Gary Rower
You can feel the pulse of each explosion of the nine-cylinder Pratt and Whitney engine as Gary Rower pulls up into a vertical maneuver. You can see the control services move as the big airplane begins to roll. You can almost see Gary work the stick and pedals when he is inverted.
I first met Gary at the Cheyenne Air Show and was awed by the graceful flight of the big, noisy Stearman with the powerful 450 horsepower engine.
Gary started flying when he was 16. He went on to the U.S. Air Force Academy where he became a soaring instructor and captain of the soaring team. After graduation Gary went on to pilot training and learned to fly what was then the newest fighter in the Air Force inventory – The F-16 Fighting Falcon.
After he left the Air Force, Gary joined a major air carrier and now flies Boeing 767s to Europe, South America and other points around the world, accumulating more than 18,000 hours.
Gary’s graceful performance is a combination of barnstormer, dare devil and dancer, with loops, rolls, hammerheads, slow rolls, an outside humpty-bump and more. Once you’ve seen it you will never forget the big, beautiful, loud PT-47 Stearman.