Consider enlisting another set of eyeballs to help manage your air and ground operations at this year’s air show.
The air boss concept has been embraced by most North American shows. A 2008 ICAS survey confirmed that 99 percent of ICAS member events currently use an air boss. But, depending on the complexity of your show, the number of performers, their experience level, the types of aircraft they are flying, the location of your announcer stand, the complexity of your airspace and a dozen other considerations, a single air boss may not be able to keep up.
Several shows around the country have started using an assistant air boss or “mini-boss” to help control landing and taxi activity during the show. The air boss is typically focused on coordinating and orchestrating the flying portion of your air show. If the circumstances of your show are such that this limits his/her ability to monitor take-offs, landings and taxiing operations, you might want to consider using a dedicated mini-boss to watch over this aspect of your operations.
