We are happy to give you Patty's autograph signing schedule at 2007 AirVenture, July 23-29. Please note that there are occasional changes that are beyond our control but we always do our best. Looking forward to seeing our freinds and fans at Oshkosh very soon!
Monday, July 23
9:30 AM Press Conference at Cirrus Exhibit: Patty will sign autographs after the press conference until approx 11:00 AM
AIRSHOW Patty flies the Extra 300S
Tuesday, July 24
10:00 AM -11:00 AM Cirrus Exhibit: Autograph Signing
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM Flying Magazine Exhibit: Autograph Signing for Challenge Air for Kids
Wednesday, July 25
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Cirrus Exhibit: Autograph Signing
AIRSHOW Patty flies the P51D Mustang
Thursday, July 26
10:00 AM -11:00 AM Cirrus Exhibit: Autograph Signing
AIRSHOW Patty flies the Extra 300S.
Friday, July 27
8:00 AM -9:00 AM Hilton: Women in Aviation Breakfast
10:00 AM -11:00 AM Cirrus Exhibit: Autograph Signing
Patty was honored to fly both her Cirrus sponsored Extra 300S and a P51C, Princess Elizabeth, at the recent Gathering of Mustangs in Columbus, Ohio. She flew the Mustang in tribute to the Women's Air Service Pilots (WASPS).
Check out our 2008 Airshow and Event Schedule on our Schedule page. We are still booking shows and so this schedule is tentative, but check back for updates.
The season is about to start up and we've been busy getting ready. We will be getting our new Thunderbolt Lycoming 580 engine with more Horsepower soon! Richard Hamilton is completing the annual as we wait for the new engine to arrive from Williamsport. We have some great airshows booked this season, so please check our schedule page. There are several other events not listed, and we are still adding shows and have a couple of available dates. This season will be exciting as Patty hopes to fly some new airplanes and is currently getting her type rating in the L-39.
This winter Patty has been showing her horse Bebo in horse shows in Florida and just returned from a riding training trip to Portugal. Bebo, her Irish Sport Horse, is now 7 and is impossibly good shape which makes him frisky and beautiful.
Ripley and Cassidy, our Jack Russell Terriers are being true demanding terriers and Buddha is a very happy bird, barely surviving an injury this winter. Our local Vet, Dr. Rhoda Stevenson, and her great staff, saved his life and he is back to his ornery little self. Buddha has requested that we take him to several airshows this summer and he promises not to bite anyone if he goes.
Our SR22 Cirrus is in annual this week at Southeast Aero in St. Augustine and we're hoping to have it back next week. It's hard to be without it! We've put over 500 hours on it and have not had any trouble or maintenance issues other than routine oil changes, so it's been a great little airplane.
We have a new crew chief/aircraft relocation specialist with us this year, Phil Geraci. Phil is from the Philadelphia area, has his ATP and spent last summer towing banners along the New Jersey shoreline getting lots of tailwheel time. He has also taken aerobatic lessons with Greg Koontz, Keoki Gray and with Patty, and has been flying Patty's Extra N68PW; and is checked out in the Cirrus. We're excited about having Phil with us and we know it's going to be a great season with him along.
NEW EXCITING PROJECT in St. Augustine - Patty and her partner, Mike Mickel of Dominion Aviation in Richmond, Virginia, continue to push toward the goal of opening up a new FBO at the St. Augustine Airport (SGJ). The new FBO will be called "Patty Wagstaff Aviation" and they feel that with Patty's PR efforts and Mike's FBO experience they have a winning combination. We will keep everyone updated on this and of course expect whoever we know that owns an airplane to come and stop at the FBO!
Currently we are working on new music for our airshow routine this year. After flying the Gathering of Mustangs entirely to music, Patty would like to incorporate more choreographed music in her Extra routine. Mark Magin of Onboard Images is helping with this project.
This weekend, Saturday February 23 at 10 am, local radio station in Jacksonville Florida, Brian Kraut will be hosting Keoki Gray of Amelia Island Aerobatics and Patty on "Flighttime Radio Show." Go to www.flightimeradio.com for more information.
Signing off for now, but pictures and more news to come as the season starts winding up!
There is a very cool radio show that broadcasts from right here in Jacksonville, Florida called Flghttime Radio. Their web site is: www.flighttimeradio.com It's worth paying a visit and listening to their podcasts. These guys are all about aviation and have some great guests on the show. Patty was happy to be interviewed by Brian Kraut this weekend along with her friend Keoki Gray of Amelia Island Aerobatics.
It's Women's History Month and author Theresa Funke has written a story on the WASPS called "Living in the Wind." This story is available to download for free from the author's web site:
www.theresafunke.com
As the season approaches we are just about to fly the Extra with the new amazing Thunderbolt 580 engine directly from Textron Lycoming in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. With roller cams and 11-1 compression, this engine is super powerful and will not only give us better performance but will just growl! Pictured here is our super-mechanic Richard Hamilton on the right and Phil Geraci, our ferry pilot/crew chief on left.
We just returned from our first airshow of the season. One down, fifteen or more to go! The Tyndall show is awesome and we love being invited back. Thanks Major Kevin Cruson for all of your work in getting our paperwork straightened out, and David Shultz and his great crew for taking good care of us at the show. Tyndall is in Panama City and the beaches there are beautiful white sand. The evening show in front of the O Club is a tradition and it's just awesome flying over the beach and inlet at sunset. The smoke just hangs in the air and it's beautiful. Also, really fun to see our friends after a long winter - Dan Buchanan, John Mohr, Aeroshell Team, Ed Hamill, Aerostars, T-Birds, F-22, F-15 and Heritage Flight teams, and their crews.
On Wednesday, April 2, Patty talked at the Embry Riddle Campus in Daytona Beach, in the auditorium, to the Sport Aviation Club, members of Women in Aviation International and the 99's, and others. After an introduction by student and pilot Jeff Thornton (we've known Jeff from airshows), Patty showed her informative DVD and then spoke for awhile about her life before having a fun question and answer period with lots of great questions. Thanks for the hospitality!
We thought it was a great year at Sun & Fun. After leaving Punta Gorda we flew the Extra and Cirrus to Lakeland to drop off the Extra, go home for a night and then return the next day to stay for the week. Patty flew Thursday through Sunday and signed autographs at the Cirrus booth every day, and for her other sponsors, Lycoming Engines, Champion Aerospace and Aeroshell. We saw a lot of airshow and aviation friends and thought the show was one of the best. Highlights were flying the show, spending time with airshow performers who we haven't seen yet this season, watching Alex Land fly his first airshow in his CJ6. Great job Alex! Our crew consisted of Phil, Big B and Andy Irwin, one of the best teams ever. Patty's new Thunderbolt engine performed great and she says she now wants to modify her routine to show off the new engine's performance.
The April 16, 2008 blog by Paul Bertorelli at:
www.avweb.com has this picture of Patty during the inverted ribbon cut taken from inside the cockpit of her Cirrus-sponsored Extra 300.
The photographer who set it all up, Glenn Pew, can be seen in the lower left of the photo as he watches Patty zip by!
Look for a full video on Patty's flight later this month on AVweb. It's a riveting glimpse into an airshow from the other side of the cockpit canopy.
Patty with Wasp Betty Blake.
Check the