He Pretends to Be Drunk, “Steals” a Plane… Then Flies Like a Genius

Kyle Franklin’s famous comedy airshow act is one of the wildest performances in aviation. This BeSnappy interview goes behind the scenes with the legendary airshow performer who pretends to be a drunk man stealing an aircraft — then flies it like it is completely out of control. Kyle flies a 1956 Piper PA-18A Super Cub in his crowd-stopping “drunk pilot” comedy routine, dragging the wingtips, bouncing down the runway, stalling close to the ground, and performing incredible stick-and-rudder flying that looks chaotic but is actually highly controlled. As Kyle explains, “everything they teach you not to do when you’re learning to fly is what I go and do.” In this interview, Kyle Franklin talks about learning to fly in this very same Piper Super Cub at just 8 years old, soloing in it, and starting his airshow career with the comedy act at age 20. He also explains how the aircraft survives the routine, including duct tape, steel skid plates, flour bags for wingtip smoke effects, and years of advanced tailwheel flying experience. We also talk about his legendary father Jimmy Franklin, the Franklin airshow family history, aerobatics in a Super Cub, tailwheel flying, advanced stick-and-rudder skills, and what it takes to perform one of the hardest comedy flying acts in the airshow world. This is professional airshow flying performed by a highly trained pilot. Do not attempt these manoeuvres. Check out Kyle Franklin and Franklin’s Flying Circus: franklinairshow.com Filmed at Sun ’n Fun Airshow. Kyle also performs at Oshkosh Airshow and many more throughout the year. Thanks for watching BeSnappy — aviation interviews, airshow pilots, aerobatic flying, warbirds, aircraft, and behind-the-scenes aviation stories from around the world.