Performer Lineup
Announcer Herb Hunter
Airshow fans who have attended Springfield Air Rendezvous over the years have learned to appreciate announcer Herb Hunter as probably the smoothest "microphone jockey" in the business. To those attending SAR for the first time, Herb's quintessential ability to keep an audience informed and entertained at the same time will be obvious from word one. Millions know him as "the voice" of the Chicago Air and Water Show that dazzles thousands every year along the lakefront. By the time he came to Air Rendezvous for the first time, he was already a household name among Chicago fans and the air show industry nationwide. And his reputation as a consummate professional who talks the talk and walks the walk continues to grow today.
Watching Herb in action on the announcer's stand, it becomes obvious that reading notes while performers dazzle spellbound fans zooming through the sky is only part of what makes Herb's announcing so impressive. He is in constant contact with officials from the Springfield Airport Authority and Federal Aviation Administration, unsung heroes in their own right, who monitor activity to ensure maximum safety for all. If the wind is a problem, when a regularly scheduled airline flight must land or depart, when other minor glitches occur, Herb's mission is to maintain the pace of his informative patter on the microphone while unexpected developments are resolved behind the scenes. And he does it so well that most of the time, the rhythm of a well-coordinated air show never skips a beat.
As a member of the Illinois Air National Guard, based in the Windy City, Herb logged more than 5,000 hours in Boeing KC-135s alone. Today, as a Boeing 747-400 pilot for a major US airline, he has logged more than 18,000 hours in the air, mostly in Boeing aircraft. Yet, surprisingly, the veteran pilot does not fly small general aviation or air show airplanes. "I fly airplanes for money. I play golf for fun," he says with a wink in his eye.
As a veteran of many years behind the microphone, Herb Hunter knows air show "top dogs" and "rising stars" the way most people know their neighbors next door. That easy repartee gives the pilots and stunt teams additional confidence when their performances begin. They know the announcer is not going to make them look bad because he doesn't know their stories. That makes for not only better performances; it makes for happier performers and happier fans. And that is what Springfield Air Rendezvous 2006 is all about!
*Night Show Participant