04/03/2011

The Official Daily Newspaper of the SUN ’n FUN Fly-In

www.sun-n-fun.org Sunday, Aprij 3, 2011FREE

sunDAY’s WeAther hi LO

86° 64°

Today’s Sponsor Spotlight:

The F-22 Raptor was the star of one of the prize-winning photos in the Nikon Photo Contest, held Friday at SUN ’n FUN. Shot by Arthur Mullis of Brandon, Fla., the photo captures a pass by the F-22 as it roars past the SUN ’n FUN flight line.

The Raptor, which was due to arrive Thursday but was delayed because of the storm, made its triumphant return to SUN ’n FUN on Friday. It performed in Sat-

urday’s air show and will perform again today.

The Raptor made its public debut in 2006 at SUN ’n FUN. The Raptors flying this year are piloted by members of the Air Combat Command F-22 Demonstra-tion Team, which is based at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

Mullis also took grand prize in the photo contest with a shot of the Blue Angels, as well as first place in the People & Planes

category and the Planes in Flight category with the F-22. Jordan Poss took first place in the Planes As Art category. The other winning photos are on page 37.

Each year, Nikon teams with SUN ’n FUN for the photo contest, with the grand prize a Nikon Digital Camera. Nikon offi-cials noted they don’t know the photogra-phers’ names when they judge the photos, so it was just chance that Mullis took top spot in so many categories.

F-22 Raptors roar into SUN ’n FUN

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Don’t get too comfortable ..............3Commerating 9/11 ....................... 4Limited edition Cirrus SR22 ............6Town Hall Meeting ..................... 10There’s an app for that ............... 12SUN ’n FUN map........................ 20AOPA Learn to Fly Center ............ 21Volunteer Parade today ............... 22Protect your plane ...................... 27Judging airplanes ....................... 28What’s happening at LAL ............ 32Award Winners .......................... 34Ring Tail debuts .......................... 35Today’s Schedule ....................... 36Classified Ads............................. 36

Today’s Highlights7:30 a.m. Volunteer Parade

Don’t Miss Forums: 10:05 a.m., Room 2, CFAA building, Airpark Living: Dream or Disaster? Noel Marshall; 10:05 a.m., Room 4, Are you a survivor? Brett Stoffel; 10:05 a.m., Room 5, Flight for the Human Spirit, Michael Combs; 10:05 a.m., Room 11, Becoming a Sport Pilot in 20 Hours, Katie Morales

4 p.m. Blue Angels perform , F-22 Raptors perform

8 p.m. Taildragger Party at the AOPA Pavilion for all SUN ‘n FUN volunteers

INTRODUCING FOR PILOTS

A NEW STANDARD IN NOISE CANCELLING HEADSETS

{ FROM THE COMPANY THAT FIRST INTRODUCED THE CONCEPT }

We recently introduced the Bose®

QuietComfort® 15 Acoustic Noise Cancelling®

headphones for the public. They were widely acclaimed as having the best

performance available among all brands. (Press reviews available on request from Bose.)*

At the same time, we have been developing a new headset for PILOTS, the Bose

A20® Aviation Headset. It uses similar technology to that of the QC®15 head-

phones, but it is designed for the very high noise levels present in the

pilot’s cockpit.

1. Signifi cantly greater noise reduction than currently available.

2. Improved level of comfort.3. Clear audio.4. Bluetooth®

communications interface.

5. Auxiliary audio input.6. Priority switching.7. Made in the U.S.A. 8. Meets or exceeds

all TSO standards.

Provides the Following Advantages:

Visit the Bose Pavilion at Sun ‘n Fun 2011.

Ask about our easy Bose payment plan

with no interest charges from Bose.

*For QC15 press reviews, call 1-800-485-4077. ©2011 Bose Corporation. Financing offer not to be combined with other offers or applied to previous purchases, and subject to change without notice. Risk free refers to 30-day trial only and does not include return shipping. Delivery is subject to product availability. Purchases must be made from a Bose authorized dealer to qualify for offers. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. C_008753.

1-888-596-2073 I www.Bose.com/A20_10

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SUN ’N FUN TODAY 2011TUeSDAY MARCH 29 - SUNDAY APRiL 3, 2011 3

By JANICE WOOD

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt doesn’t want pilots to get too comfort-able.

“When someone sees a new pilot, it sometimes makes you smile because they are so cautious,” he said Friday during the Meet the FAA forum. “But I don’t want you get too comfortable — stay cau-tious.”

Babbitt, a long-time pilot who started as a CFI in Florida before flying for East-ern Airlines, said pilots need to go back to the basics, concentrating on the fun-damentals. “I don’t care how many times you’ve done that checklist — do it again,” he said. “How often do you test yourself? How often do you ask yourself, ‘what would I do right now if the engine quit? Where would I land?’ Just because your first scan of the cockpit is OK, that doesn’t mean you stop scanning. It’s all about situational aware-ness. It’s a process that never stops.”

When the aviation community talks about professionalism, the first thought is often the air-lines and pilots who fly commercially. “But there should be the same level of pro-fessional in all cockpits,” he said. “If you have a passenger, they are trusting their life to you. Treat every flight like your life depends on it — because it does.”

Babbitt, whose address was streamed live over the Internet, touched on a num-ber of topics during his hour-long address, from FAA reauthorization to alternative fuels to the new aircraft re-registration

process. But through it all, safety was the No. 1 message he wanted to get across.

While the House of Representatives finally approved its FAA reauthorization bill Friday, the Senate and House bills now must be reconciled before the agen-cy, which has been operating on 18 short-term extension, is permanently funded.

The budget is also a top priority and while all budgets in the federal govern-ment are facing cuts, the FAA “has put forward a budget that allows us to do what we need to do,” he said. “But we will not skimp on safety. We will continue to run the safest airspace in the world — bar none.”

A top priority is the Next Generation Air Traffic system, known as NextGen, which will transition ATC from a radar-based system to a GPS satellite-based system, which promises to increase safety, while

at the same time in-creasing capacity in the air system.

Certification is also on the adminis-trator’s radar screen, noting there are cur-rently 2,200 items — from electronics to winglets — in

front of the FAA awaiting certification. “If I don’t have enough inspectors to approve these products, we’re delaying safety,” he said, adding there are three factories also waiting an FAA nod — one for HondaJet, one for Embraer, and one for Boeing. “If you tell me I don’t have the funding for inspectors, we’re delaying the employ-ment of thousands of people. That just doesn’t make business sense.”

If Congress cuts the FAA budget, Presi-

dent Obama has promised to veto the cuts, Babbitt said. “We cannot run the safest system in the world on funding from 10 years ago.”

Finding a replacement for 100LL also is a top priority for the FAA, he said. “We are the last people in this country that still burn leaded fuel,” he said.

What the FAA wants is a drop-in fuel, he said, noting there’s a rulemaking com-mittee working on the issue with input from the industry. “The EPA has agreed we’ll be allowed to come up with an alter-native before they tell us time is up,” he said. “I’m comfortable we can make that timeline.”

The new aircraft registration process also was brought up by Babbitt, who re-ported that of the nation’s 275,000 air-craft, about 110,000 to 120,000 don’t have current registrations. “We don’t know if they’ve been sold and if they were sold, if they were sold for scrap or sold to a buyer in another country,” he said. “We need to keep track of who owns our airplanes.”

Over the next three years, all aircraft in the U.S. will have gone through the re-registration process, he said. “We’ll cancel all the N-numbers of planes that haven’t been re-registered by that point,” he said, noting that usually gets people’s attention.

The re-registration process also should help prevent other pilots going through what GA icons John and Martha King

went through several months ago when they were met on the ramp at gunpoint by police officers who thought they were fly-ing a stolen plane.

“That was the worst ramp check I ever had,” John King told Babbitt, who noted that when he heard about the incident he said to himself, “you gotta be kidding.”

What had happened was the police of-ficers had a four-year-old print out, which showed the N-number was to a stolen air-craft. But what he didn’t know was that the FAA recycles N-numbers and that’s what had happened. “But we update our website daily, so a quick check would have shown that the plane wasn’t stolen,” Babbitt said. “We hope that once the reg-istry is cleaned up, there will be accurate numbers in the database and that won’t happen again — but if it does, I won’t be administrator,” he added with a laugh.

Don’t get too comfortable

“Treat every flight like your life depends on

it — because it does.”— FAA Administrator

Randy Babbitt

Airforms gets FAA nod for Piper bafflesAirforms Inc. has received FAA/PMA

approval of new engine baffle designs for Piper PA22-150, PA28-140 and PA32-300/260 aircraft models.

This adds to the 50-plus models the company already supplies to custom-ers around the world, company officials note.

These engine baffles have many improve-ments to increase engine cooling efficiency and service life, offi-cials add. Among the improvements are the use of more dou-blers, 6061-T6/304 stainless material and fiberglass rein-forced silicone seals.

“The most important goal is for our engine baffle designs to do the job effi-ciently and install without modifications,” said Levi Ward, general manager. “Our focus is on designing the engine baffles to fit snugly on the engine to create that perfect high pressure under the cowling to force cooling air through the engines cyl-

inders. The impact is longer TBO times and reduced maintenance costs, which are due to high cylinder head temperatures, which causes components such as lifters, cams and cylinders to wear out before their TBO time.

“We also own and work on our own planes so we understand the need for parts to fit as they should and without modification,” he con-tinued.

For more information, check out the company’s exhibit in the North East ex-hibit area, space 50.

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ISSuE 6SuNDAy,

APRIl 3, 2011

PuBlISHERSJohn BurtonBen Sclair

EDITORIAl STAFFMeg Godlewski Janice Wood

ADvERTISINgLarry Price

Mickey Price

PRODuCTIONRoy McGhee

DISTRIBuTIONArthur Ward

Paulette WardJames McGhee

CONTRIBuTINg WRITERSJ. Douglas HintonJack NeubacherJohnny Wood

SUN ’n FUN Today is published each day of the SUN ’n FUN Fly-in by Flyer Media, inc., publishers of General Aviation News and Living With Your Plane. Copies of SUN ’n FUN Today are distributed free of charge throughout the fly-in grounds.

Subscriptions to General Aviation News, $35.00 for two years (at the fly-in).

Visit our exhibit space, C-62.

The views and opinions contained herein do not necessarily reflect those of SUN ’n FUN Fly-in, inc. Neither SUN ’n FUN Fly-in, inc., nor Flyer Media, inc. endorse or sanction the products advertised herein, and do not assume responsibility for such advertising.

www.sun-n-fun.orgwww.generalaviationnews.com

© 2011 Flyer Media, inc., SUN ’n FUN Fly-in, inc.

All rights reserved. Reproduction of photos or articles by any means is prohibited without written consent.

Help keep

SUN ’n FUN

clean.

recycle when

you are done reading.

SUN ’n FUN will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the events that will forever be remembered as 9/11 today.

The commemorative activities will lead up to — and be part of — the air show, highlighted by a parade of emergency vehicles prior to the air show; an airport aircraft rescue and firefighting vehicle on static display with firefighters during the air show; a Missing Man formation and fly-by of World War II-era aircraft during the air show; and the playing of “Taps” as part of the Missing Man formation.

