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Manfred immigrated to Canada in 1969 and became a
gliding instructor in 1972, adding the glider aerobatic instructor's
endorsement in 1977. He is a former member of the Flight Training
and Safety Committee of the Soaring Association of Canada.
In 1974 he reached a high point in his career when he achieved an
altitude of 35,000 feet above sea level over the Rocky Mountains
near Colorado Springs. Flying the same sailplane in which he
performs at air shows, Manfred flew a distance of 600 km (375 miles)
over the Appalachian Mountains in May of 1986, a flight lasting 8
hours and 45 minutes.
For many years, Radius was the only one in North America who
competed in glider aerobatic championships. In 1977, in 1979 and in
1981, he competed in the prestigeous German Glider Aerobatic
Championships, and in 1977, received an award as the 'best foreign
aerobatic pilot'. In 1985 he competed in the First World
Championship in Glider Aerobatics, held in Austria, representing
Canada as its leading glider aerobatic pilot.
Manfred Radius is a top professional air show performer who ushered
in a new era in sailplane demonstrations. He has the distinction of
having introduced world championship-level performances to air shows
in North America.
Manfred's award-winning main act The Ultimate contains samples of
all aerobatic maneuver families, including unique maneuvers
performed by only himself with a glider at air shows in North
America.
The grand finale of The Ultimate is the spectacular inverted
ribbon cut. Performed by a sailplane without the benefit of
engine power, this difficult stunt leaves the audience in awe and
amazement.
In addition to his daytime demonstrations, Manfred also performs at
night with his sailplane. His spectacular night act has been enjoyed
by millions in North America and in Australia.
His extensive background in glider aerobatics and competing in
world-class aerobatic championships enables him to demonstrate the
capabilities of his fully aerobatic glider to the fullest.
As a result of his hard work at air shows and his never ending quest
for excellence, Manfred has earned the reputation of being one of
the top performers in North America. In 1989 he was the first
recipient of an Excellence in Performance award, presented by
the Corn Belt Shrine Club in Mattoon, Illinois.
Manfred Radius has been described as 'Sailplane Superstar'
and as 'The King of Sailplane Aerobatics'. Spectator's
comments about his performances include superlative terms such as:
awe-inspiring - fantastic - mesmerizing - outrageous - heavenly -
and 'you made the show'. USAviator wrote in it's January, 1995
issue: He is absolutely incredible; a truly phenomenal presence in
the airshow biz. Very highly recommended. In his bestseller The
Cannibal Queen, Stephen Coonts writes: ......and we were treated to
the most spectacular flying exhibition I have ever
witnessed......The silent crowd watched, mesmerized...... His
mastery of his craft was total, his exhibition a tour de force.
His skills go far beyond doing a simple air show performance. On
Sept.6,1992, he succeeded in doing the world's first inverted ribbon
cut by a sailplane over water. He did it during the Canadian
International Air Show, held over Lake Ontario across downtown
Toronto.
Manfred was featured on television shows such as That's Life,
Stuntmasters, Magic in the Air, Skybound and Science of Fun. He was
also featured in the books A TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE by Daniel V.
Dempsey, THE CANNIBAL QUEEN by Stephen Coonts and THE FLYERS by Noah
Adams.
He performs from coast to coast in North America and internationally
as well. Manfred thrilled large audiences when he performed his
daytime and night acts at the Australian International Air Show and
Aerospace Expo near Melbourne in 1995, 1997, 1999 and again in 2001.
He joined the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) in 1978.
An experienced skydiver, he logged over 1,000 jumps in more than 30
years in the sport.
Manfred enjoys spending time with the spectators and signing
autographs. He appreciates them coming to the show, and he lets them
know they are the reason he is here.
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