The Embry-Riddle Wings and Waves Air Show will present featured performances of the P-51 Mustang and F-16 Viper Demonstration teams, as well as the U.S. Air Force Heritage flight of evolutionary fighter aircraft Oct. 9 and 10 over the Atlantic Ocean in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Flying high, the F-16 is a single-seat, multi-mission fighter with the ability to switch from an air-to-ground to air-to-air role at the touch of a button. The 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah is home to the Viper West Coast Demonstration Team. Major David Graham, the Viper West F-16 demonstration pilot, is a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon, known to military pilots as the Viper, is a compact, extremely maneuverable multi-role fighter aircraft that has proven itself in air-to-air combat, as well as air-to-surface attack. With its lightweight airframe and powerful General Electric engine generating 31,000 pounds of thrust, the F-16 can fly at speeds in excess of Mach 2.
Spectators will witness a blast from the past as the P-51 Mustang demonstration team shakes up the skies in this single-seat, long-range World War II fighter aircraft. Flying this aircraft is Embry-Riddle graduate Lee Lauderback of Orlando, Fla. Lauderback began flying in 1966 at the age of 15. Shortly after college, he went to work for the noted professional golfer and businessman, Arnold Palmer, and for 17 years headed his flight operations as chief pilot and director of flight operations.
Lauderback is today president and CEO of Stallion 51 Corp., the world center for P-51 flight operations. Additionally, he is the chief flight instructor, air show demonstration pilot, and one of the civilian pilots for the USAF Heritage Flight program.
The USAF Heritage Flight program presents the evolution of USAF air power by flying today’s state-of the- art fighter aircraft in close formation with vintage fighter aircraft.
The Wings and Waves Heritage Flight will feature the P-51 Mustang, F-22 Raptor, and the F-16 Viper to dramatically display U.S. Air Force air power history and support Air Force recruiting and retention efforts.
A Heritage Flight performance involves a current USAF fighter jet piloted by an Air Combat Command single-ship demonstration team pilot and flown with a historical warbird piloted by a trained and certified civilian pilot. The program includes eight active duty pilots and nine civilians.
The show will take place off the Daytona Beach shoreline, centered in front of the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort. The show begins at 11 a.m. daily and admission is free to all.