AVweb editor-in-chief Russ Niles had the pleasure of joining Goulian at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to delve into the details of airshow circuit life. 

According to Goulian, he’s often asked why he still performs dangerous stunts after nearly three decades of aerobatics.

“The biggest thing for an airshow pilot is that every day is different—the weather conditions, the wind, our fitness, the airplane, the terrain, the airport,” Goulian said. “Every time you take to the air to do an airshow, it’s a huge challenge, so you never get bored of it. At Oshkosh, you’re here with thousands of your closest friends who are all watching you fly, and you have to bring your ‘A’ game. That keeps it exciting.” 

As aviation technology has improved, aerobatics and competitive flying have also reached higher limits and become more dynamic. Composite propellers, carbon fiber frames, and other advancements in material and equipment production have expanded on what aerobatic pilots can accomplish.

“It’s hard to overstate how much better maneuverability is than it was just 20 years ago,” Goulian said. 

Similarly, the airshows themselves are more in depth.

“A few decades ago, pilots would fly on their own,” he said. “Today, we all have coaches. We have teams watching and guiding from the ground. We have telemetry in our aircraft. These improvements to technology and process mean that airshows like EAA AirVenture have much higher production quality.” 

Each year, a host of pilots and teams like Goulian’s travel across the country to perform at a variety of locations. The airshow circuit in North America follows the weather, typically starting in Florida, moving up the East Coast, winding through the Midwest and down to Texas, hitting sunny California in the fall, and finally returning to Florida again at the end of the year. 

Goulian flies roughly 18 shows each year, between smaller community events and larger-scale industry events.

“We have a tractor trailer that does about 50,000 miles a year,” he said. “The airplane does about 200 hours per year cross-country, and we have a whole team. It’s really a big circus on the road and in the air.”

One of the highlights of the aerobatics for Goulian and his family is the close-knit community that has developed around the airshow circuit.

“Your heroes become your friends,” he said. “I have friends all over the country, and because I was in the Red Bull Air Race, all over the world. We travel with the [Air Force] Thunderbirds, the [Navy] Blue Angels, [aerobatic pilots] Rob Holland, Kevin Coleman, Kyle Franklin, and Matt Younkin. We’re all like a big family.”

AirVenture, arranged annually by the Experimental Aircraft Association, is the biggest aviation event on the calendar, with nearly 700,000 attendees and more than 10,000 participating aircraft. For Goulian and other aerobatic pilots, Oshkosh is a special place.

“For me, the thrill of Oshkosh is all the [aerobatic pilots] who went before me—Charlie Hillard, Tom Poberezny, Gene Soucy, the French Connection,” he said. “You’re flying in front of a group of educated, amazing people who love aviation just like we do, and you’re on the same stage that the greats have been.” 

In his own small way, Goulian wants to contribute to the legacy and history of EAA and AirVenture. 

Goulian was raised in the aviation world his entire life, originally working in the flight school business with his parents. After making his own name in the competitive and airshow scenes, he returned to his roots and started Mike Goulian Aviation at two locations in Massachusetts (Bedford and Plymouth), with his wife. Now, in addition to the airshow circuit, Goulian runs two Cirrus Training Centers. 

“We’re training people in upset recovery and aerobatics, as well as grass airport and back country flying, so we’re trying to make complete pilots with a range of skills,” Goulian said. 

Thankfully, advances in training and technology have made it much safer for student pilots to learn their limits.

“I remember at flight school in the ’80s, you have a gyro with a vacuum pump and you’re worried about the clouds, but not as much today,” Goulian said. 

With the technology moving as fast as it has, the complex airspace learning environment has become simpler for many pilots, aided by simulation training, solid state instruments, and more redundancies than ever.

“All I really hope is that the tech will continue to make it easier and more fun so more people can get into flying,” Goulian said. 

BROUGHT TO YOU BY Whelen Aerospace Technologies

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However, you’ll be able to go into a wider range of airstrips—those with both paved and unimproved surfaces—if you take just a few steps towards “kitting your airplane out” as a true backcountry companion. Here are a few key areas that we’ve identified that are ripe for upgrades—along with a great option in each category.

