Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

[R&M Barnes]

We are planning on attending Sun 'n Fun with the "T" as her first public "debut". What do we need to know about and the "hows" of judging? What is the earliest we can fly in and get tied down? Is there going to be a forum this year? When? Where? I'm sorry if I'm being a pain, but I can't find any threads about this year's Sun 'n Fun. The "official" SNF website isn't any real help unless one is a warbird. Thanx.

[Pilot78]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

Take your Tornado insurance with you..........

Brian
SLC-UT

[Jim Herpst]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

Interesting. I hope R&M Barnes has a nice time. I noticed another dude from FT Lauderdale on the Cessna 140 site wanting to know "who was going" Sincerely hope the public debeu at Sun N Fun is as good as mine was . The EAA had my Taylorcraft as a feature article and cover page of the May 2001 Vintage Aircraft Magazine. That said I will never go back. No need to elborate....... I sincerely hope you have a nice time .

[R&M Barnes]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

Right...wx permitting of course. Like no inclement weather within 1,000 miles!

[Jim Herpst]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

Well Just to clarify no not the weather. That could not be helped. What could be helped was the way the folks were treated that suffered damage. Yes we have all read the PR letter on the web site. "Non Profit" Blue Cross Blue Shield is "Non Profit" also. Course the execs that work their are not working for free.... enough said. Enjoy your time there. Bring a fat wallet and be prepaired for them to walk around in it. Sincerely though enough of that... do enjoy and hope you get some positive recognition for the brand.

[fearofpavement]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

I am going to SnF this year. Going via vehicle. Did not go last year so missed the excitement. I used to go every year but it has gotten so expensive and really in my opinion has been no increase in the product to warrant the price increases. ie, the show is not better than it was five years ago and they have increased costs a lot. Paying for parking for instance that used to be free, etc. I have talked to assorted vendors that were just going to stop coming because their sales were slow and the vendor fees continued to rise to the point they couldn't pay the fuel and fees from sales let alone make a profit. I do think that the SnF people can price themselves out of business if they don't pay attention to their constituency.

[R&M Barnes]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

I know, EAA are really proud of themselves ($) and of that I get truly annoyed. We've gone many years flying and driving in. But this would be our first with a "show" plane (LOL). And we thought it would be fun to go for it with our project as so many folks had a truly helpful hand in it--including some TOC folk! Missed the "fun" of last year as we were painting that week (be careful whatcha wish for...) but the year before I think we only saw two T-craft.

[cvavon]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

Melinda if you want to get noticed come up to Tn in june and spend the week end with us at the ladies love tail dragger fly in as fly in coordinator and a tcraft owner I will park you front and center next to the other 4or 5 tcrafts Oh 3 are owned by ladies and one is from northern ohio

[AKbrew]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

I'll be there for the first three days. I was there last year for "the big event". It was sad...but that is really the first bad experience I've had at Sun-n-Fun. It's an annual event for dad and me. I'll look for your pretty T-Craft and if you're not there I'll leave a note for a meet up spot and time. If you want we can try 1:00pm on Wednesday in front of the type club tent. I'll be the guy with the deep base 'Alaska tan' in the In-N-Out Burger T-shirt!

[R&M Barnes]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

Hi there, cvavon!
How did that headliner work out for you? Maybe we'll make it to TN one day. Sounds great! OBTW enjoyed your Tcraft youtube and-OBTW-where/how did you get the picture of my "T" ~ it's at 5:05 orange and white at FXE? Imagine my surprise as I'm haven' a nice time groovin' on the tunes and the pretty little planes when....WOW-that's mine!!!

Looking forward to meeting up with you, AKbrew!

[wlas]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

Jim...Susie and I are down here in Florida and are planning on coming over to fun n sun at some point, when are you going to be there. I would like to meet up with some of guys from this site. We just spent the day at Spruce Creek fly in. Wow what a cool air park, makes Wolf Lake look small. Great bunch of guys at Spruce Creek.

[barnstmr]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

For those of you who are closer to TX... you should join us at the Central TX Taylorcraft Fly-in... same weekend as SNF.

[Mark Julicher]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

Terry,
I have had a few calls form people wondering about the word "invitational" on the poster. I tell then that if they can handle a 2000 foot grass strip to consider themselves invited. If they have a classic aircraft then they are doubly invited, if they have a Taylorcraft the trip is very near mandatory.

[fearofpavement]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

Taylorcrafts were a very rare bird in Lakeland this year. On Wednesday and Thursday I was able to walk the entire grounds including ALL the parking areas. I realize planes may have come and gone before and after I was there but during my search I found 1 BC-12D (from FL) in aircraft parking and a BL-65 owned by Sun-n-Fun that they were auctioning off. (not that great of shape and not sure it was even airworthy.) That was all I saw. Nothing in warbird area, nothing in the show and nothing other than what I noted in the parking areas. So for anyone that went to the show to see T-Crafts it would have been a bust. I had hoped to get to the T-craft forum but was tied up during that period. I was only at one forum this year (Franklin Engines). Overall, the show basically looked the same as the last time I was there in 2009. The weather was great.

[Jim Herpst]

Re: Anyone going to Sun 'n Fun?

A good friend of mine is a Judge there. Also has been for MANY MANY years. Said there was a high water mark of 40 vintage aircraft there this year. Many trophys not touched. He said judgeable aircraft were scarce. 40 vintage aircraft scarcely represent much more than what comes to some of the free local shows I now spend my time with. The show was marketed heavly to the crowd in St Pete and Flordia non flyers. I know folks from the North enjoy coming to sunny flordia having been from Pittsburgh PA my self before moving to SC for College and stay... That said its become some what irrevelent . They did it to themselves. Oh I am sure we will here all about the "heavy crowds" bla bla bla.... week end locals in a carnival atmosphere is more like it. If they want us to bring our planes in (we ARE the show) they need for the show planes to be GASP free GASP for the week. Unless they present value it will continue to wither.... Greed does that in the end.