“Most people over the age of 16 remember where they were when the events of Sept. 11, 2001 occurred,”

said SUN ’n FUN President and Con-vention Chairman John Burton. “Like the Kennedy assassination almost 40 years prior, it is an event that has been indelibly etched into our na-tion’s collective consciousness. By commemorating its 10th anniversary, we remember those who were victims of the 9/11 attacks and especially the responders who selflessly and coura-geously answered the calls for help. Many responders perished in their valiant attempts to save others.”

SUN ’n FUN benefits from support provided by area police, fire and medi-cal responders, including the Lakeland Police Department, Lakeland Fire Department, Polk County Sheriff’s

Office, Polk County Fire Department, Polk County Emergency Manage-ment, Polk County Emergency Medi-cal Services, Hillsborough County Fire and Rescue, A-C-T Environmen-tal Solutions, Florida State Fire Mar-shall, Florida Department of Law En-forcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Commemorating the 10th anniversary of 9/11

Medical ServicesBrokaw Medical Hospitality Cen-

ter is located across from Main Reg-istration and east of Buehler Restora-tion Skills Center on Doolittle Road.

For complete details, visit Lycoming.com or call 800-258-3279 to fi nd an authorized Lycoming Distributor near you.

Certain restrictions apply. These offers require the return of a new engine core or an “Original Factory Engine.” Offer subject to end or change at any time. See your distributor or visit Lycoming.com for more details. Discount program cannot be combined with the Fleet Rebate Program.

© 2011 Avco Corporation. All rights reserved.

Client: LycomingAd Title: Combine OffersPublication: Sun N’ Fun Today - March 29, 2011Trim: 10” x 12-1/2”

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* A new engine core is defined as a Lycoming factory new engine that has never been overhauled or rebuilt (otherwise known in the industry as a “first-run core”).

** An original factory engine is defined as an engine that last left the Lycoming factory as a New, Rebuilt or Overhauled Engine.

For complete details, visit Lycoming.com or call 800-258-3279 to fi nd an authorized Lycoming Distributor near you.

Certain restrictions apply. These offers require the return of a new engine core or an “Original Factory Engine.” Offer subject to end or change at any time. See your distributor or visit Lycoming.com for more details. Discount program cannot be combined with the Fleet Rebate Program.

© 2011 Avco Corporation. All rights reserved.

* A new engine core is defined as a Lycoming factory new engine that has never been overhauled or rebuilt (otherwise known in the industry as a “first-run core”).

** An original factory engine is defined as an engine that last left the Lycoming factory as a New, Rebuilt or Overhauled Engine.

Combined Offer_2011_SunNFunTdy.indd 1 2/10/11 3:01 PM



While initial and recurrent training for glass cockpit and high performance air-craft is readily available, pilots of “vin-tage” aircraft often find themselves out of luck when it comes to leading edge recur-rent training, even though their beloved older aircraft make up the majority of the general aviation fleet.

Sporty’s Flight Center is filling this training void with a special recurrent training weekend, scheduled for Aug. 11-14. Dubbed “Sporty’s Summer Camp for Pilots,” the training will feature dual

instruction by Sporty’s Academy instruc-tors either in the pilot’s own aircraft, or in one of Sporty’s, including the Cessna 172, 182, Beechcraft A36, and Piper Az-tec models. Each day will feature choices of ground schools on pertinent topics. The dual and ground instruction sessions are FAA WINGS accepted.

While the pilots are enjoying their train-ing, their families will find a wide variety of recreational and cultural opportuni-ties available, making this event a great family mini-vacation, Sporty’s officials

said. Each day’s learning will be capped off with an evening social, plus a Satur-day “Graduation Banquet” with featured speaker Phil Boyer, former president of AOPA.

Find out more at Sporty’s exhibit in Hangar C, Spaces 90-91 or at www.spor-tys.com/FlightCenter.

Cirrus Aircraft is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the SR22 with a limited commemorative edition.

“What a 10 years it’s been,” said Todd Simmons, vp of marketing, on opening day of SUN ’n FUN, noting that of the 5,000 aircraft Cirrus has sold, 3,815 are SR22s. “Nine of the last 10 years it’s been the best-selling airplane in the world.”

To celebrate the anniversary, Cirrus is building just 10 of the commemorative SR22s. You can see one on display at the company’s exhibit in the Manufacturers Display area, Space 33B.

The limited edition includes everything Cirrus aircraft are known for, including the all-airplane parachute, glass panel

cockpit, and flight into known ice capabil-ity, but also sports an asymmetrical paint scheme and an interior inspired by Italian automobiles, he said.

An added bonus: Every purchase of a commemorative edition SR22 comes with a position for the company’s jet.

“We’re thinking of the next 10 years,” Simmons said, noting a new update on the jet program has just been uploaded to the Cirrus website (www.cirrusaircraft.com). The 14-minute update chronicles the test flight program, and features the chief test pilot who explains what it’s like to fly the jet. “It flies like an SR22,” Simmons said.

Cirrus shows off 10th anniversary SR22

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dCirrus co-founder Dale Klapmeier and the commemorative SR22

Summer Camp for Pilots

Lost and FoundLost something? The Lost and

Found is located in the Volunteer Center east

of the Buehler Restoration Center near the Main Admission Gate.

The Only thing that’s Missing is YouGet back to what got you into flying in the first place. Stick and rudder, the thrill of flying low and slow over the countryside, the excitement of takeoff in an aircraft that’s really fun to fly. You can use it for short cross country flights while avoiding the complexities of pressurization, dials, switches and huge fuel bills. It’s time for HuskyFlight, the kind of flying that takes you back to what you got into flying for in the first place.

Try HuskyFlight. It’s a Boredom Killer.Log on to http://husky.aviataircraft.com. Check out the video, get inspired, and call to schedule your own Husky Experience!

307.885.3151 AvIATAIrCrAFT.ComH U S K Y P I T T S E A G L EPost Office Box 1240 Afton, WY 83110


Gettheprotectionyoudeservefromtheaviationinsurancecompanythat’sready,willing,andstable.RequestaFREEquotebycalling8773592836 orvisitingavemco.com.

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In these turbulent times, Avemco® is ready, willing, and stable enough to protect you.

Astheindustry’sonlydirectunderwriter,we’rereadytoprovideyouwithquickyetcomprehensiveanswerstoyourquestions.Andourcustomizedpoliciesarebackedbyateamthatwilldeliverfastclaimshandlingwhenyouneeditmost.With a focus on inclusions, Avemco keeps you protected by providing*:

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VISIT US AT BOOTH C-55-56 IN HANGAR C


By J. DOuglAS HINTON

If you’re at an air show where the Blue Angels are performing and have a taste for a roller coaster ride that exceeds anything Disney has to offer, by all means sign up for a free flight in the Marine Corps’ C-130 support transport, lovingly named “Fat Albert.”

After signing several forms that say you would hold the Navy harmless should you crash and burn (they never have) and being queried by a doctor as to whether you are pregnant, have a fear of flying, have a heart ailment and a dozen other

health-related questions, you are finally transported to the C-130 for a pre-flight briefing. When the pilots tell you what’s going to happen, there is still time to back out, but of course foolish pride keeps you rooted to the spot.

The Blue Angels make approximately 35 appearances per season. Fat Albert precedes the Angels by an hour at each location, carrying approximately 40 avionics, airframe, engine and mainte-nance technicians in case any last minute squawks need fixing prior to the air show performance.

Ready for the ride?

After strapping into fuselage bucket seats, each of you is issued an airsickness bag which ominously portends what’s to come. Lined up on the runway, Fat Albert goes to full power and releases the brakes. The acceleration is breathtaking. Gear up and the plane goes into a 45° climb, pull-ing 2.5 Gs, crushing you into your seat. Then, as airspeed bleeds off, the pilot pushes the nose down into a negative G dive so you can experience the astronaut condition of weightlessness. Cameras float up in the air and so would you with-out a seat belt. Then a low altitude pull-out followed by a terrifying steep bank to

the left, then to the right just above the treetops, clicking along at 320 knots. No demonstration would be complete without a high speed crowd-pleasing pass at about 60 feet, followed by a gut-wrenching pull-up and turn to prepare for the landing. Just short of the stall, flaps down, nose down and another zero-G push-over. Touching down on the runway, full reverse on the engines, hard braking and you come to a stop in less than 1,000 feet.

I was proud to return my barf bag un-used as my heartbeat returned to normal.

Try it, you’ll like it. Maybe....

Commemorative “I Survived SUN ‘n FUN” T-Shirts are now available in all merchandise outlets. “Everybody we’ve shown it to loves the design,” says Neil Glazer, president of PilotMall.com.

Of course, other official SUN ’n FUN merchandise is also available in the outlets, which you can find in tents in front of the Sunset Grill, in Hangar E (the newest exhibitor hangar, just past Hangar D towards the campgrounds), by the Announcer’s Stand, and on the Warbird ramp; as well as the Gifts of Flight store in the Florida Air Museum

and in the PilotMall.com store, which is just across from Hangar B.

‘I Survived SUN ’n FUN’

Take a ride on ‘Fat Albert’

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www.aspenavionics.com

Aspen Customer Gallery: Bob Benda’s Cessna Centurion

“Complete redundancy...truly fantastic.”

“I’m based at Centennial Airport (KAPA) outside of Denver. I’ve been �ying since 1975 and have seen major leaps and bounds when it comes to the avionics in today's aircraft...so when the chance came to put the Aspen PFD — and subsequently the Aspen MFD — in my panel, I knew that these two instruments would be a great addition. I �y mostly IFR and the amount of information that is presented to the pilot in these instruments, coupled with the fact that you have complete redundancy, they are truly fantastic.”

Copyright 2010-2011 Aspen Avionics Inc. ”Aspen Avionics,” “Evolution Flight Display System,” and the Aspen Avionics aircraft logo are trademarks of Aspen Avionics Inc. All rights reserved.

See the Evolution Flight Displays in aircraft just like yours! Access scores of Aspen customer photos and stories — unedited — at the Aspen Avionics Customer Gallery.

www.aspenavionics.com/customergallery

See Aspen at Sun ‘n Fun: Aspen Avionics Booth Hangar B #78



By JANICE WOOD

Saturday afternoon a Town Hall Meet-ing was held on the SUN ’n FUN grounds, hosted by Congressman Sam Graves (R.-Mo.), who is undoubtedly GA’s biggest supporter on Capitol Hill.

Graves, a pilot and aircraft owner, is co-chairman of the GA Caucus in the House of Representatives, sharing duties with John Barrow (D-Ga.). The GA Caucus now has about 100 members, making it one of the largest in the House, but Graves has a goal of getting 218 members, which would be half of Congress. “That will re-ally help legislation get through so much faster,” he said.

There is good news from the Hill, he re-ported: FAA reauthorization, which essen-tially funds the agency and its programs, has finally been approved by the House. The Senate approved its bill earlier, so now the two bills need to be reconciled. “So many things are hanging in limbo,” Graves said, noting the House bill was ap-proved with no user fees. “The House is very much opposed to user fees.”

Graves was joined in the Town Hall meeting by the leaders of the Com-memorative Air Force, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, Experimen-tal Aircraft Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, and the Helicop-ters Association International. The meet-

ing, held in the FAA Production Studios, was streamed live over the Internet and touched on topics ranging from a replace-ment for 100LL to the declining pilot population.

