Ole Miss-LSU Rivalry Takes Flight
Flight pattern art creates taunting messages above rival airspace ahead of big game
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss-LSU rivalry soared to new heights ahead of the big game this Saturday.
University of Mississippi alumnus and pilot Joshua Gregory invaded Baton Rouge last week to taunt Tiger fans with the airborne message "Come to the SIP." Not to be outdone, Louisiana State University fan and pilot Matthew Becker was inspired to return the trash talk by spelling out "Geaux Tigers" above Oxford on Thursday (Sept. 17).
"I have been doing these Ole Miss-themed flight path artworks for about six months over Oxford," Gregory said. "I thought, 'I've got to do something big for the LSU game, and that it would sting more if I did it over their airspace.'"
Alumnus Joshua Gregory flew over southern Louisiana this week to create aerial artwork reading 'Come to the Sip.' Gregory has been creating flight path messages for Ole Miss athletics for several months as he works to accumulate flight hours.
Seeing Becker invade Oxford to return the taunt makes this experience even better, Gregory said.
"This is what college football rivalries are all about, pushing back," he said. "It was really cool. I could not think of a better answer to what I did and am actually appreciative of him coming up here and doing this."
The two pilots had a chance encounter on Thursday as Becker came to north Mississippi to deliver his retort. Meeting Gregory at the Panola County Airport was the most unexpected thing to happen in his life, Becker said.
"I had never met this guy before, but we got to talking and he told me what he did and I was like, 'Wait until you find out why I'm here,'" Becker said. "Joshua was the one who inspired me to do this.
"I was looking for something fun to do to inspire other people to be pilots when I saw what he did over Lafayette (County) and Baton Rouge, and I couldn't let that stand."
"Geaux Tigers" felt like a good natural retort.
"I had a few other ideas, but to be frank, some of the things we say in Tiger Stadium are not appropriate," he said. "So, I thought the tried-and-true 'Geaux Tigers' with the Louisianan spelling stood out."
LSU fan Matthew Becker responded to Joshua Gregory's Ole Miss-themed message by flying a 'Geaux Tigers' message over north Mississippi.
Gregory and Becker "wrote" these messages via their flight patterns recorded by FlightAware. Using their tail numbers, N6886W for Gregory and N8263Z for Becker, fans can see their flight pattern artwork displays on the website or app.
Gregory said it took about two hours to plot out the pattern for "Come to the SIP," then another 13 hours to fly to Opelousas, Louisiana, write the message and fly back.
"It was worth every moment of it," he said. "The feedback has been worth it; a lot of people have gotten excited about it."
For example, toward the end of his flight, personnel at the New Orleans air traffic control noticed his flight path was a little erratic and looked up what he was doing.
"They had a little bit of a fun rivalry push back," he said. "We had a good time with it on the radio there late at night."
Then after he landed, he received feedback from people around the world who were watching him do it live.
"My Facebook page blew up," he said. "There was a flight tracking group that watches flights from all over the world and saw mine in real time.
Joshua Gregory uses his Piper Cherokee to create Ole Miss-themed messages in the skies over north Mississippi. Submitted photo
"I was getting messages from people in Germany and England. This whole thing has just been fun and is blowing up into something larger than I was expecting it to."
As for Saturday's matchup on the field, Gregory has high hopes.
"I think it is going to be a tight game, a heated game," he said. "I think both teams will have big plays. I think the score will be high. And I'm positive my Rebels will take the win."
Becker, naturally, feels otherwise.
"I think we are going to win by 20, but if I'm being honest, we're probably only going to win by about 10," he said. "The important thing is that Lane is coming back to Oxford to remind y'all that you should have held on a little tighter."
Gregory started doing flight pattern art pieces as part of accumulating 1,500 hours to be certified as a commercial pilot, and he is about halfway there. That means more artwork may be coming this season.
"I love Ole Miss football, and this feels like my way to be a part of it," he said. "If a player breaks out for a game, I'll write something for them."
Top: UM alumnus and pilot Joshua Gregory (left) meets Louisiana State University fan and pilot Matthew Becker at the Panola County Airport. The two recently flew over the rival university's cities to deliver flight pattern art messages supporting their team leading up to the Ole Miss-LSU game on Saturday (Sept. 19). Submitted photo