So, I flew the mighty thunder Cardinal into Lakeland's Sun-N-Fun "fly-in" on Friday evening. Coming from Savannah, GA, I had to wait until the airshow was over, so I stopped in St. Augustine, FL for Lunch and a bit of waiting.
It's always interesting flying into SNF. While I make no claims as the worlds greatest pilot, I do listen to the controllers and follow the published traffic pattern. Something others don't seem to do properly...I had a bit of a time with another pilot who was clearly not listening to directions. The required speed is 100Kts and he was going well under 80 in his Mooney! Plus he was all over the sky. It took some doing to get behind him... I had to step out of line twice because of his poor piloting.
Anyway, I got there, tied down and watched as the night airshow started. That was really neat! I've never seen a night airshow, so this was a real treat. The guy in the spinning helicopter, spewing fireworks was certainly crazy.
I pulled the pax seat out of my 177RG (the back seat is always out) and I camped it it! I've got to admit, the Cardinal RG is a very comfortable camper.
Saturday, I spent the day visiting vendors, looking at all the new aircraft and talking with people. I purchased a Whelen LED landing light, some tools and supplies. The crowds were quite large and there were sufficient aircraft there. However, it did seem to me that the "experimental" aircraft are fewer and fewer each year. The grass parking area with the homebuilts was about 1/3 filled up. In years past, it was chock a block full! Plus, I'm not seeing as many new designs. Every year, there are a few, but this year, I saw no stunning new aircraft or engine designs.
The Sat airshow was interrupted by threatening storms that skirted the airport. But, that did make the temperature much more comfortable, and kept the aircraft quite low, below the clouds. Thunderbirds put on a great show, as always. Because it was overcast and somewhat darker out, the afterburners were clearly visible 30 feet behind the F16's! How neat!
After the airshow, the airport opens back up and there is a long line of departures. With multiple runways in use, and as many as 4 aircraft on the take off roll at once. I kept my climb rate very modest and leveled off at 1300 feet, as most people like to show off and climb like crazy. So, I was under all the departing traffic. It's better to be away from the "swarm" of departing aircraft turning every which way. Nobody was at my altitude!
It's always interesting flying into SNF. While I make no claims as the worlds greatest pilot, I do listen to the controllers and follow the published traffic pattern. Something others don't seem to do properly...I had a bit of a time with another pilot who was clearly not listening to directions. The required speed is 100Kts and he was going well under 80 in his Mooney! Plus he was all over the sky. It took some doing to get behind him... I had to step out of line twice because of his poor piloting.
Anyway, I got there, tied down and watched as the night airshow started. That was really neat! I've never seen a night airshow, so this was a real treat. The guy in the spinning helicopter, spewing fireworks was certainly crazy.
I pulled the pax seat out of my 177RG (the back seat is always out) and I camped it it! I've got to admit, the Cardinal RG is a very comfortable camper.
Saturday, I spent the day visiting vendors, looking at all the new aircraft and talking with people. I purchased a Whelen LED landing light, some tools and supplies. The crowds were quite large and there were sufficient aircraft there. However, it did seem to me that the "experimental" aircraft are fewer and fewer each year. The grass parking area with the homebuilts was about 1/3 filled up. In years past, it was chock a block full! Plus, I'm not seeing as many new designs. Every year, there are a few, but this year, I saw no stunning new aircraft or engine designs.
The Sat airshow was interrupted by threatening storms that skirted the airport. But, that did make the temperature much more comfortable, and kept the aircraft quite low, below the clouds. Thunderbirds put on a great show, as always. Because it was overcast and somewhat darker out, the afterburners were clearly visible 30 feet behind the F16's! How neat!
After the airshow, the airport opens back up and there is a long line of departures. With multiple runways in use, and as many as 4 aircraft on the take off roll at once. I kept my climb rate very modest and leveled off at 1300 feet, as most people like to show off and climb like crazy. So, I was under all the departing traffic. It's better to be away from the "swarm" of departing aircraft turning every which way. Nobody was at my altitude!
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