The congressman noted that it’s criti-cal for all members of the GA groups to cooperate. “If we don’t stick together, we will get run over,” he said.

An avid pilot who owns a Stearman and is restoring a rare Beech Model AT-10,

Graves said what worries him most as a pilot is the avgas issue. 100LL is the only leaded fuel still sold in the U.S.

All of those on the panel said a drop-in replacement is the only way to go and is an issue that is top priority not only for the industry, but the FAA. “A couple of years ago, it looked like the sky was falling and that the EPA was going to make us settle for a low-octane fuel,” said Pete Bunce, GAMA president. “But then we started getting together and made the EPA realize it was a safety issue and told the FAA it needed to lead on this issue.”

The FAA listened (see story on page 3) and all the members of the panel assured pilots that 100LL is not going away any time soon. If the EPA tries the push the issue, Congress can step in as a backstop to protect GA, added Craig Fuller, AOPA president

The declining pilot population was also a main topic of discussion during the Town Hall, with each participant saying it is something they are deeply concerned about. In the last 20 years, the number of

pilots has dropped from about 800,000 to about 600,000. The panelists enumerated the different efforts the groups are doing to inspire more interest in aviation, but all agreed there is no “silver bullet” to solv-ing the problem.

CAF’s Steve Brown pointed out how important air shows are to inspiring kids to want to fly, as well as schools like the Central Florida Aerospace Academy, which recently opened on the SUN ’n FUN campus.

Changes in the way pilots are trained, for instance adding more sim time to de-crease the cost and time to get a pilot’s license, are important, said Bunce, while HAI President Matt Zuccaro said GA needs to reach out to kids where they are — on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. “This is the most important issue facing GA,” he said, noting that if we don’t fig-ure it out, “GA is going to disappear.”

This is the second year Graves has hosted a Town Hall Meeting at SUN ’n FUN. He said he hopes to make it a yearly event.

SUN ’n FUN hosts Town Hall Meeting

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Two new VIP Hospitality programs will be made available for the first time during this year’s SUN ’n FUN that com-bine the best qualities of membership in an exclusive club with the amenities of a “Skybox” at premier athletic events, ac-cording to SUN ’n FUN officials.

The two new programs are the “9/27 Circle” which takes its name from the compass headings of Lakeland’s primary east-west runway, and serves as the focal point for nearly all SUN ’n FUN flying experiences; and the “Flightline Club.”

“SUN ’n FUN’s all-new VIP Hospital-ity programs have been designed espe-cially for those participants and guests who expect the most out of their fly-in experience,” said SUN ’n FUN President and Convention Chairman John Burton. “Membership in either one of these two new programs puts you ‘center stage’ at one of the world’s premier aviation events, offering the best seats on the SUN

’n FUN campus surrounded by top-notch amenities and VIP hospitality.”

The 9/27 CircleMembers of the 9/27 Circle and their

guests will have full access to an air-con-ditioned luxury chalet at show center with reserved VIP indoor and shaded outdoor seating for the entire week of the fly-in.

This all-inclusive VIP package includes daily continental breakfast and catered lunch, along with snacks and beverages (chilled sodas, water, beer, wine and se-lect cocktails) throughout the day.

The 9/27 Circle facilities will offer an

opportunity to meet the day’s celebrity air show performers and to socialize with other aviation notables attending SUN ’n FUN.

“There will be no better vantage point from which to watch SUN ’n FUN’s ac-claimed daily air show performances, es-pecially this year’s headliners — the Unit-ed States Navy’s Blue Angels military jet demonstration team,” Burton added. “The 9/27 Circle offers one of the most excit-ing and unique ways to entertain business associates, clients, potential clients, fam-ily and friends. Those interested should reserve their 9/27 Circle VIP credentials early as only 100 charter memberships will be made available.”

The Flightline Club The second VIP Hospitality option is

appropriately titled the Flightline Club. Located on the northern edge of the popu-lar Warbird Ramp, the Flightline Club

offers an unobstructed view of the SUN ’n FUN flightline activities and daily airshow. Club membership is available for the week or on a daily basis.

Members of the Flightline Club will re-ceive free parking in Main Auto Parking (a $5 daily value; available with online purchases only), access to the designat-ed air show seating area and Hospitality Tent, complimentary Festival Food Ser-vice available throughout the day, and dedicated porta-toilet and hand washing facilities in the VIP area. Membership is

limited to only 200 persons per day.Memberships can be purchased online

or at the SUN ’n FUN Main Admissions VIP Club Membership Window.

Club

Membership has its privileges

SUN ’n FUN and Nikon are hosting a photo contest for those attending this week’s fly-in to share their visions of flight.

To enter the contest, register at the front desk of the Florida Air Museum at 9 a.m. Friday, April 1. The first 30 people to reg-

ister will be chosen to participate in the contest. You must have your own camera as cameras will not be provided.

Contestants will receive a briefing on contest rules and categories. Three entries are due no later than 10 p.m. on Friday, April 1, and must be submitted via e-mail.

The e-mail address to submit entries will be provided at the briefing.

On Saturday, April 2, at 9:30 a.m. at the museum, Nikon aviation photogra-phers Bill Fortney and José Ramos will share their experiences documenting the dynamic world of aviation and unveil

this year’s winners. The Grand Prize is a Nikon Digital Camera. Other prizes will also be awarded.

Need more details or have questions? Ask at the museum or check out the SUN ’n FUN/Nikon Photo Contest group page on Flickr.

Photo contest takes off Friday

This photo by Sonya Hood is a past winner of the photo contest.

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Sporty’s, in collaboration with SUN ’n FUN, has created a mobile app for the 2011 show, available free through the iTunes App store. All the information a show-goer needs to fly to and navigate around the show is available on this app, according to officials.

“We created this app as a service to SUN ’n FUN attendees,” said Sporty’s Vice President John Zimmerman. “All of us pilots who love our phones and iPads will be able to put them to more good use with this free app from Sporty’s.”

After downloading the free app, pilots can use it to buy advance tickets for SUN

’n FUN and shop for supplies or charts for the trip. The com-plete SUN ’n FUN NOTAM is included for smooth arrival procedures. It’s per-fect for in-flight ref-erence and does not require an Internet connection.

Once at the show, the app has maps, maps and more maps: The SUN ’n FUN convention grounds, the campgrounds, an aerial map, Splash-In map, and even the

tram route map.The daily sched-

ules will be right in your pocket too. Sporty’s SUN ’n FUN app includes the schedule of fo-rums, workshops, the daily air shows, as well as the eve-ning programs.

The app also con-tains a database of all SUN ’n FUN exhib-itors, along with their locations. You can even mark favorite exhibitors you want to

visit during the week.“SUN ’n FUN is grateful that our friends

at Sporty’s took the initiative to work with us to develop this first generation app for a very important segment of our attend-ees,” said John Burton, SUN ’n FUN President and Convention Chairman. “We look forward to continuing our great re-lationship with Sporty’s in this and other projects that will enhance the value and availability of the app for all smartphone users attending this and future SUN ’n FUN annual events.”

The app is designed for the iPod Touch, iPhone, iPhone 4, and the iPad.

There’s an app for that

PilotMall.com, the “Official Aviation Superstore of SUN ’n FUN,” is operating a 4,000-square-foot retail store located just across from Hangar B, in the old Gifts of Flight location. The store will be open throughout the entire week of this year’s SUN ’n FUN.

PilotMall.com, which has been around for more than 10 years and sells more than 4,000 products, will offer a wide as-sortment of products during the fly-in, ac-cording to Neil Glazer, president.

“The shelves are fully stocked with avi-ation toys, gifts, and even the official event merchandise,” he said. “The building also

has a full line of pilot supplies, charts, books, GPS, headsets and transceivers. PilotMall.com has also introduced a new exclusive line of tow bars that can be pur-chased at amazing show specials.”

This year the building also features two Saitek Flight Simulators ready for flying. “Stop in and take one for a test flight,” he said.

Glazer added the store also has a cour-tesy XM Weather Station so pilots can check the weather before heading home.

The store will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during this week’s fly-in.

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get connected Bright House Networks will again

provide wireless Internet access across the SUN ’n FUN grounds this year.

The service costs $9.95 for one day or $29.95 for the week.

To connect to the wireless Internet service: Turn on your Wi-Fi enabled device; locate available wireless net-works; select the “MyBrightHouse”

wireless network; once connected open your web browser and select a service plan.

Didn’t bring your computer to the fly-in? No problem. Pacific Coast Avi-onics is sponsoring an Internet Cafe at the Visitors Information Center, which is right in front of the Sunset Grill. The Internet Cafe will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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Head to the mallIn the market for a Light Sport Air-

craft?Make sure to stop by the LSA Mall, lo-

cated just east of the main gate. The mall, which is becoming a fixture

at SUN ’n FUN, will feature at least 16 LSAs, according to Dan Johnson, presi-dent of the Light Aircraft Manufacturers Association (LAMA), which sponsors the mall.

“All the top brands will be there,” he said.

Bringing all the LSA companies togeth-er in one place makes it easier for those attending the fly-in who are interested in learning more about the newest category of aircraft — or, even better, buying one — to compare the different models, he

said, noting that as LSA companies are “new in the aviation game,” their exhib-its are scattered throughout the SUN ’n FUN campus, which means those inter-

ested in LSAs would have to do “quite a bit of walking” to see all the ones on the market.

“In the mall, they are presented wing-

tip-to-wingtip, so people can check them all out,” he said.

The mall also features the LAMA tent, where attendees can get information rang-ing from what it takes to become a sport pilot to where, exactly, on the SUN ’n FUN campus each manufacturer has their exhibit.

The mall is also home to the Rotax dis-play, where attendees can get information on the engine that powers so many LSAs.

Also on hand will be several people who will offer information on aviation fu-els and mogas, as well as a representative of the Deaf Pilots Association, who will be available to share information about that organization.

“But the main attraction, of course, is the airplanes — and we will have a flock of shiny ones,” Johnson said.

Shopping for an LSA?

You’ve just spent a wonderful day at SUN ’n FUN and are ready to fly home. But during your preflight inspection you notice the nose strut of your mighty Cessna 182 is completely flat.

All is not lost — one quick call to the Emergency Maintenance Team can get you on your way.

This year the team is made of up ap-proximately 15 volunteers, says Charlie

Bukoski who, with his wife Judy, heads the team.

“We don’t do big repairs, but we can help with little ones, like replacing fluids or charging a battery,” he says. “The busi-est time for us is right after the air show ends because that is when people realize that they’ve left the master switch on and the battery is dead.”

Most of the volunteers are Airframe

and Powerplant mechanics so they can at least tell you which tool you will need to borrow to take care of the problem. Tools, which are donated by Snap-On, are kept in the emergency repair kiosk, which is at the approach end of Runway 5.

“We try to stay away from doing the re-pairs ourselves, but if the aircraft owner asks, sometimes we will assist,” he says, noting last year the team helped out about

80 aircraft owners. “The bulk of those is-sues were problems with dead batteries and flat tires,” he says.

Hours are from 8 a.m. to an hour or so after the air show.

If the aircraft is too heavily damaged or sick beyond their capabilities, the vol-unteers can tow it to one of the FBOs at the airport for more extensive repairs, he adds.

