Flying |
Sun N Fun 2004
Here are some shots from
Sun-N-Fun 2004.I went with a flying buddy from my R/C club that is actually
the person who got me involved in full scale General Aviation. It's a short
drive from my house to Lakeland Linder Field, where Sun-N-Fun is held each year.
Jamie's an old veteran at Sun-N-Fun, and had a great strategy to see everything.
We met at the gate, where it pays off in spades to get the flightline pass for
a couple bucks more. We both get a small discount for being AOPA members, so
you might want to keep that in mind if you're not a member. Anyone can join
AOPA, you don't have to be a pilot to show your support of General Aviation.
The same goes for the EAA, which is the real force behind this event. Consider
joining both and enjoying the camradery of other folks who share your interests
in airpcraft.
OK, here's the strategy,
'cause there's a whole lot of ground to cover:
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First, we went in
to the hangers where the companies and vendors are set up. We go early
in the show, while everyone's still fresh and happy, second or third day,
so things are smooth and people are happy to see you. This beautiful Grumman
(click on picture for full size photo) was parked right outside the vendors'
area. It was immaculate.
I picked up a Lightspeed
headset with ANC for about $30.00 less than regular price. Could've bargained
her down more maybe, but it was already a good price to begin with. Puttered
around for a while and drooled over all the cool avionics and doo=dads
you can get for your plane, then ambled out onto the tarmac to see some
airplanes. Many people think that the best time to get a bargain is right
at the last minute, but I think that the salesguy is more likely to be
jaded and out of patience by the end of a huge event like this and won't
try so hard to make the deal. |
Anyway, There's just
about every kind of plane you can imagine on display. This is a Van's
RV8. I've seen a couple of these RV's at various airports I fly into,
and they are some nice looking and flying planes!
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There's also some pretty
wild stuff to be seen, as well. This thing is built on a real row boat and
has a plastic porch chair for a seat. The Game and Fish commission uses
it to check shore lines and rivers at low and slow flight levels. I heard
someone say that it can fly comfortably at 28 miles per hour. Amphibious,
too! |
The Cessna 195's were
there in force. Here's a whole line of them. This picture makes a good desktop.
Feel free to use any of my pics for yourself, just don't sell them without
my permission. Just click on any pic to download the full size one. |
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Now, there's
a lot you can see without the flightline pass, but the real show is going
on out on the flightline. There are literally acres of planes lined up out
there. The pics I've got here are just a tiny sample of what we saw. One
thing to remember when you go is that it takes quite a while to walk around
this place. Take water. Jamie knew about a tractor ride located just inside
the flightline gate, and for five bucks they'd drive your ass all over that
event. The tractors pulled these big wagon-type trailers behind them that
had about a dozen rows of benches on each one, and went slow enough to allow
lots of picture oportunities. All you have to do is pay attention to where
the stuff you want to go back to is, so you can go back on foot later. They
took us up every row of aircraft out there. |
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