As a child growing up in Duluth, Minnesota, John Klatt dreamed of learning to fly. And thanks to the Air National Guard, he's now living the dream as one of the top aerobatic pilots in the country, for the ANG's "Guarding America, Defending Freedom" aerobatic team.

As the youngest of seven children, John did his early flying by chasing around the house trying to part of whatever his older brothers and sisters were up to. He quickly learned that; toy airplanes do not flush well, bee catching is risky business, and dogs pretty much eat anything. However, his favorite pastime was listening to his aircraft mechanic Father's aviation stories and dreaming about the day when he would be able to fly.

John got his first "hands on" experience in aviation by washing airplanes to earn money for flying lessons. He spent his summers pumping gas to pay for flying lessons, earned his private pilot ratings and graduated from the University of Minnesota.

He has flown a wide variety of aircraft. His commission in the ANG gave him the opportunity to fly C-130 military transports delivering crucial supplies during Operation Desert Storm. John later transitioned from the C-130 into the F-16 "Fighting Falcon" and has completed three combat tours flying F-16's in Iraq. John has logged more than 2,000 hours at the controls of the F-16, and is assigned to the 148th Fighter Wing in Duluth, MN.

Along with his military career, John began actively training for the long and difficult journey toward becoming a professional aerobatic performer. He was drawn to the world of aerobatics because of the high-degree of concentration and mental toughness it requires. He is a top performer in unlimited class aerobatics, and is recognized as one of the top ten unlimited class aerobatic pilots in the United States.

The Aircraft

John flies the world famous Staudacher S-300D, which was handcrafted by John Staudacher in the Bay City, Michigan area. Weighing in at only 1,250 pounds and topping out at 250 MPH, the Staudacher is a world-class aerobatic aircraft, purpose built for high-performance, unlimited aerobatics.

It's one wild ride, capable of pulling more than +/- 20 G's, which is twice the load of the F-16 "Fighting Falcon" that John flies in his "day Job" as Lieutenant Colonel John Klatt with the 148th fighter wing of the Duluth Air National Guard. During his 15 minute routine, John knifes the Staudacher through an amazing series of heart stopping, pulse pounding, high-energy maneuvers that seem to defy gravity.