Emergency Maintenance Team gets you on your way

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As part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation at this year’s SUN ’n FUN, the United States Navy’s Blue Angels military jet demon-stration team will be the featured air show performers this week.

“SUN ’n FUN is honored to host one of the world’s most recognized military jet teams — the Blue Angels — and to recog-nize the 100th anniversary of Naval Avia-tion during this week’s event,” said SUN ’n FUN President John Burton.

The Blue Angels plan to arrive Thurs-day, March 31. They will have a team training session on Friday from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. with scheduled performances Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3, from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. The FAA re-quires that everyone vacate the area north of the Yellow Line on Poberezny Road in the convention campground and General Aircraft Camping during posted times Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. As of press time, those posted times were

noon to 4:15 p.m. Thursday, and 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A Blue Angels flight demonstration is a choreographed showcase of the types of piloting skills expected of all Naval Aviators. Each demonstration opens with a 10-minute performance by the Blue An-gels’ C-130, known as “Fat Albert.” Fol-lowing that are the aerobatic maneuvers of the Blue Angels’ F/A-18 “Hornets” in the four-jet Diamond Formation, in concert with the fast-paced, high-perfor-mance maneuvers of the team’s two solo pilots. Finally, the team illustrates the pin-nacle of precision flying, performing ma-neuvers locked as a unit in the renowned, six-jet “Delta Formation.”

The team is stationed at Forrest Sher-man Field, Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida, during the show season. Howev-er, the squadron spends January through March training pilots and new team mem-bers at Naval Air Facility El Centro, Cali-fornia.

The Blue Angels are scheduled to fly at 35 air shows in the United States during the 2011 season, as the team celebrates its 24th year of flying the F/A-18 Hor-net. Last year, more than 8 million people

watched the Blue Angels perform. Since its inception in 1946, the Blue Angels have performed for more than 463 mil-lion fans.

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Blue Angels featured this week

Church services will be held at 8 a.m. each morning of the fly-in, with different speakers every day.

On Tuesday, March 29, the speaker for the 30-minute devotional at the AOPA Pavilion next to the Florida Air Museum will be Steve Quigg of Missionary Safety International.

On Wednesday, the 30-minute devo-tional will be at the Mission Aviation Support Association of Florida (MASA) tent in the ultralight area, also known as Paradise City. The speaker will be Mark Williams of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF).

Thursday, March 31, the 30-minute devotional returns to the AOPA Pavil-

ion, with speaker James Howard of Clear Flight Aviation/Hope Sound Bible Col-lege.

Friday, April 1, the devotional at the AOPA Pavilion will be led by Michael Stroh of the International Aviation Mis-sions Association.

On Saturday, April 2, the devotional at the AOPA Pavilion will feature Mike Mower of Jungle Aviation and Radio Ser-vice (JAARS).

Wrapping up the week on Sunday, April 3, will be Mark Rittermeyer, the SUN ’n FUN chaplain, with a 45-minute worship service at the AOPA Pavilion.

All services are non-denominational and open to everyone.

Church Services

Fat AlbertAn all-Marine Corps crew of three of-

ficers and five enlisted personnel operate the Lockheed-Martin C-130T Hercules, known as Fat Albert Airlines. Fat Albert carries more than 40 maintenance and support personnel, their gear and enough spare parts and communication equip-

ment to complete a successful air show.Fat Albert cruises at a speed of more

than 320 knots (approximately 360 mph) at 27,000 feet. Four Allison turbo-prop engines, which produce more than 16,000 shaft-horsepower, provide Fat Albert with the power to land and depart on runways as short as 2,500 feet.

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F-22 Raptor returns to LakelandThe F-22 Raptor returns to SUN ’n

FUN this weekend.The Raptor made its public debut at the

2006 fly-in. The sleek, high-tech military jet will take to the skies on Friday, April 1, Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3.

“We were honored to be the first civil-ian aviation event to host this amazing fighter jet and we are honored to welcome it back to SUN ’n FUN this year,” said President and Convention Chairman John Burton. “Whether or not you’ve seen the Raptor fly before, it will be well worth the effort to see it fly this week. Fighter jets are capable of some pretty amazing things, but this aircraft exceeds even the highest expectations. We can’t wait to see it fly again!”

The F-22 Raptor utilizes a unique com-bination of supersonic speed, stealth tech-nology, a “see-it-to-believe-it” maneuver-ability, and avionics that represents an exponential leap in fighting capabilities, according to Air Force officials.

The jet is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 turbofan engines with afterburner that generate 35,000 lbs. of thrust per engine. Each engine incorpo-rates “pitch axis thrust vectoring,” which enhances the Raptor’s performance char-acteristics, especially its ability to turn on both the horizontal and vertical axes, of-ficials add.

The Raptors flying at this year’s SUN ’n FUN will be piloted by members of the

Air Combat Command F-22 Demonstra-tion Team, which is based at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. The team performs precision aerial maneuvers to demonstrate the unique capabilities of the aircraft and its pilots. Air Force officials say they con-sider the F-22 a critical component for maintaining America’s tactical air power superiority worldwide and claim the air-craft is unmatched by any current or pro-jected fighter.

F-22 Raptor specsPrimary Function: Air dominance,

multi-role fighter Contractors: Lockheed-Martin Corp.,

The Boeing Co. Powerplant: Two Pratt & Whitney

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Crew: OneCost: $143 millionTotal fleet: 137

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This is the second year that the popular Parts Exchange is located near Hangar E (Echo).

Hangar E is located near the exist-ing indoor exhibit hangars, just a short distance from the Gulf Coast Avionics/Garmin Hangar D near the entrance to the campgrounds. The Parts Exchange, for-merly located in Paradise City (the ultra-light area), is adjacent to the new hangar. Even better, one of the three Starbucks locations on the campus is near the Parts Exchange.

“The Parts Exchange is a major destina-tion for homebuilders and certified aircraft owners alike,” SUN ’n FUN President and Convention Chairman John Burton said. “Thousands of items are consigned by their owners to sell in the Parts Ex-change each year. From avionics, props and instruments old and new, to partially completed aircraft fuselages, wings and a host of other pieces, parts and compo-

nents, chances are good that you will be able to find whatever it is you’re looking

for in SUN ’n FUN’s Parts Exchange.”If you’re looking to sell some items

during the show, consignors can purchase tags/ties for 50 cents each. The tie must be used to secure the tag to the item.

Tires and batteries cannot be accepted for sale due to Florida law, according to Parts Exchange volunteers. Tires mount-ed on aircraft wheel assemblies will be accepted if described as such on the tag.

Volunteers also note that cash is the preferred method of payment as no credit cards or checks will be accepted. ATM machines are located on the grounds, they add.

The Parts Exchange will be open Tues-day, March 29, through Saturday, April 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m; and Sunday from 9 a.m. until noon.

The Parts Exchange tent will be open for consignors only on Sunday from noon until 5 p.m. to claim unsold items. The tent will close promptly at 5 p.m. and any unclaimed items will become donations to SUN ’n FUN, volunteers add.

Parts Exchange settles into new location

With the challenges of a declining pi-lot population, endangered general avia-tion airports and rising fuel prices, we’re all concerned about the future of general aviation.

“It is critical that we maintain educa-

tional events like SUN ’n FUN, reach out to the public about the joy of flying and the accessibility of joining our commu-nity, and engage young people in pursu-ing aviation careers or avocations,” says Kathryn McManus, director of sponsor-

ships & sales for the fly-in. “You’re here enjoying SUN ’n FUN, so this probably matters to you as much as it does to us.”

On Friday, April 1, fly-in organizers are hosting a casual breakfast and discussion on ways aviation enthusiasts can leave their legacy at SUN ’n FUN through es-tate planning. The breakfast, which will be at 8 a.m. on the third floor of the Cen-tral Florida Aerospace Academy, also will include discussions about tax and retire-ment planning for those who attend and their families.

The presentation offers many benefits to those attending, according to Mc-Manus, such as helping keep the dream of aviation alive; feeling good and making a difference; and learning how to receive a charitable deduction while avoiding capital gains, reducing estate taxes, and increasing cash flow.

The free seminar is presented in partner-ship with SUN ’n FUN by experts from the Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland. “It’s just information and con-versation, but no pressure,” McManus

says. “Please attend to learn how you can help SUN ’n FUN keep the dream of avia-tion alive for future generations!”

RSVP at SunNFunLegacy.eventbrite.com.

Securing the future of aviation

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Auction takes off Wednesday

AvBid Aircraft Auctions will hold its inaugural auction airside March 30-31. The two-day auction will include both piston and turbine-powered aircraft and will be streamed live via the Internet to a worldwide audience.

The SUN ’n FUN auction is the first of several scheduled bimonthly auctions as AvBid continues its auction activities on Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL) in its year-round operation. This is not the same company that ran the auctions at last year’s SUN ’n FUN, according to fly-in officials.

“We are ex-cited about the opportunity to work with SUN ’n FUN in this endeavor,” said AvBid President Don Stephens. “The SUN ’n FUN International Fly-In and Expo pro-vides a perfect venue for all things related to aviation. The people, pilots and staff have made SUN ’n FUN the place to be every spring.”

AvBid Aircraft Auctions plans to use its more than 100 years of aviation and auc-tion experience to provide aircraft owners across the globe with a venue for auction services, even in these trying economic times, according to Stephens.

“The current economic climate is caus-ing many aircraft owners, municipali-ties, and institutional lenders to sell their aircraft in a more expedient manner,” he said. “We believe our auctions will fa-cilitate those sales, which will also create phenomenal opportunities for potential buyers.”

“Our staff will help potential sellers ob-tain the maximum possible value for their aircraft in a very short period of time,” he continued. “In fact, a sale can be made and closed in the same day. Buyers ben-efit by virtue of only paying one bid more than the previous bidder. It really is a win-win situation.”

All types of aircraft will be offered at

the auction, including single-engine pis-tons, helicopters, warbirds and corporate jets. Aircraft will be flown in and shown live in AvBid’s customized hangar show-room, or AvBid has established proce-dures for sellers to submit videos and photographs of their aircraft to be shown on the AvBid website, AvBidAircraftAuc-tions.com, and on jumbo screens during the live auctions.

AvBid has embraced the digital mar-ketplace with Internet real-time video streaming, online bidding, and customer support in multiple languages.

AvBid Customer Service Manager Sam Sirani commented, “When you put quality aircraft, qualified buyers and mo-

tivated sellers to-gether, you get a very synergized sales event. Every bid builds off the last and aircraft find their way to a new owner very quickly. It is really a fun and exciting

process.”The bidding process has also been sim-

plified so that bids can be made live at the auction, online, or by phone, he said.

Stephens said he expects a large con-tingent of buyers from South America, especially Brazil.

AvBid has arranged for all the neces-sary services required for a complete sale right on the field, according to company officials, including pre-buy inspections, avionics work, ferry service, insurance coverage, and professional assistance with title/ownership transfer.

Applications to register as a seller or bidder for the auction can be completed by calling Sirani at 888-420-4243, by e-mail at [email protected] or at AvBidAircraftAuctions.com.

Learn moreTo help current and prospective aircraft

buyers better understand the auction pro-cess, AvBid will present a forum on the dynamics of an aircraft auction Tuesday morning, March 29, at 10:05 a.m., in Room 8 of the Central Florida Aerospace Academy.

