Purdue Aviation Day to host demonstration from U.S. Army’s Golden Knights
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — For the first time in Purdue Aviation Day history, the student-run organization will be hosting a live demonstration from the world-renowned parachuting team, the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights.
“Purdue Aviation Day has a rich history of bringing together the surrounding community to celebrate everything aviation and the incredible aviation program that we have here at Purdue University,” said Jeffrey Watts, Purdue Aviation Day associate director.
“What truly makes this year’s event unique is that Purdue Aviation Day will be the stage for an aerial demonstration for the first time ever.”
Purdue Aviation Day 2023 will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Purdue University Airport, located at 1501 Aviation Drive in West Lafayette.
The student organization will host a variety of activities in the Niswonger Aviation Technology Building, the research in aeromechanics and propulsion facility, the airport's hangars and throughout the airport grounds.
The event is free and open to the public; no tickets or registration is required. Parking will be available to the public.
The U.S. Army’s Golden Knights are set to hold their demonstration from 2:30 to 3:05 p.m. After the demonstration, members from the Golden Knights will be available to answer questions as they repack their parachutes.
Beyond the demonstration, the event will offer a variety of events for both young and old to enjoy throughout the day.
On the airport grounds, there will be over a dozen statist aircraft displays for families to walk through and examine. These planes range from military, commercial and civilian-style aircraft like the DC-3, T6 Texan and Embraer 175, to name a few.
Throughout the day, organizers will host a variety of events ranging from coloring books, a station to make airplane crafts, a photo booth, a station for kids' bingo, a pin the prop on the airplane and a falconry presentation from Purdue associate professor Thomas Hagovsky.
For individuals’ interest in learning more about the industry, organizers have scheduled several panels with aviation experts throughout the day.
Starting at 11 am, organizers will host a panel of aviation professionals presented by the Air Line Pilots Association, featuring Brad Cozza, airport operations manager for Medford Rogue Valley Airport (MFR), Nick Griswold, Indianapolis Center Controller, Mike Henning, associate general legal counsel for the international EQUAL Business Resource Group for United Airlines, Parker Morgan, a flight dispatcher for United Airlines, and First Officer Joel Zimmerman.
Following that event, there will be two additional panels with Capt. Laura Savino, a Purdue School of Aviation and Transportation graduate, and Jonathon Parry, who earned a bachelor of science in applied mathematics from Purdue in 2011 after joining the Navy in 2008, where he continues to serve.
The event was put together by Nathan Wong, Purdue Aviation Day executive director and president, and Michael Bender, executive director and head of operations. The event was also sponsored by Envoy Air Inc.
Noe Padilla is a reporter for the Journal & Courier. Email him at Npadilla@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter at 1NoePadilla.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue Aviation Day to host demonstration from Army’s Golden Knights
