Dan died today at the Mt Home Airshow during his hang glider act.

He persevered through many hardships in life and never slowed down.. He was a friend you could trust with anything.

A unique and fun act on the airshow circuit, Dan received the Art Scholl Showmanship Award in 2011 by the International Council of Airshows.

I'm going to miss him.

Here's to you, Dan.

 

A true talent, a man who has been seen by and inspired tens of millions, for decades now, and a very great loss not only to the airshow circuit and aviation, but to the world.

A favorite picture of him is the edge of a cliff with an empty wheel chair as he flies away from the camera in the kite.

One of my greatest heroes was a English pilot who lost his legs in a mishap and came back to fly again. Douglas Bader. It's not that I like handicapped pilots, but precisely because pilots like Bader and Buchanan never were, and they taught something to the world that's central to life. Limitations and handicaps and impediments are only that if we allow them.

Dan Buchanan flew for nearly 40 years, and set a standard that few will ever match. He never said "can it be done," but instead "let me show you." and he did.

Sad to hear.