Hey bidder bidder!

upcoming auctionsAvBid Aircraft Auctions has slated a

number of auctions throughout the rest of the year. The next one is June 3-4, followed by Aug. 5-6, Oct. 7-8, and Dec. 2-3.

Do you work for an airline as a pilot, crew member or maintenance personnel? Are you a retired airline employee? If so, SUN ’n FUN has just the meeting place for you.

For the sixth year, retired Eastern Air Lines and US Airways captain L. F. “Roy” Rogers has set up an Airlines Pilots Tent on Clubhouse Row, between SUN ’n FUN Radio and the Sunset Grill.

According to Rogers, more than 500

pilots signed in last year, representing 40 airlines, both domestic and overseas.

“The tent provides an opportunity for us to visit and share experiences, reminisce about our airline days and discuss com-mon problems,” said Rogers. “We owe many thanks to the Quiet Birdmen, two doors down from us, who were respon-sible for getting most of their retired pi-lots over to sign in. We’re hoping this year will be as good, despite the economy.”

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The SUN ’n FUN Splash-In returns to Lake Agnes at Fantasy of Flight for a “fly-in within a fly-in.”

Slated for Thursday, March 31, the Splash-In is designed for amphibians and seaplanes. It begins with a fly-by that’s followed by competitions.

Those pilots wishing to participate in the fly-by must attend a mandatory brief-ing Thursday at 9 a.m. at Lake Agnes (FOF). Those participating in the fly-by will fly to LAL, then return to FOF for the Splash-In competitions, which include water-bombing and spot landings.

The Splash-In site at Lake Agnes will be operational Wednesday through Fri-day. Camping will be available at Fantasy of Flight from Wednesday, March 30, through Friday afternoon, April 1. Camp-ing permits are valid at both Fantasy of Flight and SUN ’n FUN, allowing pilots to travel between the two facilities at any time during the week, according to SUN ’n FUN officials.

There will be open flying every day except Thursday during the competitions

and during the “no fly” time from 1:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.

For spectators driving up to Fantasy of Flight for the Splash-In, parking is $5 per vehicle. Fantasy of Flight is also offering

discount admissions to all SUN ’n FUN credentialed guests.

Don’t feel like driving? Shuttles to Fan-tasy of Flight will be provided through-out the day Thursday. Shuttle pickup and

drop-off is located at the Seabirds tent lo-cated in the seaplane parking area on the LAL field. Cost is $3 each way.

The day wraps up with the Seabird Ban-quet, which begins at 6 p.m. with a social hour, followed by dinner.

NEED TO KNOW• Use of radio is required to operate at

the Splash-In;• Seaplane operations and water

landings only. Use of grass strip is not permitted at Fantasy of Flight;

• Lake Agnes seaplane base and harbormaster frequency is 122.90;

• Ground/Ramp frequency is 122.85;• Common traffic advisory only;• Seaplane base coordinates:

N28 10.144 W81 48.804; • Use left pattern landing to the

north; use right pattern landing to the south. Pattern altitude is 700 msl;

• Please do not overfly near-by houses or RV parks at low altitudes;

• Please land and takeoff at least 500 feet off shore and away from shoreline activities;

• After landing slow taxi back to the beach on the east side of Lake Agnes;

• You may taxi out of the water and park on the beach;

• No fuel is available at Lake Agnes;• Upon arrival, please come to the

registration/hospitality tent for registration and pilot briefing.

Who needs a runway?

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SUN ’n FUN attracts aviation enthu-siasts from all over the world, so there are times when a language barrier needs crossing.

That’s why volunteers are standing by at the International Visitors Tent.

The 30 to 40 volunteers are fluent in many languages, including some rather obscure ones, says Michele Van Dorn, chairman of the International Visitors Tent volunteer group, who speaks fluent French.

“We have visitors who come here with-out knowing a word of English,” she said. “They’re very happy to find that we can speak to them in their own languages.”

Sometimes it takes more than one lin-guist to get the right interpretation, she said. A visitor may speak a language that a volunteer can only interpret into, say, French, so a French speaker then must translate it into English.

If the volunteers know in advance that a visitor will be coming from a country whose language is not widely spoken, they will try to find someone who speaks that language, often through personal con-nections and schools.

Typically, the volunteers help visitors with transportation, lodging and banking, but often they help visitors to find one another, Van Dorn said. “We have a book that all our visitors sign in on. That way, one can find out if friends are here and we can help them to get together. Lots of mes-sages are left at the International Tent.”

The tent is located on the west pathway near the Main Admission Gate. Inside the tent, volunteers keep a tally of the nations where visitors are from, as well as the number of international visitors.

International Visitors Tent helps guests from around the world

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SUN ’n FUN will host the third annual Lindbergh Foundation Day Thursday, March 31.

As part of the day’s events, the Lindbergh Foundation has coordinated a number of forums that will showcase presenters who will offer “their unique perspectives on aviation-related topics as well as existing and new technology and the impact they could have on our envi-ronment,” said SUN ’n FUN President and Fly-In Chairman John Burton.

“These are issues that affect us all and will become more important with each passing day,” he said. “The information presented will surely serve as a catalyst for ongoing discussion.”

Lindbergh Foundation Day celebra-tions actually kick off Wednesday eve-ning, March 30, when the 2011 Lindbergh Award Celebration, hosted by SUN ’n FUN at the Bueh ler Restoration Skills Center, will begin with a reception at 6:15 p.m. followed by a dinner and program emceed by renowned air show pilot and Lindbergh Foundation Board member Sean Tucker.

Receiving the Lindbergh Award Wednesday evening is Dean Kamen, not-ed inventor, educator and pilot.

This award is presented annually to an individual whose work has made signifi-cant contributions reflecting the founda-tion’s mission of balancing technology and nature.

“Dean Kamen is probably best known as the inventor of the Segway but he is also a talented single-pilot jet jockey and flies all over in his Beechcraft Premier,” said Linden Blue, chairman of Spectrum Aeronautical and a Lindbergh Founda-tion board member. “However, our entire board of directors was extremely im-pressed by Dean Kamen’s lifelong dedi-cation to helping people lead better lives through breakthrough medical innova-tions, such as the insulin pump.”

Blue also noted Kamen’s encourage-ment to young people to consider a future as science and technology leaders through the FIRST® Robotics program, as well as his work on energy and water purifica-tion.

The foundation will also recognize GE

Aviation as the recipient of its Corporate Award for Balance, an honor bestowed on organizations whose concern for the envi-ronment and dedication to improving the quality of life are demonstrated through their business practices.

“GE Aviation’s technological innova-tions have produced tremendous gains in fuel efficiency,” observed Larry Wil-liams, Lindbergh Foundation Chairman and CEO of BRS Aerospace. “Their dedi-cation to research and technology that reduce fuel consumption, noise and emis-sions is exemplary, and certainly worthy of Lindbergh Foundation recognition. GE’s work is an excellent model for other manufacturers to follow.”

Accepting the Award for GE Aviation will be Lorraine Bolsinger, president and CEO for GE Aviation Systems.

Lastly, the Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award will be presented to Milbry Polk, founder and director emeritus of WINGs WorldQuest.

The Anne Morrow Lindbergh Award is presented for outstanding individual achievement, a spirit of initiative, and great dedication toward making positive contributions to our world.

“Milbry’s numerous accomplishments as an author and explorer mirror those same talents we appreciated in Anne Mor-row Lindbergh,” said Daniel Bennett, the Lindbergh Foundation director and past

president of The Explorers Club, who nominated Polk for this recognition. “The mission of WINGS WorldQuest dovetails nicely with the Lindbergh Foundation be-cause it provides funding and recognition for women explorers, as well as for scien-tific research and education.”

The following day will feature a variety of forums, all held in the first-floor Multi-Media Room of the new Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA) building. (Schedules and participants may change without notice):

FORuM 1: 9 a.m.: Aviation and the En-vironment — A Rapid Review of New Initiatives:

Enterprises and Facilities: Robert • Stangarone, vice president, corpo-rate communications, Cessna Air-craft Co.; Curt LoPresti, president, LoPresti Aviation; Jim Hansen, Pratt & Whitney Canada.Alternative Fuels: Mark Rumizen, • FAA aviation fuels specialist, Air-craft Certification Service; Jona-thon Ziulkowski, vice president, renewable fuels and chief pilot, Swift Enterprises; Dr. Pat Ander-son, associate professor of aero-nautical engineering, Embry Rid-dle Aeronautical University; and John Bouma, director of engineer-ing, Cessna.

Propulsion: Rj Siegel, CEO, • LoPresti Aviation Engineering; Shawn O’Day, director, Business & General Aviation Marketing, GE Aviation.Integrated Systems/Electric Air-• planes: Jeremy Monett, CEO, Son-ex Aircraft; George Bye, president and CEO, Bye Energy.

FORuM 2: 10:05 a.m.: Saving En-ergy in Enterprises and Facilities: Curt LoPresti, president, LoPresti Aviation; Jim Hansen, Pratt & Whitney Canada.

FORuM 3: 11:05 a.m.: New Alterna-tive Fuels: Jonathon Ziulkowski, vice president renewable fuels and chief pi-lot, Swift Enterprises; Dr. Pat Anderson, associate professor of aeronautical engi-neering Embry Riddle University; John Bouma, director of engineering, Cessna.

FORuM 4: 12:05 a.m.: Clean Pro-pulsion Alternatives: Rj. Siegel, CEO, LoPresti Aviation Engineering; Shawn O’Day, director, Business & General Avi-ation Marketing, GE Aviation.

FORuM 5: 1:05 p.m.: Integrated Sys-tems/Electric Airplanes: Jeremy Monett, CEO, Sonex Aircraft; George Bye, Presi-dent and CEO, Bye Energy.

lindberghFoundation.org

Lindbergh Foundation Day Thursday

Officials with SUN ’n FUN and The Lindbergh Foundation are working to make aviation more environ-mentally friendly with the return of an exhibit area known as “Green-Space.”

The GreenSpace ex-hibit will again have a prominent location at this year’s fly-in, situated just across from the FAA Building in the middle of the campus — the same spot it occupied last year.

Expected to be on hand at the Green-

Space will be Lindbergh Foundation of-ficials, touting the new Aviation Green pro-gram; Randall Fish-man’s ElectraFlyer-C airplane; the city of Lakeland’s water and soil conservation dis-plays; Lakeland Elec-tric; a Florida Refuse recycling exhibit;

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; an Earth Day exhibit; Magnify Credit Union; McDowell Landscape Services; Purity Wellness Spa; and Waste Resource Management.

Go green at the GreenSpace

lorraine BolsingerDean Kamen Milbry Polk

ADMISSIONS

Pipkin Rd.