Tundra Tires

Big, fluffy, puffy tires—the ones that off-piste pilots dream about—come up as the No. 1 mod you want if you plan to fly in the backcountry. From unimproved grass and dirt to gravel roads, the extra give they provide makes for softer—and safer—landings. They replace the main-gear tires upon their installation on most tailwheel aircraft.

Alaskan Bushwheels, made by Airframes Alaska, come in a range of sizes starting at 26-inch models (priced at $1,474 per tire), and run up to the 35-inch Beaver Bushwheels, fit for a de Havilland Beaver (as you might guess), but also Pilatus aircraft with a gross weight of up to 5,600 pounds (priced at $2,443 each). Want one for your tailwheel as well? The Baby Bushwheel starts at 11 inches in diameter and comes with various assemblies for a proper fit.

Climb Props

Taking a big bite out of the air makes all the difference in the world when you’re trying to claw above a line of trees encircling your choice of landing spot. While you can adjust a regular fixed-pitch propeller to optimize climb in a lot of cases, having a specific prop tuned to improve performance takes you even further in reducing takeoff distances and climb rate, and reducing the impact of ground erosion. One drawback? Setting for climb pitch may reduce your cruise speed.

Hartzell has a catalog of Top Prop conversions to suit a wide range of piston- and turboprop-powered airplanes, from Beechcraft, Cessna, Piper, Mooney, Pilatus, and Daher. The company also has programs for American Champion, Aviat, Cirrus, Commander, Diamond, Extra, Fairchild, and Maule, as well as several experimental aircraft models. Pricing ranges widely by model.

Truly Slow Flight

Getting the stall speed down on your stock airplane results in a number of advantages for any pilot—not just those flying into shorter strips. But that low stall speed translates into a wider safety margin in normal operations, and a slower touchdown speed overall. When you land slowly, you stop in a shorter distance. Vortex generators (VGs) help slow that speed by controlling airflow over that portion of the wing and its control surfaces, or horizontal or vertical stabilizer, energizing the boundary layer so the airflow doesn’t separate.

Micro AeroDynamics produces VGs for a long list of aircraft models from more than 21 different manufacturers. They come in a kit for you to install along with your aircraft technician, with templates included for easy application to the wing surface. Kits start at $695 for many singles.

• READ MORE: The Draw of STOL Drag

Drooping and Cuffing Your Cessna

Another great STOL mod fits outboard on your wingtips. With a signature droop instead of an arcing winglet, these wingtip mods also lower stall speed and thus reduce the landing distance you need. In addition to popular mods from Robertson and Horton, Stene Aviation also produces the Sportsman STOL Cuffs, originally designed by Lockheed’s Skunkworks. The leading-edge cuffs work by increasing the wing’s efficiency along with its resistance to stalls and spins. The Sportsman STOL kit re-engineers the airfoil to achieve this upgrade. Prices for your specific airplane can be obtained from the manufacturers.

Airbags for Airplanes

They may not be glamorous, but one look at an airplane perched up on its nose after a ground loop will cause you to appreciate installing the latest in safety belt upgrades—the seatbelt airbag for airplanes. Now standard or optional equipment in a preponderance of new aircraft, airbag seatbelts are available for aftermarket installation as well.

AmSafe has produced airbag seatbelts since 1997—they pioneered the concept that first flew in 2001. While they produce model-specific airbag seatbelts for more than 150 types, they have also designed a “universal” kit that will fit nearly any seat in any general aviation airplane, according to the company. Prices vary by model or for the universal kit.

See and Be Seen

There’s no ATC in the backcountry, so you’re on your own as far as separating yourself from other traffic. And while you seek remote strips in order to break away from it all, your choice may prove popular on a good-weather weekend. It only takes one other airplane to make a midair collision. Having good exterior illumination costs relatively little—and just a single LED installation can last you a lifetime of flying. LEDs—or light emitting diodes—are so much more efficient than regular bulbs that they’re now used across the board in automobiles—so their application in aircraft makes perfect sense.

Whelen Aerospace Technologies has created LED assemblies to light up your entire aircraft, including wingtip nav or position lights, anti-collision lights, landing lights, and tail beacons. In particular, their landing and taxi lights can be used as recognition lights—and they draw much less power (by amperage) than traditional incandescent lights. Pricing ranges by installation.

This article was first published in the 2022 Southeast Adventure Guide edition of FLYING Magazine.

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