Inaugural Series Begins In April

EVQ announced earlier this week the association of Matt Chapman as a contender in the  upcoming inaugural ACAP Competition Airshow Series.

"We are thrilled and honored to have Matt on board for this series," said series founder and director Rick Rushing. "He is a competition and airshow veteran. His skill and competitive drive are a great fit for our program."

Chapman will take over the spot held by the late Eric Beard, who was sadly killed earlier this month as he was flying for a courier service.

Matt Chapman started flying in 1979, and is currently a pilot for American Airlines (who knew an MD-80 could do a barrel roll?) A 14,000-hour pilot, Chapman began aerobatics in 1984 and quickly worked his way up to the highest level of competition aerobatics, Unlimited. He won one of only five slots on the US Unlimited Men’s Aerobatic Team in 1996 and 1998.

"I’m really excited about being the eighth pilot named to the ACAP series. 2006 will be my 21st year in the airshow business, and by far, this is the most excited I have been in years," said Chapman. "I love the mix of pilots on board with ACAP. We have new pilots, young pilots and veteran pilots alike."

"It will be really fun to work the young guys to see what their made of," said Chapman in a recent interview. "I’m sure I will need to raise my game to keep up with some of these guys. I fully expect the ACAP series to become a huge success and I’m thrilled to be on board for the inaugural season."

"ACAP is here to stay!" Chapman added.

Unveiled at the 2005 ICAS convention held last December, the ACAP series is set to launch in April, 2006. Each participant in the series will have onboard video technology provided by EVQ, designed and developed to bring the audience, sponsors, and participants the ultimate airshow experience.

FMI: www.evqshows.com, www.mattchapman.com