Jim Peitz doesn\u2019t remember the exact moment he decided to become a pilot. Growing up in a family of aviators, taking to the skies came naturally \u2014\u00a0and he hasn\u2019t looked back since.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was a pilot. My older brother was a pilot. So, it was just kind of a given that I was going to learn to fly,\u201d said Jim, a native South Dakotan from the capital city of Pierre.<\/p>\n
After his father taught him to fly in the 1970s, Jim was bitten by the aerobatics bug and began aerobatic training in 1992 in a Christian Eagle.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’d flown aerobatics before, but never really owned a true aerobatic airplane,\u201d said Jim. “With the Christian Eagle came the opportunity to really perfect my craft and get into the air show and aerobatics side of aviation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jim flew aerobatics in the Christian Eagle for about eight years, followed by a 14-year run in an Extra 300L. Today, the primary airplane Jim performs in \u2014\u00a0a certified aerobatic Beechcraft Bonanza (F33C) \u2014 consistently takes air show fans by surprise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Bonanza is best known as a four or six-place family airplane, so folks don\u2019t expect you to jump into a full aerobatic routine in one,\u201d explained Jim. \u201cAt some of the larger air shows where you\u2019re marshaled to and from the air show site, I\u2019ve even had people try to peel me off thinking I\u2019m just someone who fell into the wrong line.\u201d<\/p>\n
Once in the air, Jim\u2019s specialized Bonanza is capable of a wide range of aerobatic maneuvers, including loops, point rolls, barrel rolls, snap rolls, Cuban eights, and hammerheads. As one of the few aerobatic Bonanzas ever built, Jim\u2019s airplane is true show-quality and equipped with a head-turning smoke system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat surprise factor is really fun,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I\u2019m coming around the corner close to 200 knots and go vertical in a Bonanza, everyone kind of flips out because they don\u2019t think that\u2019s supposed to happen. So from there on, you\u2019ve got their attention through the rest of the routine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\t