‘You can't just wing it.' How pilots prepare for the Marine Corps Air Show in Beaufort, SC
For months, these skilled pilots train and practice for hours on end, only to perform for a mere few minutes in the sky.
'They don't go out there and just wing it,' said Danny Lucas, director of the Ridgeland-Claude Dean Airport, where pilots from the Full Throttle Formation Team were spotted practicing earlier this week.
The team, based in Atlanta, is one of several elite aviation groups scheduled to perform at this year's show, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps.
The air show runs Saturday and Sunday, April 12 and 13, at the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
If you want to catch the Full Throttle Formation Team in action, their scheduled performance time is from 1:05-1:17 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
According to Lucas, who watched the team practice ahead of this weekend's show, the work behind the scenes is intense.
'There's something called 'chair flying,' where pilots rehearse their entire routine from the ground,' he said. 'They'll walk through every maneuver, imagining where they are in the sky, what their airspeed is and what position they hold in the formation. Sometimes, they do it with their eyes closed. It's all about muscle memory and mental focus.'
The result? A seamless performance that looks effortless to those watching from the ground.
Lucas notes that it's important for the public, especially younger children, to understand that airshows aren't just about spectacle.
'It's all based on a plan,' Lucas said. 'No matter if you're flying a private jet to a military plane, you have to have a path to get from where you are to where you want to be. You can't just wing it.'
Aviation blends both art and science, which is a delicate balance that becomes especially complex once you're in the air.
That's why these air shows can be special for visitors both big and small because they offer ways to connect people to a larger conversation about STEM education.
'We live in an area surrounded by airports and aviation,' Lucas said. 'This provides a great way to get kids thinking about science, technology, engineering and math, which are critically important skills, even if they don't want to become pilots.'
That's why the focus for these air shows extends beyond aviation but helps blend local opportunities with educational goals to encourage curiosity.
'We want our kids to use their imagination but also set themselves up to follow a particular path to get from where they are to where they want to be,' Lucas said.
With a packed weekend of intricate aerial performances and family-friendly fun, the 2025 Marine Corps Air Show promises to be a can't-miss event not just for aviation lovers but for anyone who enjoys a high-adrenaline demonstration of precision, discipline and teamwork.
What: Marine Corps Air Show featuring the Blue Angels
When: Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13
Where: Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort: Geiger Boulevard
More information: beaufortairshow.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
'A temple to the people's art': Everything we know about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
After decades of shaping galaxies far, far away, George Lucas finally made his debut at San Diego Comic-Con - the annual pop culture mega-event. It was Sunday afternoon when the 81-year-old veteran filmmaker, dressed, in his usual flannel shirt and jeans, stepped on stage at the convention to thunderous applause, with John Williams' iconic score for Star Wars swelling around the hall. But instead of teasing a new film or reviving an old franchise, Lucas was there for something far more personal: to talk about his very own museum. Co-founded with his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson, The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is a passion project that's been decades in the making. Set to open in Los Angeles in 2026, it promises to be a space that reflect Lucas' lifelong obsession with storytelling across genres, eras, and mediums. Related Controversial Princess Leia bikini costume from Star Wars sells at auction for €160,000 Why are Star Wars fans and SAG-AFTRA angry about Fortnite's AI Darth Vader? 'This is sort of a temple to the people's art,' Lucas told the crowd. "(Art) is more about a connection and emotional connection with the work, not how much it cost or what celebrity did it. I don't think it's anything anyone will tell you. If you have emotional connection, it's art. If you don't, just move onto the next painting,' Lucas added. Here's everything that's been revealed about this ambitious project so far: A museum that looks like a starship Designed by visionary architect Ma Yansong, of Chinese architecture firm MAD Architects, the museum's sleek, curved exterior resembles a giant spaceship - an appropriate design for the man who gave us the Millennium Falcon. Once completed, the five-story structure will span 300,000 square feet, making it about the size of a typical IKEA store. It will sit on 11 acres of landscaped green space next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and the University of Southern California, where Lucas once studied. So what will be inside? While Lucas is adamant that the museum is not a shrine dedicated to Star Wars, fans of the sci-fi franchise will still have plenty to geek out over inside. A sizzle reel, shown exclusively at the panel and narrated by Mace Windu himself, Samuel L. Jackson, previewed a number of Star Wars items that will be on display, including General Grievous's bike, the original landspeeder, and Anakin Skywalker's spaceship from The Phantom Menace. Many of these Star Wars works, also including artworks by legendary concept artist Ralph McQuarrie, will be housed in the museum's cinema gallery. But the scope of the museum goes far beyond a single franchise. Attendees of the panel were shown highlights from Lucas' personal collection, which includes paintings by Mexican icon Frida Kahlo and American painter Norman Rockwell, comic art by R. Crumb and Jack Kirby, and the first character drawing of Flash Gordon from 1934. Other marvels inside the futuristic building will include original Charles Schulz Peanuts strips from the 1950s and '60s, the first pen-and-ink splash page of Black Panther from 1968 and even the original drawing from the first Iron Man comic cover. Aside from expansive gallery space, the museum will also feature two cinemas, classrooms, a library, a restaurant, and a gift shop. The surrounding parkland will remain open to the public. When is the museum set to open? The museum was originally slated for completion in 2021, but the pandemic and the complexity of the build pushed the timeline back. While no specific opening date has been announced, it is set to open it's futuristic doors in 2026. Solve the daily Crossword
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Editorial: Lucas museum amps up. The LA excitement could have been happening in Chicago.
