Air Bosses: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Airshows’ Vital Contributors

They make the events so much more fun than just watching aircraft sketch smoky hieroglyphics in the sky.

Randy Bolinger

Friday, May 23, 2025 at 07:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

When an airshow performer is flying, Wayne Boggs’ gaze never leaves the confines of the aerobatic box. [Courtesy: Wayne Boggs]

Key Takeaways:

Airshows are meticulously orchestrated events that rely on key, often unseen, professionals like the "air boss" for safety and choreography, and the announcer for audience engagement.
Wayne Boggs is a highly acclaimed "air boss" whose experience led to the development of the FAA Air Boss Recognition Program, which standardized training and certification for this critical safety role.
Rob Reider is an iconic airshow announcer, celebrated for his ability to educate and entertain large audiences, train other announcers (including the Blue Angels' team), and recently retired from professional airshow announcing.
The article emphasizes the crucial, collaborative contributions of both Boggs and Reider, portraying them as "airshow royalty" whose dedication ensures safe, thrilling, and educational airshow experiences.

See a mistake? Contact us.

From an audience perspective, most people probably don’t give a second thought to the work that goes on behind the scenes before and during a major stage performance. Unless you’ve happened to be in the audience of a play when a set failed in some way, and everything behind the scenes was suddenly laid bare. Such anomalies aside, without the planning, coordination, and orchestration from the unseen support behind the scenes, there are no scenes. We arrive, the curtain goes up, the show goes on, and we’re transported to another place and time without giving much thought about what transpired prior to curtain up and showtime.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

If you're not already a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Subscribe today to get the issue as soon as it is released in either Print or Digital formats.