Skyfest 2017 is proud and pleased to welcome return performer Dan Buchanan.
Dan was a New York and Connecticut home builder and flat-track motorcycle racer. He then moved to Lake Tahoe, CA where he enjoyed the thrill of flying off mountain tops.
He had a spinal injury landing a hang glider in harsh weather, losing his ability to walk.
He then returned to college to pursue a career in mechanical engineering, landing him in Silicon Valley, CA.
Despite this new handicap, Dan returned to the thrill of flying within six months, and since then his tenacity and adventurous spirit has allowed him to accrue more than 3,000 hours of flight time in Hang Gliders and Sailplanes.
After his first air show performance at Medford, OR in 1989, his appearances increased each year, and now he shares his thrill of flight with millions of people around the world during his annual 25+ city
Airshow tour, driving 45,000+ miles each summer.
Dan is also a Federally (BATF) and State licensed pyrotechnician trained by Hollywood effects pros. He installs, wires and sequences all of the special effects on the fabric wing himself.
He is also a Commercial Glider pilot, enjoying sailplane aerobatics and giving glider rides to friends at Minden, Nevada when not on the Airshow tour. Dan owes Sailplaning to “Sky Sailing” in Warner Springs, CA, whose school has one of the few “hand control” equipped sailplanes in the US.