Photos Courtesy of:
Scott Slocum and Steve Schulte

“Airshows and airshow performers need to evolve!” If you ask Jim LeRoy what the airshow industry needs to do to advance itself, this is what he will tell you. In 2002, Jim LeRoy co-founded what many people in the business refer to as the biggest thing that’s happened in the airshow business in a long, long time – the X-Team. From 2002-2005 the X-Team rocked the house with the “over the top” presentations of “Critical Mass” and the “Masters of Disaster”. In 2006, they continued, performing the extremely well received “TINSTIX of DYNAMITE”. In 2007, they are pushing onward with TINSTIX, as well as a new version of the MASTERS OF DISASTER show called “CODENAME:MARYSLAMB”. Interesting names and top-name performers are trademarks of the X-Team. “Taking a few solo performers and having them do their solo performances at any given airshow equates to a mere airshow lineup, but take those same solo performers, allow them to interact with each other on the stage at the same time, add a storyline, soundtrack, and special effects, and now you have a theatrical production, and in the airshow business that means evolution. There is nothing else in the business today that compares to an X-Team performance, just ask the audience.”

A quick visit to the X-Team website (www.xteamairshows.com) illustrates what Jim is talking about. The storyline is a futuristic, science fiction tale, based on actual current events. The world is a different place and the common man is oppressed by robotic machinery controlled by a vast network of artificial intelligence. There are Freedom Fighters using antiquated flying machines to defeat the more powerful enemy. These Freedom Fighters are led by a mysterious and powerful woman – referred to only as Mary. TINSTIX and CODENAME: MARYSLAMB are names that represent the military operations carried out by the Freedom Fighters in this fictional dark world. The airshow performances are portrayals of these same operations pulled right out of the storyline, and brought to life in front of live audiences every weekend. The impact is WOW and the result is evolutionary – well done X-Team.

CODENAME:MARYSLAMB consists of two aircraft, one or two jet trucks, and a full display of synchronized ground pyrotechnics, all performed to a theatrical soundtrack. X-Team Members that participate in this show are the legendary Jim LeRoy, the always amazing Skip Stewart, the awesome Shockwave jet trucks – Shockwave and Super Shockwave driven by and incredible father-son team, Kent and Les Shockley, and World Record Holder Rich Gibson, who provides the unbelievable pyrotechnics. The flying is wild, dynamic, and unpredictable with planes flying through fire and closure speeds in excess of 500 mph. The mix of aerial and ground based elements coupled with an incredible storyline and soundtrack make for a complete Hollywood style production. For CML shows performed outside of North America in 2007, Jurgis Kairys performs instead of Skip Stewart.

TINSTIX of DYNAMITE is built around an intricate ground pyrotechnical display and is performed to a hard rocking theatrical soundtrack. The X-Team pilots that participate in TINSTIX are the legendary Jim LeRoy, World Champion Jurgis Kairys and the always amazing Skip Stewart. World Record holding X-Team member Rich Gibson provides the pyrotechnics. TINSTIX consists of dynamic aerobatic maneuvers with plenty of near misses, explosions, smoke and fire. The grand finale is an opposing inverted ribbon cut, with strafing charges chasing each plane and a 1000 foot "wall of fire" explosion at the moment the ribbons are hit. Both planes then maneuver into position and hover just above the black, dark cloud that forms from the explosion.

Visit the X-Team website

Considered by many as the premier solo act in the business today, Jim LeRoy has pushed aerobatic flying to a new and unsurpassed level.

Jurgis Kairys

He has completed every beaurocratic maneuver in securing permits and amazed an audience estimated at 150,000!

Skip Stewart

“Hard-hitting, brake dancing rock and roll blow out show!”