From Australia to the UAE, Jim LeRoy travelled the world entertaining air show fans by the thousands. LeRoy was one of a rare breed of pilots who made stunt flying a full time job. The Vectren Dayton Air Show was the 12th of 24 scheduled appearances for 2007.

"People want to see low, wild, and seemingly out of control, but at the same time they want discipline, precision, and complete control" LeRoy is quoted on his website. LeRoy received the 2002 Art Scholl Showmanship Award and the 2003 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship, one of only eleven performers ever to receive both of those honors.

His plane was the Bulldog Pitts bi-plane. Rebuilt to add a 400hp engine with a maximum speed of 250mph, LeRoy could make the plane do the near-impossible. From standing on its tail on the edge of a stall, to a seemingly endless series of loops and rolls, air show fans were amazed by his control of the Bulldog.

"To me, it isn't the maneuver or the plane that makes the performance," said LeRoy in a 2003 interview, "but rather the amount of 'heart' that the performer puts into the show."

LeRoy was a third-generation pilot. His father, uncle and grandfather were all airline pilots. Jim chose a different path, first enlisting in the Marines upon high school graduation. Later he earned a B.S. degree in Aeronautical/Aerospace engineering. His pilot ratings included single-engine, multi-engine, airplane instructor, helicopter, helicopter instructor, instrument instructor, and aerobatic competency evaluator.

LeRoy and his wife grew up in Bartlett, Illinois, and attended high school in nearby Elgin. They married 10 years out of high school after meeting again at a class reunion.

"I've had a bit of success as a performer, but I also want to contribute to improving the industry as a whole," LeRoy once told Aero News Network. "My dream is that when it's all over, I will be able to look back and think that I helped to make the Airshow business a better place."