If It’s April, This Must Be Sun ‘N Fun

March teases us nearly every year here where I live in Kansas, tempting us with a sampling of spring weather, then pulling us back in to winter once or twice as surely as sunrise and sunset. But March's teasing seldom frustrates me as much as my non-aviating friends and neighbors. What these folks don't know is that, as sure as Daylight Savings Time rolls around so does Sun 'n Fun, the official opening of the "Big Show Season" in aviation. For me and thousands more, Sun 'n Fun becomes a spring celebration of flight that melts away winter chills and warms souls with the camaraderie of old friends reunited and new friends found.

By the time those first whispers of spring training appear on the sports pages, I'm far afield, wandering down to Lakeland, Fla., to South Florida Boulevard, Interstate 4, center-city ponds and lakes, Lakes Parker and Louise. And Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport, where dawns are punctuated by the wake-up call of radial-engine biplanes over my tent, the snooze alarm of ultralights aloft in the morning chill, where the cloudy mists embrace the campground pond and spice that first hot coffee after emerging from the hot tropical mists of the campground showers.

The days fill with work, flying, fun, and enough sun to warrant combining shade with shopping or touring the International Sport Aviation Museum. Before you know it, the jumpers signal the start of the afternoon airshow, floating down to show center dangling a gigantic Old Glory that floats into the hands of volunteer flag catchers who try to keep it off the ground. Most of the masses swarm toward the front row to view the next three hours of aerial action until the final act flies, before moving in an en mass migration to Paradise City to watch up-close-and-personal the rainbow show of ultralights, light experimentals, hang gliders and powered parachutes that glitter in the golden dusk until just before sunset shadows the show grounds.

And even in the dark, the show grounds swarm with nocturnal life; there is even a night airshow display scheduled this year. Thousands of campground conversations occur among long-time friends who've never met outside this airport perimeter. Hundreds will flock to the evening corn roast and hang around to listen to the live, pick-up jam pilot/musicians provide in the main campground. Others drift toward the evening movie at the cafeteria, to hear an evening lecture, or simply walk along the rows of silent wings tied across the flightline before slumbering beneath the stars next to their plane, car, camper or campsite.

Finally, somewhere around midnight, the entire field seems hushed with the only sounds the deep, slumbering breaths of thousands, leaving the first dark hours of morning to the celebrations of whippoorwills, nightingales and bull frogs.

Every year, Florida, like a mythical Brigadoon, briefly gives the winter-worn aviator the closest thing you could ever hope for in a fountain of youth-like winter tonic; a laid back, homey fly-in and airshow called Sun 'n Fun.

This year's Sun 'n Fun, the 27th Annual, runs April 8 through 14, not only helping thousands of us escape the lingering vestiges of winter, but also blocking out the realities of tax season. But it would be a lie to say we haven't been looking forward to Lakeland for a long time.

It ain't Oshkosh and doesn't try to be; it's not anything but a reflection of its roots, a winter diversion staged by folks steeped in the tradition of Southern hospitality looking for a way to escape the winter.

From fewer than 400 hundred people and a handful of airplanes in January 1975, to the first March event in 1980, to the addition of the opening-morning balloon race in 1981, to the move to April in '88, through the addition of new offices, a museum, dedicated staff, more camp space and the massive attending attendance growth - peaking at 741,000 in 1994 - Sun 'n Fun has matured into a premier international event exceeded in size by only one other, but exceeded by none in warmth, welcome, and end-of-winter fun.

Already, alerts from many manufacturers sound the bell for plenty of new-product news in the coming week, not the least of which will be some airplane designs new to the show and the public, a bit of avionics, maybe even announcements concerning a new class of light plane to go with the sport pilot NPRM still ensconced somewhere in the bowels of AVweb's Favorite Aviation Agency. Several weeks ago, FAA insiders hinted strongly that we were within weeks of release of this long-awaited proposal for a new category of airplane and operator's permit - one allowing medical certification on the basis of a valid vehicle-operators permit from any of the 50 states.

