It’s Friday! Not only is it Friday, things are abuzz at the world’s greatest beach down in Florida. This weekend, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University will host the The Embry-Riddle Wings and Waves Air Show in Daytona.
The air show will start at 11 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Daytona Beach, FL, right off the shoreline centered in front of the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. If you are a fan of airplanes then there is no other place to be on Saturday or Sunday this weekend.
The lineup of performers is spectacular. This will be the 40th anniversary of Canada’s Snowbirds Demonstration Team, of the 431 Squadron. Acrobatic pilot Matt Chapman will perform in his CAP 580, a 1300 pound aerobatic airplane powered by a 330 horsepower Lycoming engine. Other performers include Julie Clark, Michael Goulian, Greg Poe, Mike Whiskus, and more.
In addition to the jet performance by the Snowbirds, the Navy will have an F/A-18 Hornet demonstration and the Air Force will demonstrate their highly maneuverable F-16 Viper.
One treat the spectators will enjoy is simulated air combat between the British Sopwith Camel F.1 biplane and the legendary German Fokker DR-1 triplane. Both belong to The Plunkett WW 1 Aviation Collection based just south of Daytona at the Spruce Creek Airport.
Things around the Daytona Beach International Airport and ERAU have been hopping this week. Tactical jets from the Air Force and the Navy have been arriving at the field and flying around the campus located at the international airport, next to the speedway. Other aircraft have also landed at KDAB carrying pilots and passengers, some of whom are ERAU graduates.
One of the returning graduates is Michael O’Neal, one of my former students who is now one of our client-authors with BluewaterPress LLC. In 2000, Michael won the Fountainhead Productions National Writing Contest with a story he first drafted as a sophomore in high school. When he discovered we were publishing books, he came forward with a query for his novel, The Eighth Day, an action story in which high school students literally go out and save the world.
Michael has acquired space at the bookstore on campus for his first book signing event. If you have a chance, drop by the bookstore on Friday afternoon starting at noon and give Mike a few words of encouragement. Oh yeah, buy one of his books, too. He’ll sign it for you.
If you don’t get a chance to buy one from Mike in person, you can always buy it through the website at http://bluewaterpress.com/eighthday.
Yes, if you have some time and need something to do this weekend, Daytona Beach is the place to visit.
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© 2010 J. Clark
Oh, how I wish I could be there. Seeing the planes coming and going. People milling around airplanes for sale and dreaming of what they might own some day. It must be so much fun visiting with former students.
Today was our town’s Homecoming Football game. I was listening to the game on the radio in my truck while I was on a tow call . The quarterback was a student I had in kindergarten. I would have loved to be at the game in person to see the smile on his face when our team won 23 to 12. My how quickly time flies. Hope you have an awesome weekend!
Hi Joe- it was definitely a fantastic show. We were show center on the beach. The weather was perfect, the commentary was incredible, and the show unbelievable!! I have a bunch of pics of the show on my blog!!