Art Scholl (24 December 1931 - 16 September 1985) was a renowned American aerobatic pilot, aerial cameraman, flight instructor and educator based in Southern California. He died during filming of Top Gun when his Pitts S-2 camera plane never recovered from an inverted flat spin and plunged into the Pacific Ocean. Scholl's last words were "I have a problem -- I have a real problem." The exact cause of the fatal crash remains unknown, as neither the plane, nor Scholl's body, were ever recovered. December 24 is the 358th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (359th in leap years). ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Top Gun is a 1986 American film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer in association with Paramount Pictures. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Scholl performed across the United States and internationally from late 1950s to the mid-1980s. He flew a pair of modified de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk aircraft, renamed "Super Chipmunks" (FAA registration numbers N13A and N13Y),¹ before an estimated audience of 80 million people over 20 years and appeared in more than 200 motion picture features, documentaries and television commercials. The aircraft were recognizable for their red, white and blue livery and Pennzoil corporate sponsorship. This does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. ... The de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk is a tandem, two-seat, single-engined primary trainer aircraft which was the standard primary trainer for the Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Air Force and several other air forces through much of the post-Second World War years. ... “FAA” redirects here. ...

Scholl held FAA certificates as an instructor and airline transport-rated pilot in land planes, seaplanes, gliders, multi-engine planes and both piston and turbine-powered helicopters. He was also a certificated airframe and power plant mechanic. In 1976 Scholl earned a Ph.D. in Aviation Management. He taught aeronautics at San Bernardino Valley College for 18 years, eventually becoming head of the department. “FAA” redirects here. ...

Scholl founded an aerobatics school and maintenance facility at Flabob Airport in Riverside, California. He converted it to a full service fixed base operation (FBO) when he moved it to Rialto Airport, then known as Miro Field, in Rialto, California in the late 1970s. He produced several highly successful air shows at Miro Field, attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators. Miro Field has since been renamed Art Scholl Memorial Field in his honor. Scholl's company, Art Scholl Aviation, continues to operate there and offers flight instruction, fuel, aircraft maintenance services, and aircraft mock-ups. Nickname: Location in the state of California Coordinates: Country United States State California County Riverside Government  - Mayor Ron Loveridge Area  - City  78. ... City of Rialto Logo Rialto is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, In the Western world, the focus shifted from the social activism of the sixties to social activities for ones own pleasure, save for environmentalism, which continued in a very visible way. ...

Scholl's signature aircraft were his two Super Chipmunks; he bought his first in 1963, and his second one in 1968. His skill as a licensed aircraft mechanic helped Scholl in modifying the aircraft extensively; clipping its wings, adding retractable landing gear, converting them to single-seat, adding an autopilot and a much bigger engine. At the height of his popularity as an air show performer in the 1970s Scholl flew two Super Chipmunks, basing one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast. His Super Chipmunk was licensed to various model manufacturers for both flying and static models; collectors now actively seek the Cox control line model. Though less widely recognized, Scholl also owned and flew a Pitts S-2A in the same red, white, and blue livery. Another Art Scholl signature was his dog, "Aileron", who occasionally flew in the Super Chipmunk's cockpit with Scholl in his air show performances. Aileron was hugely popular with the crowds.

A close friend of Scholl's was Bob Hoover, the World War II fighter pilot, former test pilot, and fellow aerobatic pilot. Hoover was often at Scholl's Rialto facility, where he also maintained a hangar for his aircraft. In March 2003 Bob Hoover was named the third-greatest aviator in history in the Centennial Edition of Air & Space Smithsonian. R. A. Bob Hoover (born c. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Scholl's aerial camera work appeared in many commercials, television shows and films, including The Right Stuff, The Great Waldo Pepper, Blue Thunder, The A-Team, CHiPS and Top Gun, his final work in a motion picture. Top Gun is dedicated to the memory of Art Scholl. The Right Stuff is a 1979 book (ISBN 0374250332) by Tom Wolfe, and a 1983 film adapted from the book. ... For other uses, see Blue Thunder (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Top Gun is a 1986 American film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer in association with Paramount Pictures. ...

Scholl was a member of the five-person team representing the United States in international competition from 1963 through 1972. In 1974, he won the U.S. National Aerobatic Championship in a Pitts S-2A. Art Scholl's exacting, exciting and always entertaining performances were a reflection of the best in the air show industry. He was a dedicated professional who practiced tirelessly to get the most from himself and his airplane. His unique blend of piloting skills and showmanship always left audiences wanting more. Scholl set a performance standard, by which air show performers are still being measured.

Notes

Note 1: Art Scholl's Super Chipmunk N13A was sold in April 1972 to J. Reid Garrison, FBO operator at the Oconee Airport in Clemson, South Carolina, and moved to the Anderson Municipal Airport in Anderson, South Carolina, when Garrison relocated his business there in the 1980s. Super Chipmunk N13Y went to the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., in 1987. Clemson is a city located in South Carolina, a state of the United States of America. ... Anderson is a city located in Anderson County, South Carolina. ...

Art Scholl Mem. Field is currently scheduled for closing by the City of Rialto, to make way for real estate development. (Jan. 06)

External links

• The Art Scholl Aviation website
• de Havilland Chipmunk details at warbirdalley.com
• Article on inverted spins and spin recovery
• NASM article on de Havilland-Canada DHC-1A Chipmunk