

The majority of airshows, that is the ones not funded by your tax dollars at a military facility, work on very thin margins. If you can formulate and sell a non-toxic smoke oil for less $$ than Canopus oil, they will buy it. No one is wedded to any particular brand of smoke oil. The performers use what the shows give them. And I should emphasize that. The shows buy the smoke oil. Go to the ICAS Convention in December in Las Vegas and sell your product.

Those are the facts that I can offer to the discussion. I joke some days that you know that you are a real airshow professional when you fly your heart out on Saturday and Sunday and on Monday the check for your performance bounces at the bank. Been there. If you would like to learn how the business works and how fragile it is, go find a local airshow and volunteer to help. They will appreciate it and you will learn eye opening stuff.

Fly safe,

Wes
N78PS