Sport Aerobatics, March 1999
Rod Jocelyn ________________________________________________________________________________
"If a single person could be the genesis of modern aerobatics, it must be Rod." - Lindsey Parsons
Building Excellence in American Aerobatics
"If a single person could be the genesis of modern aerobatics, it must be Rod", says Lindsey Parsons, a 1962 U.S. Aerobatic teammate of Jocelyn's. "More than any other individual, Rod changed exhibition aerobatics from its former stunt-oriented, fragmentary sequences emphasizing circus-like thrills to the continuously flowing, tightly linked aerial ballets we are accustomed to today," he says. "His astonishing flying style was always smooth, aggressive and surgically precise."
Rod Jocelyn soloed a week before his 19th birthday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as a member of the Army Air Coprs. He was assigned to a fighter squadron during World War II, serving overseas and ending up as Captain. After the war, Rod remained in aviation, as a crop duster. He operated a student instruction school at Old Star Airport in Langhorne, Pennsylvania and later joined Pan American World Airways.
Jocelyn's aerobatic activity began in 1948. He flew both competition and airshow aerobatics. In early 1950 , he was selected by the U.S. Naval Medical Acceleration Laboratory as a subject for tests on the effects of negative flight conditions. Rod flew his own Great Lakes for the tests, and the results were recorded with special instruments and a movie camera.
Rod Jocelyn made four attempts at the U.S. Aerobatic Championship and was twice runner-up. In 1950, he won the U.S. National Aerobatic Competition at Opa Locka, Florida, and won again the following year.
Between runs for Pan Am, Rod flew airshows and was a headliner in many airshows run by Bill Sweet. His precise airmanship awed the crowds and was a real inspiration to new pilots and to those to whom he taught aerobatics. He was an inspiration and mentor to many, including Lindsey Parsons.
Jocelyn was selected to represent the United States, along with Lindsey Parsons and Duane Cole, at the 192 World Aerobatic Championships in Budapest, Hungary. They flew a borrowed Great Lakes in which they had minimal practice. Parsons finished fifth in the overall standings. Rod came in 12th due to a technicality.
About this time, a group including Jocelyn, Harold Krier, Charlie Hillard, Nick d'Apuzzo, Frank Price, Mikke Murphy and Bill Sweet formed the Aerobatic Club of America (ACA), the predecessor to the IAC. "Rod was the most outstanding competition and airshow pilot from 1950 to the middle sixties", said the late Charlie Hillard, former World Aerobatic Champion and former president of the ACA.
Rod Jocelyn is credited with being the first pilot to perform the Lomcovak in the United States. He also was one of the first pilots in the U.S. to use the Aresti system that is still used today to depict aerobatic figures.
In 1964, Jocelyn again attended the world championships - this time as assistant judge to Mike Murphy - at Bilbao, Spain. In years following, he represented the United States at CIVA (world governing body for aerobatics.)
Having helped design and build several aerobatic aircraft, Jocelyn's opinion on aircraft design was highly valued, and he and Lindsey Parsons collaborated on the develop of the PJ-260 aerobatic biplane. Rod was universally admired not only for his remarkable flying, but also for his professionalism. His character and reputation were beyond reproach and won him the respect of many. His years of airshow and competition flying, along with his many abilities and varied experience, made him a unique authority on aerobatics.
A May 1974 article from Sport Aerobatics about the flight characteristics of the PJ-260 and written by Rod Jocelyn illustrates his principles of safe flying and mentoring to others:
" ...It is possible (as with any aerobatic aircraft) for a pilot new to advanced aerobatics to exceed his own limitations. These limitations are not only of skill in individual maneuver execution but of a physical nature, which are generally overlooked.
There is nothing I can add to what has been said with regards to getting qualified dual instructions and observance of altitude and other safety rules. Also, it would be advisable to get all the information possible before attempting any new (to pilot) maneuver.
It is my opinion that the great danger is a physical one. It has been my experience that I am pooped after 15 minutes of continuous aerobatics. I have never taken the time to compute how many thousands of pounds have been exerted on the body during 15 minutes of maneuvers, but it would be considerable. This fatigue can cause a deterioration of judgement and reactions along with other physical slowdowns. Acceleration loads on the body can be reduced by shifting the body position and tightening of muscles, developed by practice and training as with any other sport. A major problem is in orientation. I have found this to be the single most difficult thing in flying through a sequence of maneuvers. Ask any of the pilots who have flown in competition. This can only come from practice.
To sum up, a good aerobatic airplane makes maeuvers much easier to do well, but good judgment and proper training is necessary. Along with good judgment goes planning which starts on the ground before the flight."
Rod Jocelyn's flying career ended abruptly in 1971, when a hunting accident cost him his sight in one eye. Six months later he suffered a heart attack. By this time, Rod was a captain at Pan Am, and airshow days were limited because of conflight schedule at the airline. In fact, Rod lost his best friend, Paul Anderson, when he spun-in in Rod's airplane, the Dart Special, while flying as a substitute for Rod in an airshow. Rod could have continued at Pan Am as an instructor in the link-training program, but this meant living on Long Island near JFK during the week and returning to his family in beautiful Bucks County on weekends.
In 1980, Rod and Elaine Jocelyn's teen daughter was killed in an auto accident. Afterward, they discovered South Island, New Zealand, the trout Mecca for fisherman. Rod was a dedicated fly fisherman, and the Jocelyn spent 11 summers (winter here in the states) down under. Back home they spent many winter months in the Florida Keys.
Rod and Elaine Jocelyn attended the 1998 Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in Oshkosh, Wisconsin where Rod was inducted into the Aerobatics Hall of Fame. It was a gala affair, but perhaps more meaningful was that the current generation of aerobatic pilots that attended were enriched by the opportunity to know one of aerobatics' most influential individuals and a very fine gentleman.
