Scott Manning

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This page is on the Canadian stunt aviator. For the former indoor soccer player see Scott Manning (soccer).

Scott Manning (15 May 1958 - 16 June 2006) was a Canadian athlete and stunt pilot of the world's smallest jet, the BD-5J.

Growing up in Kitchener, Ontario, Scott earned a degree in Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo in 1985. Having played for four years on the Waterloo Warriors football team, he pursued a career in professional football, at a weight of 290lbs. and 6'3". In the 1980s, he attended training camps with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Montreal Alouettes, but never actually played a CFL game due to injuries. Scott pursued his football career until a serious knee injury caused a blood clot that almost killed him and rendered him incapable of continuing in the sport. Although told by doctors that he would probably never walk again, Manning slowly regained his mobility.

After two years of recovery, Manning decided that he simply "wanted to fly jets in airshows" and set out pursuing private and commercial pilot's licences and eventually earned flight time in some of the world's most advanced aerobatic aircraft.

In 1990 he purchased and decided to construct "The Stinger" BD-5 microjet airplane kit. Construction work took over 6000 work hours. At the end of several engine malfunctions, and countless technical hiccups, the BD-5 emerged as a tiny, but formidable competitor in the aerobatics arena. Manning piloted his own plane, and was known as the tallest BD-5 pilot in the world^{[citation needed]}, and the operator of the only model in Canada.

On June 16th, 2006 at 12:14pm Manning was piloting his BD-5J when he crashed, tragically losing his life during practice for the Ottawa Air Show.

[edit] References

• International Council of Airshows profile.

[edit] External links

• University of Waterloo Obituary

• Globe and Mail Article (Subscription required)