Yes, those are the Thunderbirds! They’ve been roaring overhead all week, and if you can’t be in Lakeland, FL for Sun ‘n Fun, then you might be able to catch them live over the internet on Saturday. The FAA’s TV production studios are located right in the middle of the Sun ‘n Fun show, and they run a total of 7 cameras from various locations. You can learn more at the FAA’s studios website. I was…
talking with the studio’s manager earlier today and learned that they broadcast the show over the internet, though this isn’t widely known. The two times I’ve tried, it’s been from my hotel room after hours, so I haven’t seen it myself. However, if you’d like to try it on Saturday, you might be able to see the show.
At 11AM eastern time on Saturday (8AM PDT), I’ll be interviewed by the studios, and you might see me talking about being the 2008 National CFI of the Year. Of greater interest of course would be the Thunderbirds performance, which should start around 1PM EDT (11 AM PST). From the FAA’s studios website, I’m told you should click on the "View Safety Seminars Live" button near the bottom of the page. If that doesn’t work, try some of the other buttons.
For other Sun ‘n Fun coverage, you can read the daily Sun ‘n Fun newspapers, which are being published this week by the team from General Aviation News. AOPA is also providing in-depth coverage. You can view AOPA photos and videos and you can also read the AOPA editors’ blogs. I think this is the first time they’ve done a combined blog for all of their editors at the show, and it looks great and is fun to read!
Aero-News.net is mixing Sun ‘n Fun news in with their normal daily aviation reports. If you have never listened to their Aero-Casts, which are daily podcasts, you should give them a try. They’re a part of my daily ritual regardless of where I am, and today I met Paul Plack, who hosts them. It turns out that Paul and I both grew up listening to WKBW radio in Buffalo (though I lived several hours to the south, and could only pick up "KB" at night). We both started careers in broadcasting, though he stayed in it and has worked at a variety of stations around the country. Aviation is now the beneficiary of his excellent radio voice and interview skills. You’ll also start "seeing" more of Paul, now that Aero-TV has launched and is expanding daily. Their video team has been running non-stop all week at the show, so look for lots of these Aero-TV videos to be rolled out in the coming weeks.
That’s it for now…more on Sun ‘n Fun later.