Part of local air show canceled after plane crash
             By Gina Stafford, News-Sentinel staff writer
     After the fatal collision of two planes with the Red Baron
 Stearman Squadron -- which was scheduled to perform at McGhee
 Tyson Airport next month -- the flying team canceled upcoming
 shows.
     The local air show, however, still will include several mili-
 tary and acrobatic flying teams as previously scheduled.
     The collision between the two single-engine biplanes that left
 both pilots dead at a Florida air show Sunday involved members of
 a team that was to perform at the Dogwood Arts Festival's air show
 May 2-3 in Knoxville.
     On Monday, officials with the Red Baron Stearman Squadron
 announced the cancellation of the immediate remainder of its
 performance season.
     "The word to us is that they'll do no more flying whatsoever
 until after June 1," said Bob Neel, executive director of the Dog-
 wood Arts Festival. "For the near future, they told me, they plan
 only to make some public relations-oriented appearances not related
 to air shows."
     The collision at Florida's Kissimmee Air Show of the Stars
 occurred during acrobatic maneuvers and ended with both planes
 crashing to the ground in flames. Pilots James Edward Lovelace,
 46, and Randall L. Drake, 39, were killed, and two police officers
 suffered minor injuries while trying to pull the pilots from the
 burning wreckage.
     Police said the planes collided at an altitude of about 1,500
 feet, then fell into a field about 1,000 yards from nearly 5,000
 spectators.
     The Red Baron team, including Lovelace and Drake, performed at
 the Dogwood Arts Festival's last air show in 1995. Their open-air
 cockpit biplanes were built from 1938 to 1942.
     "It's just real unfortunate, obviously, because they were great
 guys," Neel said. "I'd flown with Randy (Drake) before, and I got
 to know Sonny (Lovelace) pretty well when he was here last time.
     "We also met in Las Vegas in December to do some planning for
 their show here, and I got to spend quite a bit of time with them
 then."
     Besides the four show pilots, Neel said, the squad has five
 other training pilots and two more planes.
     "But emotionally, I'm sure it's going to be a really tough blow
 to recover from," Neel said. "Those guys all have flown together a
 long time. I talked to them twice today, and I know it's been hard."
     Performing nationally for more than 20 years, the Red Baron
 Stearman Squadron is sponsored by Red Baron Pizza Service. A company
 statement said that flags are being flown at half-staff at corporate
 facilities this week and a memorial moment of silence will be
 observed Friday at 1 p.m. at corporate headquarters in Marshall,
 Minn.
 Knoxville News Sentinel 21 April 1998
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