SUN ‘n FUN Welcome Tent

Judges

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Forums

Tram Depot

Aircraft Aircraft

Aircraft

Light PlaneExhibits

CampgroundHost

East Campground(Light Plane Camping)

Parts Exchange

Airshow Central

Supported By: Aspen Avionics

General Auto Parking

Central Florida

Aerospace

Academy (CFAA)

(Forums will be held in the

CFAA Classrooms)

Special ActivitiesTent 3

AVBID AIRCRAFT AUCTIONSOVERNIGHT AIRCRAFT CAMPING

Special ActivitiesTent 2 Special Activities

Tent 1

MORE CAMPING

Florida Air Museum Pavilion Brought to you by:

Media CenterPress Tent

YELLOW LINE INDICATES CAMPGROUNDBLUE ANGELS EVACUATION

20114175 Medulla Road Lakeland, FL 33811 863-644-2431 www.sun-n-fun.org

Trade-A-Plane Hangar A

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Hangar B

Sarasota AvionicsHangar C

Gulf Coast Avionics/GarminHangar D

CAMPGROUND STORE

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HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFTLIGHT AIRCRAFTROTORCRAFTSEAPLANESVINTAGE AIRCRAFTWARBIRD AIRCRAFT

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FIRST AID

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Admissions (D-4)Aerobatic HQ (F-2)Aircraft Auctions – AvBid Aircraft AuctionsAir Operations (F-2)Blood Mobile (D-4)Camping – RV’s, Tents (A-1,2), (B-1,2), (G-4), (H-5)Camper Registration (C-4)Corn Roast (B-2)Emergency Aircraft Assistance (H-2)Emergency Response Team (C-1), (G-2)Exhibits, Commercial (C-2), (D-2,3), (E-2)Exhibits, Light Plane (F-4)FAA Production Studio (E-3)Flightline Tours (F-2)Handicapped Hospitality (D-4)Homebuilt HQ (E-2), camping – see mapInternational Visitors Center (D-4)Supported by: The Islands of the Bahamas & XmWx

Ladies Pavilion (C-2)Lightplane HQ (E-4)Lost & Found (D-4)Maintenance Facility (B-2)Media Center & Press Tent (E-3)Membership Sales - Florida Air Museum (D-4)Newspaper – SUN ‘n FUN Today (E-3)Online Ticket Redemption (D-4), (F-3)PilotMall (D-3)Radio Station (E-3) Supported by Brighthouse

Rotorcraft HQSchool Tours (C-4)Seabird HQ (H-3)Security (B-2)Shipping Services (Guests) – FedEx (D-3)Showers (A-2), (C-2), (E-3), (H-4)Southeast Exhibits (E-3)Special Activities Tents - Tents 1, 2 (D-4), Tent 3 (F-2)SUN ’n FUN HQ (D-4)SUN ’n FUN Library & Archives (D-3)Sunset Grill (D-3)Tourism Information/INTERNET Café (D-3)Supported by: Central Florida Visitors & Convention Bureau and Pacific Coast Avionics

Type Club (F-3)Vintage HQ (F-3)Volunteer Center (D-4)Warbird HQ (G-2)Youth Activities (C-4)

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TAXIWAY ECHO

VIP InformationCenter

Online Ticket Redemption

TAXIWAY PAPA

Announcer’s Stand &Showcase Briefing VIP COURTYARD

Club

Call ahead Food Pick UP area


ADMISSIONS

Pipkin Rd.

SUN ‘n FUN Welcome Tent

Judges

P

Headquarters

Forums

Tram Depot

Aircraft Aircraft

Aircraft

Light PlaneExhibits

CampgroundHost

East Campground(Light Plane Camping)

Parts Exchange

Airshow Central

Supported By: Aspen Avionics

General Auto Parking

Central Florida

Aerospace

Academy (CFAA)

(Forums will be held in the

CFAA Classrooms)

Special ActivitiesTent 3

AVBID AIRCRAFT AUCTIONSOVERNIGHT AIRCRAFT CAMPING

Special ActivitiesTent 2 Special Activities

Tent 1

MORE CAMPING

Florida Air Museum Pavilion Brought to you by:

Media CenterPress Tent

YELLOW LINE INDICATES CAMPGROUNDBLUE ANGELS EVACUATION

20114175 Medulla Road Lakeland, FL 33811 863-644-2431 www.sun-n-fun.org

Trade-A-Plane Hangar A

Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Hangar B

Sarasota AvionicsHangar C

Gulf Coast Avionics/GarminHangar D

CAMPGROUND STORE

ENTRANCE

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A

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HOMEBUILT AIRCRAFTLIGHT AIRCRAFTROTORCRAFTSEAPLANESVINTAGE AIRCRAFTWARBIRD AIRCRAFT

ATM

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CAR RENTAL

FIRST AID

ICE

MOBILITY RENTAL

PAYPHONES

SHOWERS

TRAM STOPS

XMWX WEATHER STATION

YOU ARE HERE

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GREEN SPACE

Sign Locations

INTERN

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& EXPO

Official Generator

Hangar E

Supported by:

Official Souvenir Merchandise Tents

MediaRegistration

Seaplanes

HEAVY A

IRCRAFT

PARKIN

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Admissions (D-4)Aerobatic HQ (F-2)Aircraft Auctions – AvBid Aircraft AuctionsAir Operations (F-2)Blood Mobile (D-4)Camping – RV’s, Tents (A-1,2), (B-1,2), (G-4), (H-5)Camper Registration (C-4)Corn Roast (B-2)Emergency Aircraft Assistance (H-2)Emergency Response Team (C-1), (G-2)Exhibits, Commercial (C-2), (D-2,3), (E-2)Exhibits, Light Plane (F-4)FAA Production Studio (E-3)Flightline Tours (F-2)Handicapped Hospitality (D-4)Homebuilt HQ (E-2), camping – see mapInternational Visitors Center (D-4)Supported by: The Islands of the Bahamas & XmWx

Ladies Pavilion (C-2)Lightplane HQ (E-4)Lost & Found (D-4)Maintenance Facility (B-2)Media Center & Press Tent (E-3)Membership Sales - Florida Air Museum (D-4)Newspaper – SUN ‘n FUN Today (E-3)Online Ticket Redemption (D-4), (F-3)PilotMall (D-3)Radio Station (E-3) Supported by Brighthouse

Rotorcraft HQSchool Tours (C-4)Seabird HQ (H-3)Security (B-2)Shipping Services (Guests) – FedEx (D-3)Showers (A-2), (C-2), (E-3), (H-4)Southeast Exhibits (E-3)Special Activities Tents - Tents 1, 2 (D-4), Tent 3 (F-2)SUN ’n FUN HQ (D-4)SUN ’n FUN Library & Archives (D-3)Sunset Grill (D-3)Tourism Information/INTERNET Café (D-3)Supported by: Central Florida Visitors & Convention Bureau and Pacific Coast Avionics

Type Club (F-3)Vintage HQ (F-3)Volunteer Center (D-4)Warbird HQ (G-2)Youth Activities (C-4)

TAX

IWAY

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TAXIWAY DELTA

TAXIWAY ECHO

VIP InformationCenter

Online Ticket Redemption

TAXIWAY PAPA

Announcer’s Stand &Showcase Briefing VIP COURTYARD

Club

Call ahead Food Pick UP area


Those of us who have earned our pilot certificates already know the joy of flight, and our family and friends reap the benefits of our training. But that joy is something people still yearning to take wing can only imagine.

Well if you’re one of those peo-ple, or you know one of those peo-ple, the AOPA Learn to Fly Center, located inside the AOPA Tent here at SUN ’n FUN, can remove a lot of the guesswork. The AOPA Tent is next to the PilotMall store, across from Hangars A and B.

“Whether you’re dreaming of learning to fly or already in flight training, the Learn to Fly Center is here to help,” said Jennifer Storm, AOPA’s director of flight training initiatives. “AOPA staff members will be available to answer all your questions and you can even try your hand at the controls of a full-flight simulator thanks to Redbird Flight Simulations’ generous support.”

While there, prospective student pilots can learn more about AOPA’s Let’s Go Flying program and cur-rent student pilots can take a closer look at Flight Training magazine.

Let’s Go Flying (LetsGoFlying.com) is geared to anyone who is interested in learning to fly but is not yet ready to begin lessons. The website offers a wealth of informa-tion and inspiration and even pro-vides a searchable database of flight schools across the country. You can

enter your zip code and find flight schools near you that offer introduc-tory flights. You can also sign up for a free monthly electronic newslet-ter that will help you become more familiar with aviation before you begin flight training.

If you’re already in flight training, you can enroll in a free six-month AOPA membership, complete with members-only website access and six issues of Flight Training (Flight-Training.AOPA.org) — the only magazine dedicated to supporting student pilots, according to AOPA officials. Flight Training website’s student section is broken up into the major segments of learning to fly: Pre-Solo; Maneuvers; Cross-Country (actually going places!); and Flight Test Preparation. Each section answers frequently asked questions, describes the flying skills you’ll learn during that phase of training, and links to relevant on-line courses from the AOPA Foun-dation’s Air Safety Institute.

“Becoming a pilot is such an in-credible, life-changing experience,” concluded Storm. “Regardless of where you may be in your flight training journey, we hope to see you at the AOPA Learn To Fly Center.”

While you’re there, take the flight training pledge, either to start or, if you’re already a student pilot, to complete your training. You could win one of many great prizes.

Experience flight at theAOPA Learn To Fly Center

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U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), perhaps one of the most ardent advocates of GA in the House of Representatives, will host an “Aviation Issues” Town Hall-style meeting Satur-day, April 2, from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the pro-duction studio of the FAA Building.

Top leaders from GA’s alphabet groups, including the

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, and General Aviation Manufac-turers Association, are ex-pected to attend the meeting as well, according to SUN ’n FUN officials.

Graves, a long-time pilot who owns a Stearman and is restoring a rare Beech Model AT-10, is co-chair

of the House General Aviation

Caucus, sharing duties with Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.), who is also expected to attend SUN ’n FUN this year. Founded in 2009, the GA Caucus is one of the largest caucuses in the House with 96 members. The mission of the caucus is to educate all members of Congress on the importance of general aviation to both national trans-portation and our economy.

The Town Hall meeting will be held in the FAA production studios so that it can be streamed live to a global audience over the Internet, according to SUN ’n FUN

President and Convention Chairman John Burton.

If you plan to attend the Town Hall meeting, you may want to get there early. Unlike the AOPA Pavilion, which has plenty of seating, the FAA studios has just 150 seats.

If you can’t get into the Town Hall meeting, you can watch it online at FAAProductionStudios.com. Click on the “View Safety Seminars LIVE” link on the home page.

House.gov/graves

Graves hosts Town Hall meeting Saturday

Don’t miss the Volunteer Parade, which kicks off at 7:45 a.m. Sunday.

The parade starts at the FAA Building, goes out through the campground, then back to the announcer’s stand. It usually takes about 15 minutes.

The parade was started many years ago “as an early morning antic” by Freddie Quinn and the Ground Safety Crew, ac-cording to Suzy Eickhoff, a SUN ’n FUN volunteer and Quinn’s daughter.

“They were all staying in the Back Acres Campground and were getting ready to go out to the field to work,” she recalls. “You know how guys on motorcycles can get — one races his engine and they all have to do it. They decided my dad should lead

the group as the Grand Marshall and it be-came a parade.”

Quinn was tapped to lead the parade because he was the Air Operations Chair-

man at the time, she explains.Over the years the parade has evolved.

Today, all volunteers are invited to partic-ipate. “They are encouraged to decorate their work vehicles and join the fun and foolishness,” she says.

When Quinn passed away several years ago, the tradition of Grand Marshall changed. Now, a committee decides at the end of each parade who will be Grand Marshall for next year’s parade. At the end of the parade, Grand Marshalls are presented with a trophy by Bill Eickhoff, chairman of the board.

