FMA co-founder John Zapp took the small stage on Tuesday evening to perform original compositions with guitar as well as country favorites.
They rolled up in golf carts or bicycles or wandered in on foot. They came for steaming husks of roasted corn on the cob, but stayed for the music.
Members of the Flying Musicians Association (FMA) performed on March 30, mingling their two passions—music and aviation—for an appreciative audience.
FMA co-founder John Zapp took the small stage on Tuesday evening to perform original compositions with guitar as well as country favorites. “If there’s anybody in the audience who would like to come up and jam,” he urged the group, “we’re happy to share it with you.” He even offered the use of a guitar.
An hour before the jam fest began, a downpour soaked Sun ‘n Fun visitors. But as quickly as the rain swept through the grounds, it disappeared, leaving behind cooler temperatures so that campers could more readily appreciate the music and the food.
Zapp and co-founder Eileen Hummel intended the FMA not only to blend their two passions, but also to encourage and educate youth in the science and art of aeronautics and music. FMA members have appeared at numerous aviation events around the nation since the organization was launched in 2009. At Sun ‘n Fun, FMA member Ravi, a nationally acclaimed guitarist who performed with the pop group Hanson, gave a presentation March 30 on rejuvenating flight training, and FMA member/aerobatic pilot Elgin Wells was set to fly his LED-festooned Starjammer during the nighttime airshow.
FMA performers will jam at other venues in 2011, including EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., and during AOPA Summit 2011 in Hartford, Conn. See the website for a complete list of dates.
