KNOXVILLE, TENN. – A popular local pilot was killed in a crash just south of here on Sunday night.


Jim “Fang” Maroney was found dead in plane wreckage in the Cherokee National Forest, according to a WATE-TV report out of Knoxville.


Maroney was flying his De Havilland DHC-1 “Super Chipmunk” from Indiana to Georgia, WATE-TV reported.


Maroney, who lived in Milwaukee, Wis., was a staple at the Fargo AirSho, said Dick Walstad, AirSho committee co-chairman. Walstad told 970AM WDAY radio that the AirSho community is “devastated” by the loss.


“We’ve never flown an air show here without Jim Maroney in it,” Walstad said. “He was a dear friend … and an absolutely great pilot.”


Maroney flew F-16s for the North Dakota Air National Guard Happy Hooligans. He retired from the military in 2002, and was most recently a chief pilot for Delta Airlines, where he flew 757s and 747s, Walstad said.


“He’s just a legend in the air show business and the aviation circles,” Walstad said.