Suzy Eickhoff encourages everyone to watch the parade. “It’s great fun in a very short period of time!” she says.

Volunteer parade slated for Sunday

The winners of last year’s trophy were the British Royal Air Force Cadets.

u.S. Rep. Sam graves

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Trying to stay on top of all the happen-ings at SUN ’n FUN? Tune in to SUN ’n FUN Radio on 1510 AM or listen world-wide on the Internet at LiveATC.net/SNF.

The radio station will have more than 30 volunteers covering every aspect of the fly-in, according to Volunteer Radio Chairman Dave Shallbetter.

“We’ll have updates on news and hap-penings around the fly-in, great interviews with aviation notables, up-to-date sched-ules of events, interviews with sponsors, vendors and guests,” he said. “We also of-fer live coverage of the daily air show, re-mote broadcasts of the evening programs, and remote broadcasts of the 12:30 p.m. daily rooftop interviews from the FAA Production Studios.”

The station’s daily feature, “The 99’s Present,” will return this year, again fea-turing the 99’s special guests, the World War II Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP). “Each day at 11 a.m., we will interview a 99 and a WASP and there will be an hour-long WASP special on Wednesday at 11 a.m.,” Shallbetter said, noting, “There could be as many as 10 WASPs in attendance! Special thanks go to the 99s for not only coordinating these specials but for sponsoring the WASP’s trips to SUN ’n FUN.”

Women in Aviation also will return this year with its special segment, “Women Shine at SUN ’n FUN,” he added.

Also returning this year are live pod-casts. “We’re happy to have a complete line-up of podcasts this year,” Shallbet-

ter said. “Listeners can stay tuned after the air show for a different podcast each day. Tuesday will be Jeb Burnside, Dave Higdon and Jack Hodgson, the voices of The Uncontrolled Airspace Podcast. Wednesday will be our new guests, Denver-based The Mile High Fly-ers Podcast. Thursday will be The Pilot’s Flight Podlog with David Allen. Friday is our annual aviation pod-cast feature, The Gathering of Aviation Podcasters (or The GAP). It’s kind of an open mic night for aviation podcasters. Saturday is our virtual podcast, ‘Not at SUN ’n FUN 11,’ hosted again this year

by AirspeedOnline.com’s Stephen Force appearing via the Internet. Wrapping up

the week of podcasts will be UCAP on Sunday morning at 10 a.m.”

The radio station also con-tinues expanding its Internet presence, with updates on its Twitter account, @SnFRa-dio, Shallbetter continued.

If you have a story you want to share, Shallbetter encourages you stop by the SUN ’n FUN Radio Stu-dio located on the corner of Voyager Path and Clubhouse

Row, just east of the Sunset Grill. You’ll also find the General Aviation News SUN ’n FUN Today office there.

Tune in to SUN ’n FUN Radio

FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt will be on the SUN ’n FUN campus several days this week during the fly-in. Babbitt, who also spent several days at last year’s event, will participate in several activities during this year’s appearance, including the popular “Meet the FAA” session on Friday, April 1, at 1 p.m. in the FAA Na-tional Resource Center and Production Studios, located in the FAA building in the heart of the SUN ’n FUN campus.

“SUN ’n FUN is very pleased to host Administrator Babbitt again this year and we look forward to his participation,” said SUN ’n FUN President and Convention Chairman John Burton. “We appreciate the time he spent with us in Lakeland last year and we value another opportunity to meet with the administrator and key members of his staff. We know he enjoys spending time with fellow pilots and air-craft owners along the flightline, so we plan to extend a healthy dose of SUN ’n FUN’s aviation-oriented, southern style hospitality.”

Babbitt, sworn in as the FAA’s 16th administrator in June 2009, is a veteran pilot, beginning his career as a CFI, even-tually working his way up to Eastern Air-lines, where he flew for 25 years. He also served as president and CEO for the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).

FAA.gov

FAA administrator returns to SuN ’n FuN

Babbitt at last year’s SuN ’n FuN

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visitor Information Center has answers

If you need help finding accommoda-tions or want a recommendation on where to eat while you’re at SUN ’n FUN, you can find the answers at the Visitor Infor-mation Center, which is just outside the Sunset Grill.

Operated from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily by the Polk County Visitors and Conven-tion Bureau — also known as the Central Florida Visitors and Convention Bureau — the information center will be staffed throughout the show with specialists who can answer anything from where’s the best place to shop to where campers can wash their clothes. Need help finding a hotel room? This is the place to start. And if you need to check out something on-line, Pacific Coast Avionics is sponsoring

an Internet Cafe at the Visitors Informa-tion Center.

Bureau officials remind those attend-ing SUN ’n FUN to be sure and pick up a FREE Passport to Adventure and Savings, which offers discounts on dining, shopping and attractions.

The staff at the Visi-tor’s Center also want to let those attending SUN ’n FUN know that there are some famous attrac-tions here in Polk County. “Each one is unique and offers something different for every age and interest,” officials say.

Here are just a few that are worth checking out while you have some free time away from all the action at the fly-in, officials say:

Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales: Lo-cated on “Iron Mountain,” the highest

point in peninsular Florida, Bok Tower features 250 acres of colorful gardens surrounding the park’s signature 205-foot marble and coquina carillon tower. For more information: BokTowerGardens.org

or 863-676-1408.Fantasy of Flight,

Polk City: Home to the SUN ’n FUN Splash-In on Thursday, Fantasy of Flight showcases the largest private collec-tion of vintage aircraft

in the world. Fantasy of Flight is just min-utes away from the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex off I-4 at Exit 44. No admission for the diner and gift shop. High flying thrills are available with biplane or hot air balloon rides. For more information: Fan-tasyOfFlight.com or 863-984-3500.

Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture, Lakeland: Legendary architect Frank

Lloyd Wright came to Lakeland in 1938 to create a “great educational temple” in Florida. He designed 18 structures for Florida Southern College to resemble buildings rising “out of the ground…and into the sun.” Twelve were built and you can admire them on a self-guided tour. For more information: FlSouthern.edu or 863-680-4597.

And next year there will be a new at-traction: LEGOLAND Florida in nearby Winter Haven. Merlin Entertainments purchased the historic Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven and plans to open LEGO-LAND Florida towards the end of 2011. LEGOLAND Florida will be the largest LEGOLAND park in the world and will offer a mix of more than 50 interactive rides, shows and attractions, including spectacular LEGO models and other in-teractive elements for the whole family to enjoy, visitor center officials said.

Got questions?

The Showcase Fly-Bys, featured daily from noon until 1:30 p.m., are one of the

most popular attractions at the SUN ’n FUN International Fly-In & Expo.

The fly-bys are an opportunity for man-ufacturers and individuals to show off their aircraft in the air in the fly-by pattern at show center while having it described over the public address system, fly-in of-ficials explained.

Pilots and their announcers are given a briefing at the Fly-By and Showcase Briefing building located at the An-nouncer’s Stand. Briefings are daily at 8 a.m., 9 a.m., and 10 a.m., and include a description of the fly-by pattern, staging

and launching times. The Showcase crew will be on hand to stage, launch, and re-call each aircraft on a discrete radio fre-quency, officials add.

Each aircraft or group of manufac-turer’s aircraft have exclusive use of the fly-by pattern for six minutes while their representative extolls its virtues over the PA system, officials said. The same planes can fly on multiple days if times and slots are available — and they usually are, of-ficials note.

See the latest in the air with the Showcase Fly-Bys

youth ActivitiesThe Tom Davis Education Center offers

fun, educational opportunities to young aviation enthusiasts during the week of the fly-in.

The Youth Activities tent located out-side the Davis Center is filled with a va-riety of interesting aviation-based activi-ties, while inside children of all ages will be fascinated by the flight simulator lab featuring the HotSeat Flight Simulator. Visitors also can enjoy multimedia pre-sentations and movies. And, just in case anyone is hungry, hot dogs and snacks are available in the screened porch area. Be-hind the Davis Center, an open air pavil-ion offers even more exciting activities. Plus, no visit would be complete without an opportunity to try out the Kid Air II flight simulator or Scamp, an airplane on static display donated especially for kids.

School tours also begin and end at the Davis Center allowing hundreds of stu-dents, teachers, and chaperones to experi-ence a major aviation event, many for the first time.

Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily. Volunteers prefer parents stay with young children, while older kids — mid-dle school aged and up — can participate in the center’s activities on their own.

The Tom Davis Education Center is lo-cated near the Florida Air Museum, just past the AOPA Pavilion.

Photographers wantedShow off your photographs to the

readers of SUN ’n FUN Today. Bring your digital camera to our offices on Club House Row, which we share with SUN ’n FUN Radio, by 2 p.m. daily.

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One of the oldest and most beautiful forms of flight was first “test-piloted” by a sheep, a duck and a rooster. In 1783 the Montgolfier brothers loaded this menag-erie aboard a balloon and launched it up, up and away. Later that year they took to the skies in a balloon made of paper and silk.

Modern hot-air balloons are showcased early Saturday morning with a spectacu-lar balloon launch. Pilots participating in this launch are part of a unique group of seasoned air-show veterans from around the world.

Hot air balloon pilots carry an FAA is-sued pilot’s license in the Lighter than Air category. In addition to passing the tra-ditional written tests, a pilot is specially trained in balloon mechanics, safety, pro-cedures, and the unique flight character-

istics of balloons. Rated as either private or commercial, pilot competence can only be attained by extensive experience in

actual flight, according to SUN ’n FUN officials.

Balloon events at SUN ’n FUN include

limited daily demonstration flights from the ultralight field, also known as Paradise City, by commercial firms, usually around 7 a.m. The balloons also will participate in a “Balloon Glow” on Friday during the night air show. This is when the balloons inflate, but do not launch.

On Saturday morning, weather permit-ting, balloons will be launched in a tra-ditional “Hare and Hound” race. As the name suggests, this event involves chas-ing a single balloon after it takes off. This balloon acts as the hare and floats in the air for a short while before other balloons are allowed to take off. The balloons that follow are the hounds. The winner is the one that lands closest to the hare.

If you want to catch all the action, you’ll have to get up early. The Balloon Launch takes place between 6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Balloon Launch set for Saturday

A visit to the Vintage Aircraft display area is a stroll through aviation history, and a breathtaking one at that — not from all that walking but from all that beauty.

Owners of antique and classic airplanes take special and understandable pride in them.

Their historic craft tend to be beauti-fully restored, brightly polished or waxed, looking much as they did the day they

rolled out of the factory. For the most part, they date from be-

tween the two World Wars, although there are outstanding examples of late 1940s and 1950s aviation: the Swifts and Navions, post-war Luscombes, Beeches, Cessnas and Pipers from the era when wartime in-novation reached private aviation.

The 1930s, long known as aviation’s Golden Age, produced such beauties as

the elegant Stinson Reliants and Howard DGAs — “Damned Good Airplanes,” ac-cording to designer Benny Howard — the classic Staggerwing Beech 17s and endur-ing Beech 18 twins, Luscombe Silvaires, Waco cabin and open-cockpit biplanes.

