In Loving Memory Of Jim Leroy

We headed out Friday evening to our camping site to get a good nights rest and be ready bright and early for the Dayton Air Show on Saturday, July 28th, 2007.

I've been waiting years to be able to see one of these shows and see Jim himself perform and maneuver a Pitts aircraft as only Jim Leroy could, and here it was. I made it!

I patiently waited through the first half of the day for the afternoon show which was to include not only Jim Leroy, but Skip Stewart and Les Shockley as well! WOW!

I thought to myself, how lucky can an RC builder/Pitts Lover guy get to have an air show team like this just happen to be at the first show he gets to see one of his favorite aerobatic pilots perform at?

So, here it was, half way through the show and time for this amazing team to perform! I'm ready, cam-corder in my hands, video taping Jim and Skip at the far-end of the runway warming up the 400+ horsepower engines in their modified Pitts Specials, and taking last minute notes...

I can hear the Les Shockley Shockwave Jet Truck popping off the 3 Pratt & Whitney J-34-48's like something was getting ready to explode on that thing, and hear the props on Jim and Skips planes start cutting air hard!

Here it is, it's time to go! The Shockwave is off, Jim and Skip are off, and they're all heading right for each other down the runway..

In an instant, right when the Shockwave truck was going to smash head on into the twin Pitts', Jim and Skip shoot up and split off at different angles.

Up in the air they go, looping around and heading back down towards the ground at full throttle. I video tape Skip heading off down the runway at low altitude and as he reaches the end and pulls up, I pan back over to the other side of the runway to find Jim.

In an instant, all of my excitement and joy disappears into a feeling that I cannot describe.

All I can see through my camera lens is a dark, large cloud of smoke rising into the air from the ground of where Jim should have been popping back up into the air.

And at that moment, I have my worst feelings confirmed as the announcer tells every one with children to please turn them away from the airfield, and anyone with video cameras that caught the accident on film, to please bring their videos immediately to the office.

I didn't know Jim Leroy other than following his career and wishing that one day I could see him perform live. I've been working on a 1/4 scale design of his BullDog bi-plane for some time now, and this was going to be the topping off of that project, being able to see how he maneuvered his plane, and get really killer close up shots for the finishing touches on the model.

I can't help what I feel inside, but I can tell you that I feel like I have lost a very close friend or a family member.

I feel like one of my dreams has been ripped violently from my hands, and there's no way of ever getting it back.

I've never been a hero kind of guy, and I've always felt that hero's are only in stories and movies.

But now I ask myself, why is it that I feel like I've lost my hero?

I guess there's something in me, maybe in all of us, that needs someone to look up to.. Someone we can let go with inside of ourselves, and root and cheer for. Someone that can seem to do no wrong, and we can maybe live a few of our dreams through.

If there ever was one of those someones for me, then I would have to say that someone was Jim Leroy.

I will never forget you Jim, you filled a large part of my life, and it hurts to see you go in this way. But I know enough about you that in these cases you would have said something like "let's get this show going", so I'll keep the show going and finish the 1/4 scale BullDog in memory of you.

I wish the Leroy family best wishes, and our (Marsha and Patrick) prayers are with you. If there's anything we can do, please let us know.

Jim Leroy Will Not Be Forgotten.

For the benefit of Jim’s four- year old son, Tommy LeRoy,
Please send contributions to:

Jim Leroy, Jr. Memorial Fund,
c/o Harris Bank, 110 East Irving Park Road,
Roselle, Illinois 60172,
Phone 630-980-2700.

A memorial service and celebration of Jim’s life will be held on Wednesday, August 8 at 11:00 a.m. at the DuPage County Airport (airport identifier: DPA), 2700 International Drive, West Chicago, Illinois 60185, phone (630) 584-2211, website: www.dupageairport.com.

Individuals planning to attend are encouraged to send a brief RSVP message (including number of people in your party) to icas@airshows.org