Meet Our Board of Directors

Kevin Walsh
(President)

Born and raised in St. Thomas, Ontario, Kevin Walsh caught the air show "bug" at the age of 4 years old. His father was the legendary Canadian air show coordinator, Tom Walsh, of the famed London International Air Show, Canada’s largest military air show. For the 23 years Kevin worked alongside of his father "cutting his tooth" in the air show industry on this mega-successful air show. In 1997, Kevin moved from his home province of Ontario to the State of Michigan and began his career as a Certified Athletic Therapist at POH Regional Medical Center in Oxford, Michigan. Keeping close to his air show roots, Kevin joined the Yankee Air Museum as a volunteer and began work on the museum’s first Air Display in 1999. This modest Air Display served as the beginning for the world-renown THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN Air Show. Kevin is the current Event Director for the THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN Air Show. The THUNDER OVER MICHIGAN Air Show is held annually at the Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, MI. Future dates for the air show are August 4th & 5th,2012. See www.yankeeairmuseum.org/airshow for more details. Kevin also serves on the Board of Directors for the Yankee Air Museum (Yankee Air Force, Inc.) and has done so since 2004. He is an active Board member chairing the Governance Committee, managing the Hangar Fundraising Campaign and serving on the museum's Long Range Planning Committee. Kevin holds a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario, a post-graduate Diploma in Athletic Therapy from Sheridan College and is a Nationally-Certified Canadian Athletic Therapist. He currently works in the great state of Michigan as the Director of Sports Medicine for POH Regional Medical Center and Supervisor of Physical Therapy at the corporation’s Oxford Campus location.

Frank Schaufler
(Vice President)

Frank Schaufler, who has served on the NECAS Board of Directors for the last two years, is the recently elected Vice-President of NECAS. He is no stranger to that title having previously been Executive Officer (VP) of EAA Warbird Squadron Number 9 in St. Catherine's, Ontario, VP of EAA Chapter 1169 in Batavia, and F.L.Y.R.C. (Fairfield League of Radio Controllers) in his native Connecticut. Frank is probably best known since 2000 for his position as the 1941 Historical Aircraft Group's Airshow Co-ordinator for the Geneseo Airshow. He is also a highly recognized Aviation Artist whose airshow T-shirt designs, aircraft nose-art, flight jacket and poster artwork are seen throughout North America. Frank has also been involved with other airshows in the Northeast, primarily Ed Russell's "Friendly Foes Above the Falls" in Canada. He spent many years working with fellow NECAS BOD member, Dave Cooper, at the Rochester International Airshow on Ground Operations, and with BoD member Mark Ables as Liaison Officer between the USAF and Warbird Groups for the Niagara Falls Airshow. Frank, in his trademark orange hat and paddles has also worked as an aircraft Marshaller for EAA Chapter 27 in Connecticut, for EAA Chapter 1169, at the Nashua, NH "Aviation Heritage Festival" and the "National Stearman Fly-In" at Galesburg, IL (where he designs the annual NSFI posters), among others. Schaufler, an avid warbird and biplane enthusiast, is the organizer of Geneseo's Biplane Rally, "Olde Aerodrome Days" which has expanded to become a full week event. He is the former Art and Layout Editor of the 1941 HAG newsletter "Rootstock", and present Editor of the Northeast Stearman Association's newsletter "The Gosport". Besides NSA, Frank has also been a member of the Stearman Restorers Association, the American WACO Club, the International Fleet Club, the Tiger Moth Club, the Cross & Cockade Society of WW I Aero Historians, the Canadian Harvard Aircraft Association, and ICAS. As a member of NECAS, Frank has served on both the Membership and Conference Committees.

