The Air Show Announcer
The sights and sounds of the Beaufort Air Show are something special to see and hear.
Among the most enduring: The familiar baritone of veteran air show announcer Rob Reider, widely acknowledged as “the most sought-after announcer on the North American Air Show circuit.”
It’s no wonder. Reider, 74, has been calling the action for more than four decades at more than 400 air shows from coast to coast.
His skilled narration and encyclopedic aviation knowledge have described hundreds of breathtaking flights, including performances by the Navy’s Blue Angels, the United States Air Force Thunderbirds and the Army’s Golden Knights Parachute Team.
For Reider, it’s a labor of love fueled by his passion for aeronautics that began in his Ohio childhood, building model airplanes with his father.
Reider will be back at the microphone April 22-23 for the Beaufort Air Show at the Marine Corps Air Station, nicknamed “Fightertown East” as the Atlantic Coast home to fixed-wing, fighter attack aircraft.
“Coming to Beaufort is always a great experience,” said Reider, who has worked full-time as an air show announcer for nearly three decades.
“Beaufort is one of the shows where it feels like family. It is truly special to have the show at a military base, and I look forward to returning. Six words said it all: My heroes now are my friends.”
Reider’s air-show duties combine his enthusiasm for flying with a career that has made the most of his melodious voice.
As a student studying music and broadcast journalism at the University of Cincinnati, Reider landed a gig as a singer and cast member of the Bob Braun Show, a 90-minute live telecast in Ohio and the Midwest. The show – featuring a live band – attracted guests that included Bob Hope, Lucille Ball, Red Skelton and Johnny Carson.
As a show performer for more than a decade, Reider was called on to sing tunes ranging from John Denver to Earth, Wind and Fire and Cole Porter.
Reider won a fistful of regional Emmy awards for on-air performance and carried that show-biz experience into announcing.
“I learned a lot and it influenced what I do today,” said Reider. “On TV and at an air show, it’s live – there is no net.”
A licensed private pilot, in 1987 he became the host and voiceover talent for the Sporty’s Pilot Shops “Learn to Fly” video courses.
“It’s missional,” said Reider. “I get to help people learn to fly, and fly safely.”
In the decades since, Reider has delivered more than 20 of the best-selling training programs. Along the way, he became a sought-after voice for audio books, especially non-fiction works with military and political themes.
He remains best known for his work at air shows, winning the “Sword of Excellence” from the International Council of Air Shows. The award is the highest an air show performer can receive.
Reider’s longevity in the air show world has not been without tragedy. He was working the Beaufort show in 2007 when a Blue Angels jet crashed near the end of its performance, killing the pilot and injuring eight nearby residents. An investigation by the Navy concluded that the pilot lost control due to G-force-induced loss of consciousness.
The disaster tested Reider’s presentation skills to calm and counsel show attendees. Over the years, Reider said, he has committed to memory a checklist to guide his announcing during a catastrophe.
His advice for show-goers in an emergency includes:
• Have children turn away.
• Stay off cellphones.
• Be alert, with your “head on a swivel.”
• Don’t interfere with emergency workers.
• Turn in videos that could assist an investigation of a cause.
A key principle for a show announcer confronted with a disaster, he said: “Be like a dad caring for a family.”
Reider’s advice for families attending this year’s show is to “arrive early, wear sunscreen, stay hydrated and keep your kids hydrated.
“And be sure to help your children during the day so they are feeling well for the end of the show and the Blue Angels’ performance,” he said. “The sun will do you in, even on a cloudy day, and you don’t want children falling out before the show is over.”
And there’s plenty to learn by positioning yourself near a speaker to hear the announcer.
“I’ll take everybody through what is happening throughout the show and what everybody is doing — the show and the music and the beauty of it all,” Reider said.
“There is great history. There is special excitement.”