Ever since Chicago spurned the Lucas museum, which would have been funded by at least $800 million in philanthropic investments from 'Star Wars' icon George Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, a Chicago native, city snobs have pushed two narratives: one that the museum would never get built and another that it would not be any good if and when it did. Both of them are proving to be nonsense, as was obvious to us from the start. Back in 2016, Chicago lost a fully funded cultural attraction that would have drawn attention and visitors from all over the world. This was a Midwestern mistake for the ages. On Sunday, Lucas showed up for the first time ever at Comic-Con in San Diego to get people excited about the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. (Did we mention this could have been in Chicago?) He appeared alongside Oscar winners Guillermo del Toro and Doug Chiang on a panel hosted by Oscar nominee Queen Latifah. Do you routinely see such folks strolling down Michigan Avenue? Not since Oprah Winfrey left, you don't. Samuel L. Jackson narrated the 'sizzle reel,' promoting the museum. To say the Lucas appearance was a hot ticket is to understate. What will be in the 300,000-square-foot museum once it opens on its 11-acre campus in Los Angeles' Exposition Park next year? Paintings by Frida Kahlo, Maxfield Parrish, Kara Lewis and Norman Rockwell, comic book art from R. Crumb and Jack Kirby, original Peanuts and Flash Gordon comic strips, a fresco panel by Diego Rivera, illustrations by E.H. Shepard for 'The House at Pooh Corner.' The comic book covers that introduced Iron Man and Flash Gordon. Concept art from 'Indiana Jones.' A life-sized Naboo starfighter. That's just a taste. There will be, to say the least, a lot of interest in all those things. Chicago failed to understand what Lucas meant by 'narrative art.' But it's really not hard: his museum will be made up of the art to which people feel emotional connections and which forms much of the basis of our shared culture. The Lucas museum will be distinct from traditional art museums and will draw accordingly. Del Toro said Sunday that he, too, will likely deposit his own formidable collection of populist narrative art within the museum. Lucas called his decade-long endeavor 'a temple to the people's art.' The people's art. Chicago would have been its natural home. The dithering and naysaying that these days seems to come with doing anything substantial in this town lost us a potential jewel. What a colossal missed opportunity.
Epoch Times
2 days ago
- Epoch Times
George Lucas Unveils New Museum During First Comic-Con Appearance in San Diego
'Star Wars' creator George Lucas made his first appearance at Comic-Con International in San Diego over the weekend, giving thousands of fans a sneak peek at his forthcoming Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, set to open in Los Angeles next year. 'This is sort of a temple to the people's art,' Lucas, 81, said on Sunday while speaking on a panel with veteran production designer Doug Chiang and Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, who serves on the board of the museum. 'This museum is dedicated to the idea that ... any kind of story that is written to affect people and to build community is extremely important to society,' the 'Indiana Jones' creator said elsewhere during the conversation. 'Art illustrates that story, and that's the right hand of building a community, is you need the art to make it seem real.' Lucas first announced the project back in 2017. According to a July 27 press release, the museum will serve as 'the world's first institution dedicated to the exploration of narrative art, celebrating illustrated storytelling across eras and cultures, from ancient cave drawings and children's book illustrations to comic books and digital media.' Lucas co-founded the museum with his wife, Mellody Hobson. Once opened, it will showcase a variety of narrative artworks from the award-winning filmmaker's extensive 40,000-piece art collection, including the first-ever 'Flash Gordon' comic strip and original 'Peanuts' strips dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. During the discussion, the panel's moderator, singer Queen Latifah, revealed that Lucas had been stockpiling his vast repertoire of artworks for more than 50 years. 'I've been collecting art since I was in college,' Lucas told the audience at Comic-Con. 'I couldn't really afford real art. I love all art, no matter what it is, but I could afford comic art because in those days it was underground.' The new Lucas Museum of Narrative Art will be housed in Los Angeles's Exposition Park, located across the street from the University of Southern California. In addition to the gallery spaces, the 300,000-square-foot facility, which was designed by renowned architect Ma Yansong, will feature two theaters, a retail store, a library, a café, a restaurant, and several event spaces. Chiang, the senior vice president of Lucasfilm, praised Lucas and Hobson for exposing younger generations to the art of visual storytelling. 'Comic art and magazine illustration were kind of looked down upon, but it was a way for me to enjoy art, and it invited me to learn more about art,' he shared. 'What I love about what George and Mellody are doing with this museum is they are acknowledging and giving respect to artists who really haven't been highlighted before.'