Carol Pilon
(Secretary)

Carol Pilon hails from Masham, Quebec, Canada and has been a professional wingwalker since 2000. At last count she has performed with no less than twelve different pilots, six of which she helped train to accredit on five different types of aircraft. She also mentored a wingwalking team in Austria, teaching lower wing work and actual walking. She is the first wingwalker and woman to outright own and operate a team in North America; the only woman in history to have walked on a jet propelled aircraft; and holds the title for first and second documented winter wingwalks. Carol’s experience includes solo, dual and formation wingwalking. Her stages have ranged the gamut from most powerful aircraft at 3000HP to the most underpowered on the circuit at 65HP. Carol also has night time, extreme cold and pyrothecnic wingwalks to her credit. Carol owns two aircraft, and is an FAA certified airframe technician. She received her solo proclamation in 1990 and received her first jump certificate in 1989 from the Canadian Sports Parachute Assoc. She is also a US DOT certified motor carrier. She looks forward to her time on the board of NECAS. You can learn more about Carol at www.thirdstrike.ca.

Rick Volker
(Treasurer)

Rick Volker is an International Aerobatic Club member, and has competed in the Unlimited category, winning several regional events including the Can-Am, the Henry Haigh Challenge, and the Kathy Jaffe Challenge. He has flown at this highest level of competition in Pitts biplanes and Sukhoi monoplanes. Rick has a surface waiver and flies his Sukhoi SU26M under the banner of Rick Volker Airshows in the Northeast U.S and Canada. He is a respected teacher of advanced aerobatics in a wide assortment of high performance aircraft. Rick is a general dentist practicing in Niagara Falls, NY. He has a successful record competing at the regional and national levels swimming, bicycle racing, speedskating, cross-country ski racing, body-building, and Ju Jitsu. Rick’s competition focused mindset is demonstrated in his approach to flying and to business. More information can be obtained at www.rvairshows.com.

Mark Ables

Mark Ables A native of Western NY and a graduate of Amherst High School in 1978, Mark is a living testimonial for the impact of Airshows. He recounts the 1971 Open House at Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station as the genesis for his interest in aviation. His father, a former pilot with the USAF Reserve unit at Niagara Falls NY, took Mark to watch a show and it was then he had a chance to meet the USAF Thunderbirds who appeared flying their T-38 Talon aircraft. Mark decided he wanted to be a pilot after that experience. Mark is a 1982 graduate of the State University College of NY at Oswego with a BS degree in Industrial Arts Education. He taught High School Electronics and Mechanical Drawing in the Buffalo and Plattsburgh, NY areas for almost two years before accepting a training opportunity in the US Air Force. Mark was commissioned at the AF Officer Training School in January 1984 and attended USAF Pilot Training at Reese AFB, TX after which, he was hired as an Air Reserve Technician in 1986 at Niagara Falls ARS. In August 2000 Mark was hired as a First Officer at American Airlines and he flew domestic routes out of Chicago, O’Hare Airport. After 9/11 Mark’s reserve unit was activated for Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and following two tours of duty and a furlough at American, he returned to the Technician program. He now serves as Director Of Operations at the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Ohio where he was the Director of the Thunder Over The Valley Airshow in 2009 hosting the USAF Thunderbirds . Attendance estimates for the weekend were approximately 80,000. Mark first got involved with Airshows in 1985 as a staff helper for the Niagara Falls ARS Open House. He took the reigns as director in 1999 fulfilling a dream he first conceived in 1971. The Thunder of Niagara Airshow 2007 was his last project at Niagara Falls. Mark has accumulated more than 8000 flying hours in both military and civilian flying in the following aircraft: C-130 A, E, H1, H2, H3 and J, Fokker-100 (American Airlines) and the Embraer-45 (American Eagle). He is married with two sons; 2Lt Matthew Ables, a 2008 USAF Academy Graduate who is currently in Pilot Training at Vance AFB, OK and Phillip Ables who is an Army ROTC Cadet at Clarkson University. His wife Nan is an educator in Amherst NY teaching High School math.

