TAVARES, Florida—Parachutes are scheduled to decorate the sky over Lake Dora when the Phantom Airborne Brigade presents its Phantom Family Day Water Jump Saturday at Tavares’ Wooton Park.
The first drop is scheduled for 10 a.m. with additional paratroopers jumping every 20 minutes. Four flights are scheduled with a total of eight passes and each pass will include 10 paratroopers jumping simultaneously, according to City of Tavares Director of Public Communications and Emergency Management Mark O’Keefe.
The aircraft, Tico Belle, is a WWII C-47 Skytrain and dropped paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne into Normandy on D-Day, Operation Market Garden in Holland and provided support for Berlin aircraft, O’Keefe said in a press release.
Spectators can view the jumps from the shoreline at Wooton Park, 100 East Ruby Street and the parking garage located at 100 North Sinclair Avenue will be open early; parking is free.
The Phantom Airborne Brigade in a non-profit veteran’s organization that gives Airborne-qualified veterans the opportunity to military static line jump after leaving active duty. Jumpers are all ranks and Airborne units, foreign and domestic and includes disabled and combat-wounded paratroopers.
