Chandler pilot wins national award

EAST TROY, Wisc. — World Airshow News recently announced Kirby Chambliss of Chandler is the 2024 recipient of the Bill Barber Award for Showmanship.

Chambliss won the very first aerobatic contest in which he competed, eventually working his way up to the top Unlimited level of competition. He was crowned United States National Aerobatic Champion five times between 1998 and 2005, and as a member of the U.S. National Aerobatic Team, won 13 medals at multiple world aerobatic championships.

Chambliss was the 2000 Freestyle World Aerobatic Champion.

In 2003, Chambliss began competing in the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, flying in every Red Bull air race until that competition ended after the 2019 season.

He was the Red Bull Air Race World Champion for both the 2004 and 2006 seasons.
Chambliss has also flown in airshows across North America in his Red Bull Edge 540.

The Bill Barber Award for Showmanship was first awarded in 1986 and is awarded to airshow performers or teams that have demonstrated great skill and showmanship. World Airshow News magazine and the friends and family of the late Bill Barber present the award annually.

The 2024 Bill Barber Award for Showmanship presentation is planned for late July during EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisc.

Past Bill Barber Award winners include aerobatic and airshow teams and individuals such as longtime acrobatic and military fighter and test pilot Bob Hoover.

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