The Valdez Fly-In and Airshow announced extreme sports athlete Melissa Dawn Burns as the 2022 aerobatic pilot who will be performing aerobatics shows at Pioneer Field May 14th and 15th. Burns started flying when she was 18 and is a professional aerobatic pilot, display skydiver and B.A.S.E. Jumper. In 2006, at 22 years old Melissa became the youngest female member of the United States Unlimited Aerobatic Team in history. She placed 3rd overall in the 2015 World Aerobatic Championships after 10 years of competing at the Unlimited World Level. Melissa was named the Fastest Woman in the World at the World Champion Wingsuit B.A.S.E.
In June 2016 Burns participated in a first-of-its-kind aviation stunt where she flew her stunt airplane underneath a motocross freestyle rider, “Fitz’, doing a backflip and a slackline artist, “Sketchy’ Andy Lewis, on his slackline at the same time. Notable appearances include Skydancers (Netflix), Bush Air, Keen ‘n Able, 60 Minutes Australia, Caught on Camera and the CBS Sunday Morning Show.
Burns graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and was inducted into the Embry-Riddle Chancellor’s Hall of Fame in 2015. She is currently a professor at Embry-Riddle and will live in Alaska this summer while working for Talkeetna Air Taxi. For more information, visit www.sportsgal.com
