Joe Shetterly

There are few pilots on this planet who like to cheat gravity more than Joe Shetterly. This guy flat out loves to fly!

With limited opportunities to fly full-scale airplanes as a young boy, Joe built and flew gas-powered control-line models – something generations of Shetterly boys had enjoyed before him. Soon, he was winning radio-controlled aircraft competitions, performing many of the maneuvers that you can see him perform at air shows across North America today.

Joe soloed an airplane as soon as he was first allowed: on his 16th birthday. He earned his private pilot’s license at just 17. And while still a teenager, Joe began competing in aerobatics!

While earning an undergraduate degree in Engineering at the University of Kansas, Joe worked as a full-time flight instructor to help pay his way through school. After graduating, his passion for flying led him to the Air Force where he continues to serve. He was selected to fly his dream machine: the venerable A-10 Thunderbolt II (the Warthog!). While stationed in Tucson, AZ, Joe’s fighter pilot buddies gave him the call sign “Rifle.”

In 2009, Rifle was selected as the Air Force’s A-10 Demonstration Pilot, and flew nearly 250 aerobatic demonstrations in the Hog!

*Performers are subject to change without notice

Shetterly’s RV-8

Length: 21ft
Wing Span: 24 ft
Wing Area: 116 sq ft
Height: 5 ft 7in
Empty Weight: 1075 lbs
Gross Weight: 1800 lbs
Wing Loading: 15.5 lb/sq ft
Powered by: 180 HP Lycoming IO-360 w/ Silver Hawk Fuel Injection by Precision Airmotive
Propeller: Hartzell contant speed / blended airfoil
Fuel capacity: 42 Gallons