NEWS RELEASE

Communications and Marketing Office
600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd.
Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3900

For more information, contact:
Phone: 386-226-6157
Fax: 386-226-6158

Embry-Riddle to Present Florida SkyFest 2005 at Daytona Beach International Airport

Daytona Beach, Fla., Sept. 30, 2005 -- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University continues its tradition of world-class airshows this fall with Florida SkyFest 2005 at Daytona Beach International Airport. The Oct. 29 and 30 event will feature the country’s best civilian and military airshow talent.

Performers include:

  • Patty Wagstaff, the nation’s best-known female pilot and a three-time national aerobatic champion. Patty flies one of the most thrilling, low-level aerobatic routines in the world today. Flying before millions of airshow spectators each year, Patty’s breathtaking performances give spectators a front-row seat view of the precision and complexity of modern aerobatics.

  • Mike Goulian, thrilling airshow fans since 1987 with the best high-performance power aerobatics the world has to offer. Since his first show at age 17, Mike has gained a reputation for performing one of the most precise, high-energy, unlimited aerobatic performances in the world. Molding the incredible skill and dedication required to win two national aerobatic titles and three berths on the U.S. Aerobatic Team, Mike flies his show plane with an intensity few pilots in the world can match.

  • Mike Mancuso and Matt Chapman, two of the world’s top aerobatic pilots, now a team. Mike has been touring the country dazzling crowds in the Klein Tools Extra 300L. Mike will perform a solo act, twisting his eccentric airplane into gut-wrenching action. This show will keep you on the edge of your seat.

    Matt is incredibly skilled at aerobatic flying. As a member of the U.S. Unlimited Men’s Aerobatic team, he has won medals twice at the World Aerobatic Championships. Matt is one of six elite pilots in the Championship Air Show Pilots Association.

    Together, they have formed a premier aerobatic formation team. It’s a thrilling show with precision maneuvers. Mike will literally roll his Klein Extra 300L around Matt’s airplane, a Lycoming CAP 580 powerhouse. Even more spectacular is their mirror pass, in which the two planes are canopy-to-canopy, with one aircraft flying upside down directly over the other. In their head-on pass, the two pilots fly in opposite directions, right toward each other, in a daring, near-miss maneuver. Their performance will have you on the edge of your seat.

  • Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes, back again with their sensational wing-walking act in their fabulous Showcat Biplane. Teresa climbs all over the wings of the huge open-cockpit biplane, even performing a headstand, while Gene performs breathtaking aerobatics.

  • The Shockwave Jet Truck, an awesome, fire-breathing, semi-truck with three jet engines that shoot flames. Shockwave will race down the runway at more than 376 mph!

  • Eric Beard, an Embry-Riddle graduate and a seasoned professional with hundreds of performances to his credit. Come see Eric slice through the sky in Russian Thunder, one of only seven Yak 54s flying in the world.

  • Lee Lauderback, also returning home to his alma mater, Embry-Riddle. Lee will fly his rare P-51 Mustang, one of the legendary planes that helped win World War II. Don’t miss the Heritage Flight, a unique military formation flight demonstrating the best of the new and the best of the past, including Lee’s Mustang.

  • The Misty Blues, the world’s only all-woman team of skydivers. This nine-member team will maneuver earthward carrying one of the largest American flags in the world. The Misty Blues have performed around the world for over 17 years and have attained 35 world records and 40,000 jumps. They average an amazing 3,000 jumps per team member.

  • Nikolay Timofeev, world aerobatic champion, flying a Russian-made Sukhoi aircraft. One of the most brilliant pilots in modern aviation, Nikolay captures the attention and admiration of spectators and airshow professionals all over the world. His flight is an unmatched three-dimensional aerobatic experience.

  • Heritage Flight with Pyrotechnics, featuring a U.S. Air Force A10 Thunderbolt and Mustang. It’s the deadliest of America’s current fighters together with the legendary WWII fighter, plus simulated gunfire.

  • U.S. military aircraft fly-bys will include the F-117, B1, B2, vintage Thunderbird T33, and A10 Thunderbolt.

A large selection of aircraft also will be on display at Florida SkyFest. Most of these aircraft will be staffed with Embry-Riddle alumni who have flown them to the show.

Embry-Riddle will present Florida SkyFest at Daytona Beach International Airport, where the expansive grounds can accommodate large aircraft displays, sponsors, local organization exhibits, and vendor spaces, including a children’s area with games and activities, creative displays from local merchants, souvenirs, flight simulators, and food and beverage offerings.

Embry-Riddle has committed to presenting Florida SkyFest every two years, with future dates already scheduled for Oct. 27 and 28, 2007, and Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 2009.

For additional information, contact Joni Hunt at (386) 226-4913 or Joni Hunt, or go to www.FloridaSkyFest.com.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates more than 30,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Extended Campus at more than 130 centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East, and through distance learning.