Ashville Stunt Pilot Turns Flying Instruction Upside Down

By Carla Davis

If Ashville residents noticed planes flying upside down or turning somersaults in the air last Saturday, it was no illusion. It was simply world-famous aerobatics performer and instructor Greg Koontz and his pilot friends showing off their astounding airborne skills.

On Oct. 21, more than 400 people turned out for the annual Fly-In air show at Sky Country Lodge, Koontz’s combination aviation training facility and bed and breakfast in Ashville. While the audience enjoyed barbecue, Koontz and other professional fliers amazed them with their daring spins, rolls, loops, hammerheads and other aerial tricks.

The show ended with the day’s highlight – Koontz performing his most famous stunt, the “World’s Smallest Airport,” where he lands his Piper Cub on top of a pickup truck moving at 60 miles per hour. Koontz and other pilots concluded the day by thrilling the children with free airplane rides.Koontz, who has performed in more than 450 air shows and flown about 25,000 hours, opened Sky Country Lodge in 2004. Since then, pilots from Europe, Africa, Asia and South and Central America, along with many from the United States, have traveled to the small-town facility to benefit from Koontz’s experience and knowledge.

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