John Black credits his love of flying to his father and growing up in the “Birth Place of Aviation”.  His first airplane ride was in 1974 during the very first Dayton Air Show.

John learned to fly in Citabrias in 1984 when he was 17 at a little airport called Moraine Airpark just south of Dayton.  He took his first aerobatic lesson in a Super Decathlon before he had his private license.

John attended college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach where he received a Bachelor of Science in Aircraft Engineering Technology and completed the USAF ROTC program.  John was commissioned in the Active Duty Air Force in August 1989.  He completed pilot training in April 1991 after a year of flying T-37s & T-38s and was selected to fly the F-15C.

Taking a turn back to his roots, John bought a Super Decathlon which he calls “Blue” back in 2002.  He began flying Air Shows in the Decathlon in 2004 and the past several seasons have seen him flying Shows from Florida to his home state of Ohio.

John holds an ATP and Flight Instructor Certificates.  He has flown over 50 types of aircraft, flying more than 5800 hours and 5100 sorties.  John currently flies the TF-51 and L-39 for Stallion 51.

John is now retired from military service.  During his twenty one years in the Active Duty Air Force and Florida Air National Guard all of his assignments were flying F-15A & Cs.  His assignment locations included Kadena AB, Okinawa, Japan; Tyndall AFB, FL; and Jacksonville IAP, FL.  He amassed 3600 hours of Eagle time, was an F-15 Mission Commander, Instructor, & Evaluator and earned the rank of Lt Colonel.