Randy W. Ball / MiG Pilot is a sixth generation Texan who spent his early years in rural Texas, the same as most of his ancestors, graduating from high school with a class of only 29.All of Randy’s time, however, wasn’t spent on the ‘ranch’. His father took him flying and he spent countless hours with one of his heroes, his Great Uncle Gilbert Ball, who flew 56 missions over Europe flying the B-17 Flying Fortress. Randy would ask questions and listen to his uncle’s stories by the hour. Even before college, Randy knew he wanted to fly. By the time he was 13 years old, he had already taken off and landed a plane with his father and soloed at the age of 18.To date, Randy has appeared on TV and Film, in dozens of magazines, and flown in front of millions of air show fans.Today Randy is recognized as one of the premier air show pilots flying jet aerobatics.

• Over 25 years as a pilot, today an airline captain
• Over 20 years of air show experience
• Over 800 hours in Russian Jet Fighters
• Over 12,000 hours total flying time
• Flown over 40 different types of aircraft manufactured in 9 different countries
• Level I (unlimited) Jet Aerobatic Day
• Level I (unlimited) Jet Aerobatic Night — (ONE OF ONLY TWO IN NORTH AMERICA)
• Current ICAS Safety Board member
• Only MiG-17 and pilot to fly as a “threat/aggressor” aircraft with the USAF F-4
  Phantom while flying in Air Shows and on Film

Randy flies solo aerobatics, both day and night shows as well as occasionally flying as the enemy aircraft with the USAF F-4. His solo demo is designed to resemble the tactical demo of the F-16 Falcon, the first fighter that could out-turn the Vietnam era MiG-17. During his demo in the MiG-17F, he routinely pulls 8gs, and reaches speeds approaching 700 mph, all while only a few hundred feet off the ground.

He likes to spend time with Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and the Boy Scouts, and when asked what is his favorite maneuver, he says “the vertical A/B roll”.When asked what his favorite air show is, he says “It’s the one where I can have access to the fans, especially the kids. It is the kids who make all the work worth it.They are the next generation, and the one hope I have is to inspire them in a positive way…to fly.”

RANDY BALL CURRENTLY PERFORMS JET AEROBATICS IN MORE AIR SHOWS IN NORTH AMERICA THAN ANY OTHER CIVILIAN JET PILOT 2010 MARKS RANDY’S 20TH YEAR AS A FEATURED AIR SHOW PERFORMER

Vietnam Heritage

Randy Ball with his youngest airshow fan Harrison Hayes.