Now, the hints seem equally strong that the proposed changes are getting the thrice-over by folks at the Department of Transmeddling - the same place a promising proposal for medical self-certification died aborning a few years ago from a bottom-drawer veto. The latest lowering of expectations: Perhaps not until late summer or early fall. It took many years to get this proposal into harmony with too many constituencies. Let's hope its fate is decided on the merits and not an individual's emotional responses to thoughts of his elderly father taking up flying because he still has an operators permit from one of the states.

Regardless, a standing-room-only audience will have its chance to ask one of aviation's top kicks about it, as well as many other concerns, when Acting Deputy Administrator Monte Belger comes for the 2001 Sun 'n Fun version of Smack the FAA Mole later in the show. Belger will be attending in lieu of his boss, Jane Garvey, who was slated to make the trek but was forced to cancel at close to the last minute to attend an ICAO meeting in Montreal.

The crowds will get their chance to root for Bruce when Bohannon challenges the standing world record in absolute altitude for normally-aspirated piston airplanes on Tuesday. Already the holder of time-to-climb records for 3,000 meters, 6,000 and 9,000 meters, Bruce has had his Exxon Tiger to within a few thousand feet of toppling the old record - which stands in the 33,000-foot neighborhood.

Another special this year is the return of the night airshow on Tuesday, when the glow of propane burners will light up hot-air balloons on the tarmac and various performers glitter through the sky with pyro charges blasting off their planes during night aerobatic routines. If you've never seen this, don't blast off the field after the daily airshow ends. Instead, take an early dinner, find yourself a prime spot and wait until dark.

If you have any doubts, tune in to Sun 'n Fun Radio, the event's own AM radio station, for the latest updates, live broadcasts of the airshow, interviews, and more.

Airplanes seem perpetually aloft during Sun 'n Fun, from that first wake-up traffic of the morning, to the stragglers arriving late in the evening after the tower closes. Part of the daily swarm includes the tourist rides from the grassy runway near show center, which this year will again include the only flying American Standard biplane.

And the commercial buildings will be filled with all sorts of wares, aviation-oriented and not. You'll likely see something you previously thought was available only through some special infomercial offer, as well as all the latest goodies from the industry's top manufacturers and vendors.

Between noon and 2:00 p.m. each day, manufacturers showcase their latest and greatest with non-stop flying along the show line, providing shoppers and dreamers alike an opportunity to see their coveted model ply the sky.

But for the true believers, there's no better place to be than out under an airplane, around an airplane, in an airplane or talking about being in, around or near an airplane. For those hard-core among the throngs, a must-visit are generally some of the 200-plus Sun 'n Fun Forums that fill the schedule for the week. With seven tents, the Forums often run seven deep, simultaneously.

And the topics span almost every aspect of aviating you would ever imagine and a few you probably wouldn't, including a talk on the experience of being a NASA astronaut, by a NASA astronaut, of course. Other, more-conventional topics include modernizing your Continental or Lycoming, Rotax maintenance, and homebuilder-basic topics such as converting an auto engine, aircraft covering, even flight testing or estimating the value of your bird. Many of the forums apply equally or more to owners and pilots of factory airplanes, lest you think this is all for the experimental types. One topic always popular with pilots of all aircraft origins is one on accelerating your progress toward an instrument rating.

Sun 'n Fun also features daily workshops in 11 areas designed to provide an opportunity to gain some hands-on experience in airplane-building skills: welding, sheet-metal work, covering, wood-working, riveting, using the English Wheel and more. As an educational experience, Sun 'n Fun should really be eligible for tuition tax credits.

And speaking of education, Sun 'n Fun offers future aviators - the kids of our flying households - plenty to do, as well. Many children's interests can be enhanced with a visit to the Young Eagles tent, not far off the center of the commercial displays. There, the kids can try their skills on some hands-on projects commonly associated with building an airplane, as well as learning about the basics of aerodynamics and the world of flight.

Of course, there's the daily air show each afternoon at 3:00, featuring some of the best names in the business. This year the agenda includes headliners like Patty Wagstaff, Sean D. Tucker, Gene Soucey, Bill Leff, Jimmy Franklin, and Ken Brock in his autogyro, Warren Anderson and Bill Amyx. Among the team performances scheduled are Buis, Roger and OTTO every day, the Iron Eagles Wednesday and Thursday, the North American T-6 Team, Swift Magic, and the U.S. Aerobatic Foundation team.

