AirshowStuff Forums

What most airshow attendees may not know at first glance seeing Dan Buchanan in the air, is he's paralyzed from the waist down. He was injured in an accident in 1981, but didn't let that stop him. He performed his first airshow in 1989 in Medford, OR and since then has performed for millions of people at 20-25 shows annually.

Dan Buchanan was an inspiration to many.

This cool shot was taken at the NAS Oceana airshow. Following their performance, Bill Stein gave Dan a lift, by pulling him in his wheelchair as Bill taxied his plane.
If you have any pictures or stories, share them below.

It was always great to see the crowd reaction as they pulled the wheelchair out after he landed

Dan was an amazingly talented, dedicated and hardworking individual. I am blessed to have had so many opportunities to witness Dan perform his acts at Abbotsford and other shows.

To be able to do what he did for many years after suffering the type of injury he did alone shows his courage and dedication and speaks volumes about his character. He always seemed to be in good spirits with a smile on his face, and his night shows with pyro had all eyes glued to the sky.

Dan, you will be greatly missed by all not only as a talented airshow performer, but also as a strong minded and great spirited individual.

May you continue to soar into the blue skies above.

- Hawk

I had to look back at my archive, the last time I saw Dan was at Oceana 2015. He and Gary Ward did a thing where Gary cut the ribbons off Dan’s glider. I don't have any pictures of the performance worth uploading, but it was pretty gut wrenching to watch in person.

One quote I think is really empowering and representative of his spirit, when people asked him why he flew, he would answer: “I have to; I can’t walk.”

Rest In Peace, buddy!