Rick Volker at the Waterloo Aviation Expo
Rick and his Sukhoi SU-26M
It was great to spend a few minutes with Rick Volker at the Waterloo Aviation Expo and Air Show. Before Rick’s amazing aerobatic performance, he gave me a quick introduction to his Russian built Sukhoi SU-26M.
Sukhoi SU-26M
The Sukhoi SU-26M was designed and built in Moscow by the Sukhoi Design Bureau. Founded by Pavel Sukhoi in 1939, the Sukhoi Design Bureau is a major Russian Aircraft Manufacturer famous for its fighters. In fact, Sukhoi is the principal supplier of fighters, bombers and attack aircraft to the Russian military.
The Sukhoi SU-26M has a titanium airframe, and it’s powered by a huge 360-400 HP nine cylinder radial engine. This incredible combination of excess power with a strong, but light airframe results in an aircraft capable of hovering in place! Watch the Video of Rick’s aerobatic performance – it’s towards the end of this article. You will see Rick make his Sukhoi SU-26M actually hover in place!
How Fast?
The Sukhoi SU-26M can easily attain speeds in excess of 300 mph in a dive and maintain 210 mph in level flight.
G Forces
Rick’s Sukhoi SU-26M can handle G-Forces in the range of Plus 12 G’s to Minus 10 G’s. It’s capable of handling more G-Forces than an F-16 fighter jet. G-Forces, or ‘Gravitational Forces’ can be very destructive on aircraft, and also pilots. A standard 1g force applies to all objects at rest on the earth. This is known as ‘Standard Gravity’. At 12g’s (positive), the forces and ‘weight’ of an object becomes 12 times its actual weight. For the average human, with a weight of 170 lbs, that would be like weighing over 2,000 lbs. In other words, at plus 12 g’s, you would effectively weigh over one ton!
Pilot vs. Plane
With the Sukhoi SU-26M, the pilot becomes the limiting factor. The Pilot will break, before the Aircraft breaks. This makes the Sukhoi the single most sought-after competition aircraft in the world.
Rick Volker – High Performance
Rick Volker is an International Aerobatic Club pilot. He’s rated in the unlimited category with a surface waiver. This gives him special permissions and extended privileges when performing at air shows. This special rating allows Rick to perform unlimited aerobatic manoeuvres, and he can also fly close to the surface with death defying stunts.
Many air show demonstrators are required to fly at certain altitudes, above the surface, for extra safety. However, Rick has earned a surface waiver allowing him to perform his acrobatic routine very close to the surface, and close to the crowd.
Athletic Performance
When you meet Rick, you can’t help but notice his excellent physical condition. Extreme physical conditioning is required to fly the types of routines in Rick’s performance. His acrobatic manoeuvres test the limits of human endurance. With Rick’s stunt flying, his body is subjected to alternating G-Forces ranging from plus 11 G’s to minus 9 G’s, and often these punishing G-force extremes are in the same manoeuvre. Acrobatic Pilots in the Unlimited Category must continuously train for this type of extreme flying.
Competition
Rick Volker has won many regional competition events including the Can-Am, Henry Haigh and Kathy Jaffe Challenges. In addition to Rick’s flying competitions, he was a former competitor in athletic events such as swimming, speed skating, bicycle racing, cross-country skiing and also body building.
Aircraft
Rick’s performance in his Sukhoi SU-26M is truly amazing. However, Rick has also competed in aerobatic competitions for many years in various different high performance aircraft.
Rick’s Piloting Demonstrations have included such aircraft as the Pitts Biplanes (Two Wings) and Sukhoi acrobatic Monoplanes (Single Wing). In addition, Rick Volker also flies the Extra 300L, and the truly spectacular and well known W.W. II Supermarine Spitfire MK IX.
CF-18 Formation Flight
Rick Volker was asked by the Canadian Forces to join their exclusive Heritage Flight team. Rick was honoured to fly in close formation with a CF-18 Jet Fighter. Rick also instructs other pilots, as he teaches advanced aerobatics and warbird emergency training. Rick is both a warbird and High Performance aerobatic ACE (Aerobatic Competency Evaluator).
Rick Volker Aerobatics Performance
Watch the Video of Rick Volker’s Acrobatic Performance in his Sukhoi SU-26M
Video: Rick Volker – Waterloo Aviation Expo
This video of Rick’s performance gives you a personal look at the performer. He talks about his high performance aircraft, and his high performance routine. Then you see Rick climb in the cockpit, and dazzle the crowds at the Waterloo Aviation Expo and Air Show. This was Father’s Day weekend, and the video you are watching was from Rick’s performance on Saturday June 19, 2010.
High Speed Fly-By
Rick Volker performs an incredible High Speed Fly-By down Runway 26 at the Waterloo International Airport. The air show crowd is thrilled when they see Rick Volker in his Russian built Sukhoi SU-26M.
This High Speed Fly-By gives the crowd a demonstration of the speed and power of Rick’s high-performance, ultimate aircraft. Rick immediately then pulls straight up to climb high above the crowd. At the top of his vertical climb, Rick allows the airplane to ‘hang’ on its propeller, and virtually hover!
Air Show Performances
Rick’s Air Show Demonstrations include performances in both state-of-the-art and legendary vintage aircraft. When Rick performs in his Sukhoi SU-26M, you will see precision aerobatics filled with dizzying gyroscopic tumbling and gravity defying hovering.
Rick’s performance includes the most extreme tumbling manoeuvres including:
- Knife-edge spins
- Flat spins
- Mulleroids
- Cravats
- Hovering
- Cartwheels
- Lomcevaks (forward and backward)
- Rolling loop and giant cartwheel
Rick and his flying capabilities have also been featured on TV including Discovery’s Science Channel, AviatorTV and OLN.
Rick’s Day Job?
What’s Rick’s day job? When he isn’t practicing his aerobatic flying, he’s practicing dentistry! Rick (Dr. Richard Volker) is a Dentist in Niagara Falls, NY.
Rick’s upcoming Air Show Performance dates are available at: www.RVAirShows.com
Rick Volker and his Sukhoi SU-26M. Truly Amazing.
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