It’s a sunny Thursday morning here in Lakeland, Florida, and we’re gearing up for our 3rd day in paradise. There’s been plenty of sights to see already, but the rest of the week is shaping up to be even better. Join us here to get briefed on the best of what’s to come. Today’s broadcast is brought to you by Hartzell Propeller…when you want to get somewhere, make sure you’re motivated by a Hartzell prop.
The weather today is going to be sunny and very warm once again, temps settling into 92º or so, matching a high set in 2017. Winds southeast at 12 miles per hour, with some gusts up to 27 mph later in the day. Precipitation looms, but its odds aren’t that great at 25%. Thunderstorms are even less likely at 5%.
The big news of the day? The Blue Angels are coming into town, with all the pageantry and sound that normally accompanies them. They’ll dominate the air show lineup today, accompanied by the US Navy E/A-18G Growler and F-35C Demonstration Teams. Between their arrival and a little practice with their C-130 Hercules, there’s enough to check out even if the full lineup looks a little shorter than yesterday’s. Get some earplugs for the kids, if you’ll be walking the grounds, because today’s shows will be almost all-jet from the way it’s all shaping up. The Angels start at 1 in the afternoon, so be there or be… well even if you aren’t there, you’ll probably hear it from anywhere!
Today’s guest is Mitch Heaton of Hartzell Propeller, here to tell us about the latest and greatest from the storied marque. Hartzell is well on the way to cap off 2025 with 9 new STCs, with new products for tried and true favorites and unusual new faces. A Hartzell bestseller, the Voyager prop, has been lightened by 21 pounds thanks to some creative engineering. Heaton was particularly proud of some praise lavished on the new design. That lineup now covers the 80” to 86” spectrum, covering Skywagons and more. Hartzell’s also working on some Advanced Air Mobility stuff that will probably be under wraps until Paris, too.
Finally, Barry Knutilla of King Schools joins us to catch us up on everything they’re up to these days. King Schools recently disbursed a whole lot of scholarships for some lucky aviators, picked for their passion and impact on the industry at large. King plans to announce some more good news later in the day, adding a few more scholarship recipients to the pool of lucky students. King Schools has been running a Sun ‘n Fun discount for this week only, using code “ANN25”.
A few more events going on today:
- “The Bash”, fund raiser at Aerospace Center for Excellence, supports ACE educational programs
- Sunset Aerial Circus air show at Paradise city from 7:00 to 8:30 pm
- Meet and Greets:
- Nathan Hammond, Ghostwriter 10:00 -11:00 am
- RJ Gritter, Decathlon 10:00 - 11:00 am,
- Ken & Austin Reider, Van’s RV-8 12:00-1:00 pm
- Captain Taylor FEMA Hiester, F-16 Demo Team 12:00-1:45 pm
- Powered parachutes and paragliders in Light Planes/paradise city at 6:20
- STOL Invitational competition from 7:00 to 8:30 pm
- Country artist Thomas Mac performs at the island, 8:30 pm
Check back tomorrow for Friday’s Morning Brief!
