NBD: Just an insane jet engine strapped to a

Acrobatics pilot Jeff Boerboon is gracefully pivoting in front of me as he raises his hands over his head. Then he arches his body sideways and turns both hands, palms out to the left, like Superman executing an in-air maneuver. Boerboon is, in fact, performing an intricate dance, one that could be replicated hundreds of feet in the air as he pilots the one-of-a-kind Screamin’ Sasquatch Waco biplane, a classic–looking airplane with the unique distinction of having a Learjet engine strapped to its belly.
Jeff and the Jack Link's flying team (yes, that Jack Link's of the always ready-to-eat beef jerky) are preparing for the big Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach State Park on May 23 and 24, one where dozens of airplanes will perform death-defying stunts before an anticipated 400,000 spectators. Right now, though Boerboon, 47, is explaining how he and other stunt pilots perform some of their tricks.

“It may look all haphazard up there,” said Bourbon, “but it’s not.” Highly trained pilots (he has over a dozen years of professional acrobatic flying experience) like Boerboon actually map out every move on the ground. They imagine where the audience line will be and then walk and dance through the various moves, taking note of their proximity to each other and figuring out exactly how and when they’ll perform certain rolls and spins, especially when they’re breaking in and out of formation.
Boerboon’s plane, by the way, is well-equipped for stunts and keeping up with the seemingly more powerful and modern planes it flies alongside.
A replica of a 1929 Taperwing biplane, the Jack Link’s Screamin’ Sasquatch was built from the ground up by pilot and mechanic Dell Coller for stunt flying. Coller told me that the project started 20 years ago, but it wasn’t really finished until recently when Coller, 33, joined and started leading the project. Coller is often called the “mastermind of the plane,” and he knows the Screamin’ Sasquatch inside and out.
It’s built of metal, wood and fabric like traditional biplanes, but is larger and with an unusual blend of early and late-20th century technology. There are separate throttles for the two engines, but one digital readout in the rather cramped cockpit that keeps track of both the prop and the jet. Coller is able to download all the data after every flight to analyze the biplane’s performance

Pitch perfect

This year will mark the plane’s second appearance at the Bethpage Air Show. After the first one, Coller took the plane back to Idaho, dismantled it and worked to make it better. Boerboon noted that even now his colleagues are monitoring its performance and looking for ways to tweak and improve it.

Screamin Sasquatch flying over Jones Beach.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

Coller is, like Boerboon, a pilot, but has yet to fly the plane he built. Still, he clearly loves it and enjoyed relating how when they first fired up the Sasquatch's jet engine while the plane was on the tarmac, it burned a hole right in the pavement. “We’ve since learned to start it up only on concrete,” said Coller. They can also take off with just the prop engine and turn on the jet while in flight.
That engine, by the way, doesn’t just look cool, it literally supercharges the biplane. Boerboon told me that without the jet engine, the plane’s propeller has about 1,500 lbs. of thrust. With the jet engine, it has 4,000 lbs. On prop power, the plane can fly roughly 110 miles per hour. With the jet on, it’s screaming by at 250 mph.

Sheltair hanger — This is Sheltair Airline's hanger at the Republic Airport in Farmingdale. it's where the Screamin' Sasquatch and a number of of aircraft were stored.

Boerboon compared the feeling of taking off with the jet engine on to being The Rocketeer. The G-forces, about 3-to-4, aren’t that great, but they are consistent throughout the ride.
That extra equipment gives the Screamin’ Sasquatch special capabilities. For example, it can fly up and then use the jet engine to almost hover in the air (with the nose pointed up) and then, jet off even higher. Coller told me. It’s a feat “the rest of them wish they could do,” he said.

Test flight

Airplanes in Formation — Jack Link's Xtra 300L (foreground) and the Screamin Sasquatch fly in formation over Jones Beach.

The Screamin’ Sasquatch jet-powered biplane’s cockpit is a single seater. Sitting inside the cockpit, it becomes clear that you do not fly it looking straight ahead. The seat is basically at the bottom of the plane and most of your forward view is filled with the instrumentation. Boerboon told me that when you’re flying, you don’t worry about looking straight ahead; instead you look all around. The tiny cockpit does leaves ample room for your legs — only a pair of pedals and the joystick share the space. It’s super clean inside, but not particularly comfortable.
For our test flight Boerboon would pilot the Sasquatch, our Mashable Senior Video Producer Sierra Jiminez would fly in the passenger seat of one of Jack Links’ other stunt planes, a single prop Xtra 300L. I would fly in a third dual prop and take pictures. My plane was basically designed for photography, offering, thanks to a lack of a door, unobstructed views of whatever is going on outside the plane.

Jasck Link's Xtra 300L (foreground), and Oracle-sponsored Xtra and the Sasquatch (middle) perform a complex, mid-air maneuver.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

The planes took off one at a time from the Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York, where we started out day. The tiny Long Island airport is the staging ground for all of the planes appearing at the Bethpage Airshow. Throughout the day, large and vintage planes flew in to the airport, including a super-rare B-29.

A rare B-29, and the only one that's still flying, lands at Republic Airport on Long Island.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

We flew out over Jones Beach and within minutes the Screamin' Sasquatch and the Xtra 300L were flying alongside of us. Soon it became very clear why Boerboon’s ground-based choreography was so important. At various times, both planes flew close enough to our plane (and each other) that, had I jumped out my plane’s open door, I would have landed on the wing of another plane.

Plane over Jones Beach — Jack Link's Screamin' Sasquatch goes into a roll over Jones Beach.

Each plane performed a number of flips and twirls, but it wasn’t until Boerboon pulled sharply away that I saw and heard the power of the Learjet engine. As the biplane turned, the engine whined loudly and suddenly the Screamin’ Sasquatch was speeding away from us. It looked as if someone had just sped of the film. It was so fast and so agile. I was impressed with Coller’s handiwork.

Mashable Senior Video Producer Sierra Jiminez flies upside down in Jack Link's Xtra 300L stunt plane.

Image: Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

Back on the ground everyone, even Jiminez, whose plane flew upside down for a portion of the flight – were all smiles. It was an exhilarating experience.
The Screamin’ Sasquatch, X300L and a host of other planes will be flying over Jones Beach, New York, to celebrate Memorial Day Weekend. When it’s all done, Coller, Boerboon and the rest of the Jack Link's flying team will break down the biplane, pack it up and prepare it for the next air show.

Flight mechanic Dell Coller is the mastermind behind the Screamin' Sasquatch.

GOLDEN AGE GIST