Building on the success of AOPA Live at last year’s AOPA Aviation Summit, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association will offer live, streaming coverage from the event that traditionally marks the start of the flying season in the United States, the 2010 Sun ’n Fun Fly-In. Programming, which runs Thursday through Saturday, will help bring the experience of Sun ’n Fun to thousands upon thousands of pilots who were unable to make the trip themselves, AOPA officials said.
“Since we rolled out AOPA Live at last November’s AOPA Aviation Summit, more than 150,000 people in more than 100 countries have viewed some or all of the programming we offered,” said Chris O’Callaghan, AOPA’s vice president of ePublishing, the department responsible for AOPA’s online presence. “Bringing AOPA Live to Sun ’n Fun will offer them a whole different experience.”
Scheduled guests on Thursday include: John Burton and Bill Eickhoff, the president and chairman of the board of Sun ’n Fun; Capt. Kristin Hubbard, pilot of the number eight aircraft of the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team and narrator for the Thunderbirds air show; aerobatics legend Patty Wagstaff; and Jason Paur and Steve Chupnick, two members of the teams that took part in the AOPA Road and Runway Rally to Sun ’n Fun, among others.
Friday, AOPA’s director of medical certification, Gary Crump, and Dr. Jonathan Sackier will talk about one of a pilot’s constant concerns: keeping his or her medical certificate. Other scheduled guests include air show favorite Col. Dale “Snort” Snodgrass, USAF (Ret.); AOPA Air Safety Foundation President Bruce Landsberg; and for water lovers, Jim McManus, president of the Seaplane Pilots Association.
Saturday, perennial favorite Rod Machado will spend some time on set. So will Congressman Sam Graves, a pilot and member of the general aviation caucus in the U.S. House of Representatives. Also appearing on the final day of AOPA Live will be Jeffrey Skiles, first officer on the US Airways flight that was forced to ditch in the Hudson River and one of the ambassadors for EAA’s Young Eagles program, which gives schoolchildren their first taste of flight in a GA aircraft.
Interspersed throughout will be product demonstrations showing off some of the newest, coolest gadgets and gizmos available for pilots.
“We hope we’ll have a chance to meet you in person at AOPA’s Big Yellow Tent in Lakeland,” said O’Callaghan. “But if you can’t make it to Florida, AOPA Live is your chance to get a taste of what’s going on.”