David Cooper

Dave Cooper is a native of the great state of Pennsylvania, who attended his first airshow in 1982 in Cleveland, Ohio, while taking private pilot lessons. He was hooked after watching Bob Hoover’s performance in the “Shrike Commander.” At the time, he was a consulting petroleum engineer in the oil and gas business in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In 1985, he formed “Just Plane People”, a traveling, airshow novelty business that participated in over 550 events nationwide from 1985 until 1999. In 1990, Dave moved to Geneseo, NY to independently manage the gift shop and away airshow novelty operations for the National Warplane Museum. In 1994, it was back on the road as a novelty vendor and operations consultant to several airshows throughout the United States. In 1998 and 1999, Dave was a consultant to the Promotional Management Group and principal advisor to the March Airfest at March Air Reserve Base in California in the conduct of airshows at a military base. In 2000, he joined Beau Productions as the airshow coordinator for the Rochester International Airshow, and as the Facilities Manager for Frontier Field, a AAA baseball stadium affiliated with the Minnesota Twins. In his free time, Dave collects antique glass and serves on the Board of Directors for the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition in support of Camp Good Days and Special Times. Dave holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and a Master of Business Administration degree in Marketing/Finance from Ohio University.

Patrisha Roberts

Patricia (Trish) Roberts was born, raised and educated in Toronto. She is employed at The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario where she is the Director of Standards Enforcement. Trish believes in the importance of participating in the community and her community and volunteer activities include: North East Council of Air Shows Board Member (2006), Canadian International Air Show Board Vice President (2006), Canadian International Air Show Board Member and Treasurer (2000 - 2006), Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants Disclosed Basis of Accounting Task Force Member (1994 - 2004), Bishop Strachan School Member of Board of Governors, Marketing and Finance Committees (1991-1994) and Institute of Internal Auditors, Vice Chair Registration International Conference (1994). In her spare time, Trish enjoys spending time supporting her two children Jennifer (age 19) and Christopher (age 17), both Air Show volunteers, in their various community and sporting activities. Trish has always enjoyed aviation and recently completed her Private Pilots flight test. Her educational background includes obtaining her designation as an Ontario Chartered Accountant (1981), completion of the Canadian Securities Course (1982), and a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacology and Physiology, from the University of Toronto (1978).

John Cooper

John Cooper is a businessman in Niagara Falls NY and caught the "air show bug" when he attended his first air show at the Niagara Falls International Airport as a small child. John has served as the vice chairman of the Niagara Military Affairs Council (NIMAC) since 1997. NIMAC represents the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station (NFARS) and it’s units in Washington DC and Albany and also serves as a liaison between the NFARS and the local community. Part of the NFARS involvement with the community involves the Thunder of Niagara Airshow which is one of the largest air shows in the State of New York. John's involvement with the Thunder of Niagara Airshow, ICAS and NECAS goes back to the late 1990's. He has served as the NIMAC air show coordinator in obtaining air show acts and sponsorship for Thunder of Niagara Airshow for several years. John and his wife Jennifer work together in the family business, are very involved in the local business community and have one son who is currently an U.S. Army ROTC Cadet at Baptist Bible College and Seminary in Clarks Summit, PA.

Tery Lebel

Tery was born in Montreal but was introduced to aviation at age four on a sunny Sunday morning in Quebec city where his father was airport manager. His father took him for a stroll around the General Aviation ramp and the smells and sensations went straight up his nose and stayed there. Later Tery joined the Air Cadets and earned a Flying Scholarship and got his Private license in 1974. He joined the Canadian Forces and earned his pilot wings going on to teach on Tutors before transferring to rotary wing flying with Tactical Aviation where he flew Kiowas, Twin Hueys and now the Griffon helicopter. He was a member of the Snowbird Team in 2005-2006 as Snowbird 10, Team Coordinator. Tery is currently completing the rebuild of his Steen Skybolt which he plans to take on the show circuit as soon as it is ready. Tery still serves with 400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Borden Ontario and has completed tours in Sinai, Somalia, Haiti and Afghanistan.