Sun 'n Fun routinely attracts several thousand show planes, and several times that number in folks who simply fly in for a taste of spring. And that makes Lakeland one great spot for airplane watching, shopping and buying. Between the dedicated areas for homebuilts, vintage, contemporary, warbirds, rotorcraft, seaplanes and ultralights, you can also scour miles and miles of aisles of pretty planes that are some lucky soul's regular ride. Various type clubs list meetings or social gatherings during the show. And you'll probably bump into a fellow aficionado of your favorite bird.

From dawn until the airshow starts, and from the end of the airshow until dusk, the Sun 'n Fun visitor can view the lightest-plane action in Paradise City, the section of the show grounds where ultralights and light-experimental airplanes fly from 3,000 feet of lush green grass - within feet of the crowds.

Adjacent to the Paradise City runway is the exhibit area for these vendors, so you can shop and watch without wearing out your legs working for a good position to watch the action.

Between their myriad designs, pastel colors and mix of powerplants, you'll find a variety of action in machines you may not have known existed. Powered hang gliders, powered parachutes, conventional ultralights, and very-light experimentals - progenitors of the much-anticipated Sport Plane Category.

Once you're past the Florida panhandle, you're generally home free when flying into Sun 'n Fun. Similar to arrivals for EAA Air Venture, AOPA Expo and scores of non-aviation events around the nation, an FAA NOTAM spells out the procedures, frequencies and hours of operation for pilots flying in to Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport (LAL), adjacent Plant City Municipal and Winter Haven airports. Every year a few nummies find themselves stumbling around north of LAL, between the Orlando and Tampa Class Bravos, and without a clue what to do to safely make the transition to Sun 'n Fun.

Don't be one of them. The FAA has had the NOTAM available for months, complete with a handy videotape to give you some graphic instruction to go with the verbiage. Yes, it's a bit late for the videotape, but it's never too late to obtain, read and understand the NOTAM. No excuses.

Once you get the NOTAM, print it out, read it and ready yourself for the Lake Parker arrival. You won't be sorry you came - you'll be alive, safe and might even get a "way to go" from the controllers handling the flow.

A cautionary for VFR pilots is in order, however, and it concerns spring in the Panhandle. The worst of recent-year attendance came about because of several days of marginal VFR-to-IFR conditions between Jacksonville and Pensacola. The best way to avoid getting trapped on the wrong side of that meteorological barrier is to slide your departure date one way or the other, if you have the flexibility. Better to detour to a weak spot than to sit down on the edge of the system, and have it keep you trapped until time to turn for home again. Otherwise, usually the weather is warm, dry and pleasant at least five of the seven days, often six, sometimes seven.

You probably know all the usual tips by now: Pack comfy shoes, two or three pair; plenty of absorbent socks; plenty of sun screen; and some insect repellent to keep you on the safe side. If you're camping, look for any telltale signs of fire ants before you pitch your tent or roll out your bag; foresight beats a red, swollen, burning itchy bum, or a trip to First Aid or the ER, any day.

Food is plentiful on the field, breakfast, lunch and dinner. A couple of general stores on the grounds provide plenty of staples, from bread and meat, to drinks to charcoal and grills. A ride off the show grounds will save you money, and there is a shuttle service into town and to the Lake Louise seaplane base.

Also plentiful off-field are a variety of restaurants stretched along Florida Boulevard between Interstate 4 up north to beyond Medulla Road, the main artery into the airshow. If you can imagine it in a cuisine, Lakeland's got it - even sushi.

And if you plan to stay in a hotel, good luck and Godspeed. Rooms are generally scarce within 15 miles of LAL by now and will remain so until Wednesday, when many rooms in Lakeland open up as the early birds depart. Otherwise, you'll want to arrange for wheels to get you to the closest available rooms, usually equidistant east or west from the Lakeland interchange off Interstate 4.

We'll keep an eye out for you, and hope you'll do the same. You'll be able to recognize us for our AVweb hats and shirts; be sure to wave so we will recognize you.

We'll see you on the flightline, in the exhibitor booths, kicking tires and just generally enjoying yourself.

Return to AVweb's 2001 Sun 'n Fun coverage ...