Special Report: Sun ‘N Fun 2002

LAKELAND - As the sun set here Saturday evening, a feeling of imminent exultation seemed to permeate the grounds of Sun n Fun EAA Fly-In, edition 2002. And so many reasons loomed for the exact opposite. In the prior 24 hours, for example, two aviators ended their air-show adventure with an in-flight tangle over the arrival end of Lakelands Runway 27 Left, making the arrival neither great nor good. Neither the Piper Pacer or RV-6A could be flown away; nor could either aviator walk away. Tragically, the injuries to one of the pilots proved fatal.

Saturday included at least one aeronautical boo-boo on the field, a gear-up landing by an unfortunate Mooney pilot. Of course, the local eye-witless new minions covered as many details as possible -- and saying some not-probable things -- along with their film at 11.

And both Friday and Saturday the behavior of too many pilots flying the stone-simple Lake Parker Arrival made long-time participants expound on the potential value of written validation that a Sun n Fun-bound pilot had honestly read and understood procedures spelled out in the annual NOTAM. As it was, far too many had too much to say far too often when silence was the commandment-by-NOTAM for flying the counterclockwise circuit around Lake Parker. And one other note for a few aviators from the controllers who worked so hard to keep chaos at bay and calm at hand: 100 miles-an-hour is not 100 knots; 800 feet is not 1,200 -- and neither is 1,400.

All that said, the mood of the membership of this ad hoc club of aviation enthusiasts remained as buoyant as the hot-air balloons that bubbled from Sunday mornings dewy grass to formally launch this years Sun n Fun. Sun n Fun Chairman Bill Eickhoff and President John Burton beamed because there seemed plenty to smile about while watching the picture-perfect launch. I hope its an omen for the rest of the week, Burton said.

Already, other omens of a good show seemed apparent. For one, upon arrival Friday evening, a regular to EAA Sun n Fun noted a noticeably larger assembly of airplanes and campers than at the same point a year ago; the commercial display areas lacked nothing but open space -- sold out, yet again, even with some absentees from the veteran-vendors list. Ive got a good feeling about this years show, said a relaxed Burton Saturday evening before Sun n Funs first Presidents Gala.

Other signs of change and growth include an all-new terminal building for Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, Sun n Funs ancestral home. Built a couple hundred yards north of the original, the gleaming new facility gave a new home to Tonys, the long-time airport restaurant.

While these new features adorn this years Spring Celebration of Flight, all the best of the old traditions remain intact. For example: the Sunday morning balloon race, the campground corn roast and the evening sounds of ultralights flying until sunset in Paradise City.

On top of it all, this year the Sport Pilot/Sport Airplane proposal is an actual Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), shifting the blue-sky discussions concerning what it might say to more-concrete debates about what it may do and what it will mean.

And, as has happened for air shows and fly ins for more than nine decades, a number of new products arrived alive for the Sun n Fun EAA Fly-In.

Combine the continued advances and evolution on the business side with the elevated enthusiasm of the attendees, three straight great-weather days and progs for decent weather until late week, and Sun n Fun 2002 could be the event that confirms general aviations sense of existence. Last November attendance at AOPA Expo in Fort Lauderdale illustrated that members of the general aviation community remained undiminished in their support. A number of trade shows already staged this year have helped boost that sense, thanks to attendance numbers equal or greater than the prior years events.

And this week a larger segment of the community seems to be reaffirming its faith in flight by flocking to Central Florida to celebrate what we share -- a love of flying, of flying machines and of flying to common ground to indulge both of these passions with our passionate peers.

Why else but for love and passion would Charles Lindberghs grandson Eric set out to re-create his grandfathers epic trans-Atlantic flight between New York and Paris but to show that our sense of purpose and adventure remains undiminished?

Twenty years ago the grass roots of general aviation waited for the final form of a new FAR proposed to define a new type of no-license-required flying that held the promise of lowering costs and barriers to flying while increasing the fun factor. Until the apocalyptic pronouncements of the television show 20/20 cast an unearned pall on ultralight flying, Part 103 actually managed to serve as hoped.

These new proposals may prove to do the same, only better, thanks in part to the implications of government regulations and the fact that many of the airplanes eligible for use under the Sport Aircraft definition enjoy decades of history that proves them to be solid, stable little flying machines.

Of course, the naysayers may be more correct than hoped, instead, which simply means that general aviation will remain cyclical in its growth. More on this later in the week.

No doubt, a few of you were around 75 years ago to hear firsthand the news of the Lone Eagles triumph over the Atlantic -- Charles Lindberghs epic 33-hour flight that bridged an ocean and opened the door to routine transoceanic flight. Here at Sun n Fun two separate commemorations of that event came together on the same field at the same time.

The historically accurate commemoration came from veteran aviation collector Kermit Weeks, of Weeks Museum and Fantasy of Flight fame. Weeks replica of the Spirit of Saint Louis has been dubbed the most historically accurate replica to take wing. Its almost like seeing a flight of the original ship -- the one hanging on display at the Smithsonians National Air & Space Museum.

The most challenging commemoration is, of course, Eric Lindberghs repeat of his grandfathers flight of 1927 -- albeit in a one-off Lancair Columbia 300. Built with a wing designed to hold 300 gallons of fuel, this Lancair launches in 4,000 feet of runway at a takeoff weight about 1,000 pounds heavier than the normal Columbia 300. After making an appearance on Sun n Funs opening day, Lindbergh returned to San Diego to start his repeat by flying to St. Louis, then Long Island before continuing on to Le Bourget. Good luck Lindy the Younger.

Now, youll have to be patient for this one to come out clean: Microsoft announced its addition to the EAAs Countdown to Kitty Hawk presented by the Ford Motor Co. Whew, got the boilerplate out of the way. What this means to fans of Flight Sim and airplanes in general is a crack at flying the original 1903 Wright Flyer via a computer model Microsoft is developing to run in the popular program. Stay tuned; this will evolve further as Oshkosh approaches.

Deep in the commercial exhibit section sits a Cessna Cutlass II with the word Experimental adorning the door windows -- and that one word alone drew the observant to ask what was different about this 172 variant. "An airplane parachute," came the answer from staffers at BRS Inc., the airplane-parachute people. More than two years after asking the question, BRS has acted on the answer. Bring in a Skyhawk and about $16,500 and have an airplane with its very own ballistic recovery system. And if the pending STC for the Skyhawk installation takes off and demand warrants, other airplanes in the 2,550-pound weight class may soon be eligible for a BRS, as well.

On the opposite site of the commercial area a new bird sits outside the Aviat Aircraft tent -- a variant of the Husky dubbed the Aviat Pup. The differences: a 160-horse O-320 :Lycoming instead of a 180-horse O-360; a fixed-pitch Sensinich in place of a Hartzell constant-speed; a new, slicker-looking cowl and a no-flap wing with more aileron area. Oh, yeah, we almost forgot the biggest difference from a Husky: more than $30,000 you wont pay for a Pup. With VFR avionics the Pup will sell for about $118,000 -- or for about $110,000 without the basic radio package. For fun flying, for flight schools looking for a deal in a sturdy, new two-place trainer, the Pup may be the ticket.

And theres more new to talk about in the coverage coming from AVweb later this week.