With them you’ll find early Aeroncas that look like something off Disney draw-ing boards, timeless deHavilland train-ers (“No-one was ever killed in a Tiger

Moth,” goes the myth), not to mention early Taylorcraft, ubiquitous Cessnas and Cubs to die for.

Few airplanes anywhere are as stunning, visually, as those you’ll see in the Vintage area. Walk among them and you’ll under-stand why their era is called the Golden Age of aviation.

The Vintage Area is at the end of Laird Drive to the right of the flightline.

Where The Golden Age is on display

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The crowds on the flightline are expect-ed to be bigger this year due to the appear-ance of the Blue Angels.

While this means more people will see your pride and joy, it also can put your airplane at greater risk for inadvertent damage.

Although you can’t be there all the time, there are some things you can do to protect your airplane when you aren’t around.

“Do not touch” placards are a • must. These are provided for dis-play aircraft when you register. These cardboard sleeves slip over the propeller. Verify the security of your aircraft • tie-downs. If you use single stakes, insert them into the ground at a di-agonal. A stake inserted on a diag-onal takes more force to lift out of the ground than one driven straight into the ground. You may want to invest in the “claw” type of aircraft tie-down. Instead of a single stake in the ground, there are three at dif-ferent angles. As the name implies, it resembles a claw when used properly. According to pilots who use them, they are easier to install and remove, yet provide sturdier protection than the one-stake va-rieties.

Make sure gust locks are installed • correctly.Do not leave anything near your • airplane that can be thrown, such as a football or a Frisbee, a mod-el glider or even extra tie-down stakes. Also don’t leave any clean-ing products that have a spray trig-ger around. One unsupervised kid is all it takes to do damage. Put these items out of sight.Be careful of the position of your • propeller. In camping areas expe-rienced campers recommend that you turn the propeller so the blades are vertical. Someone walking be-tween rows at night is less likely to hit the blade.In adverse weather, such as high • winds, do not try to “save your air-

plane.” If the wind is blowing hard enough, the plane could flip over and land on you. The aircraft can be replaced. You can’t.

Supervise the refueling of your air-• craft at all times.Take all the expensive portable • items, such as yoke-mounted GPS and headsets, out of your cockpit. Either lock them up or hide them well. Although most people are honest, there are, unfortunately, some folks who see large events as an opportunity to steal.Taxi a little bit slower than you • would normally, especially if there are lots of people around. Some of them may be aviation novices and may walk with their backs to the aircraft or on taxiways instead of on footpaths, and could step into the line of a wing.

Protect your plane

Meet pilots who own the same kind of plane as you in the Type Club Tent, which is next to the Florida Sport Aviation An-tique Classic Association building near the Vintage Aircraft Camping Area.

Inside the Type Club Tent you will find displays paying homage to various types of aircraft, ranging from Piper Cubs to Mooneys.

According to volunteers, the clubs have tables and their members volunteer a few

hours at a time to answer questions.“It is a good place for networking and

meeting new people,” volunteers say, not-ing, “People come from all over the coun-try.”

The Type Club Tent is part social get together, part information exchange. If you have a particular challenge with your aircraft, mention it to someone in the tent. Chances are they can point you in the right direction.

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SuN ’n FuN’s chief judge shares the tricks of the trade

How do you judge airplanes in six very different categories for a variety of very different awards?

“Objectively,” says Leonard Kress, chief judge at SUN ’n FUN. “It’s easy to be subjective, though,” he adds. “That’s why we follow EAA judging standards.”

Those standards are outlined in a “scor-ing decision tree” that leads to scores ranging from zero (major deficiency) to 10 (perfect, impossible to do better).

“Deficiency is defined as a safety item with potential for catastrophic flight fail-ure,” Kress explained, pointing out that very few owners with airplanes in such bad shape ask to be judged.

At the other end of the scale, a 10 is utterly flawless, a very difficult level to achieve — but far from impossible. Most owners who ask to be judged have air-planes that are well above average, gen-erally scoring in the seven (strong show quality) to 10 range.

As the judges make their rounds, there is no discussion. “Points aren’t awarded by consensus,” Kress said, but by each judge — up to 50 of them — filling out individual score sheets. The scores are added up and compared only after judg-

ing is completed.Airplanes are judged in six categories:

custom-built, vintage, warbirds, ultralight and light sport, rotorcraft and seaplanes.

The first question asked is whether the airplane be-ing looked at is airworthy. If not, it earns a zero and there’s nothing more to be done. Assuming it is, however, the next ques-tion is whether it’s better than average. A no leads to choosing whether it is very crude, crude, func-tional or average. Each of those terms goes with a successively higher score, from one to four.

An airplane judged to be better than average is considered on yet another set of questions. Is it equal to, or better than, factory new? If not, but of above average craftsmanship, it falls into the five, six or seven scoring level: slightly above aver-age, solidly above, or showing pride of workmanship.

If, however, a judge gives a yes answer to the “factory new” question, the next

step is the really hard one, Kress said.

A choice must be made as to whether the airplane has very fine workman-ship but apparent flaws, outstanding workmanship with flaws that are diffi-cult to detect, or is — and this is a 10 — “flawless in all respects.”

Sometimes owners will ask judges to critique their airplanes. “That’s a

real can of worms,” Kress said. “After all, no mother ever had an ugly baby. People put their lives into these things” and no judge wants to face a restored airplane’s “mother” with a list of flaws.

Take a stroll among the airplanes this week and do your own judging. When the results are printed in the April 3 edition of SUN ’n FUN Today, you can compare your conclusions with those of the judg-es.

Judging airplanes

leonard Kress


Stops Along the Way — SUN ’n FUN 2011“Southern Hospitality” awaits you!

Visits these businesses on your trip to and from SUN ’n FUN or anytime.

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For more information go to www.therogueaviator.com. Order direct from the author at [email protected].

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Getting up close to an airplane is privi-lege, not a right.

For first-timers, here are some rules to remember when you visit the flight line:

Do not walk in front of an airplane • that is taxiing toward you.Do not walk with your back to a • moving airplane. When an aircraft approaches, step off to the side, well clear of the wings, and turn to

face the pilot. Wait until the aircraft moves by before you start moving again.Don’t touch the airplanes without • the owners’ permission.Be careful about walking beneath • the wings of airplanes because sometimes oil and fuel drip. Be careful that you do not walk • into a propeller or pitot tube or trip

over wheels or tie-down ropes.Hold small children by the hand • to make sure they don’t dart out in front of a moving airplane.Do not let your children play with • things that can be thrown, such as toy airplanes. If a thrown item hits an airplane, it can damage it.If you are looking into an airplane, • be careful not to lean against it.

Be careful about jewelry, watches, • belt buckles, cell phones and cam-eras. These can accidentally scratch or even tear the skin on an aircraft.Do not sit on aircraft.• Beware of the prop wash (breeze) • coming off a propeller.Always heed the instructions of the • aircraft marshals and security per-sonnel.

Behave yourself!

Each year the Ladies Pavilion plans a fun-filled week of activities.

The pavilion, on Poberezny Road in the SUN ’n FUN Convention RV Camp-ground, offers a great place to take a break or to spend the week, according to organizers.

A massage therapist, nail technician and hair dresser will be available all week.

Daily crafts and other demonstrations include: basket making, Tupperware, cookie decorating, quilting, copper art, home and garden décor, handmade jew-elry, Mary Kay, Southern Living/Willow House, jewelry making, wind chimes, stained glass art, one step acrylic paint-ing, low-impact exercise, spice and soup mixes, a flea market, and daily raffles.

Tuesday: March 2910 a.m. Nu Skin with Kathy Doyle.11 a.m. Healthy Decisions Are Yours

with Jim and Marge Schnicker.12 p.m. Annual Open House. 1 p.m. Be Skinny Coffee with Nancy

Ross and Ellen Wright.

Wednesday, March 3010 a.m. The Lakeland Needle Bend-

ers will show off their quilts. Bring your projects along too, as they always have a show and tell.

1 p.m. Beauty by Nature with Kathy Branch.

2 p.m. Ladies Pavilion Tea Party.

Thursday, March 3110 a.m. Jenny Walters and The History

of Jewelry. Bring any pieces that you’re not sure about and see what you can learn.

11 a.m. Crime Prevention with Bob Hamilton.

12 p.m. The Ladies Pavilion will be evacuated for the rest of the day for the arrival of the Blue Angels.

Friday, April 110 a.m. Pampered Chef with Sandy

Griner.12 p.m. Tastefully Simple with Shelly

Esker.2 p.m. 31 Purses with Jennifer Neal.3:30 p.m. The Ladies Pavilion will be

evacuated for the rest of the day for the Blue Angels performance.

Saturday, April 210 a.m. Identity Theft Countermeasures

Group with Tyler Wildman.11:30 Jockey Clothing with Joan Wal-

ton.1 p.m. Square Dancing3:30 p.m. The Ladies Pavilion will be


Sunday, April 310 a.m. Reverend Douglas Kirk will

lead a non-denominational service.3:30 p.m. The Ladies Pavilion will be


Lots of fun at the Ladies Pavilion

EAA Welcome Center News

Take a friend fl ying on May 21st Share the Spirit of Aviation.

All around the world, EAA members and chapters, along with other individuals and organizations, are planning events for International Learn to Fly Day.

Our goal is to bring aviators together with folks who want to experience fl ying. We’re making it easy for everyone to participate. Just visit www.LearnToFly.org/events.

This Skycatcher.Your hangar.Enter to win at the EAA Welcome Center. Enter our EAA 2011 Share the Spirit Sweepstakes for a chance to win a Cessna 162 Skycatcher, including fuel for a year courtesy of Shell Aviation* (up to $5000), or other great prizes.

Enter sweepstakes at theEAA Welcome Center on Laird Boulevard (across from Sunset Grill)

Drawing will be held on July 31, 2011, during EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.A $1 donation per coupon is appreciated. All proceeds from the Sweepstakes support EAA’s historic and youth education endeavors. No donation necessary to enter by mail. A donation will not improve your chances of winning.

*Shell Oil Products US is not a sponsor of nor is it responsible for conducting this sweepstakes.


Flying solo doesn’t mean you fly alone.

D e D i c a t e D t o h e l p i n g b u s i n e s s a c h i e v e i t s h i g h e s t g o a l s .

IF YOU USE YOUR AIRPLANE FOR BUSINESS – NBAA IS RIGHT FOR YOU.

Sun ‘n Fun Attendees Receive a 20% Discount OFF First-Year Dues!

Visit www.nbaa.org/join/sunnfun and enter Promo Code SUNFUN20 when prompted.

In your hands, a light airplane achieves significant things. The National Business

Aviation Association exists to serve leaders like you, who fly their own course,

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that can help make flying solo the path to even greater opportunities.

Learn more at www.flyforbusiness.org.


By JANICE WOOD

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport is the busiest airport in the world — at least this week.

But there’s a lot of activity going on at the airport all year round.

The airport opened a new FBO build-ing March 18 and, just a few days later, airport officials revealed that Direct Air, an airline based in Myrtle Beach, S.C., will begin scheduled service to LAL, with airline officials saying they believe the airport could become a hub for tourists visiting Central Florida.

“There will be a whole new way to come to SUN ’n FUN,” said Gene Con-rad, airport director.

But GA pilots shouldn’t worry that they’ll be pushed out of LAL, he said.

“I am a No. 1 supporter of GA,” he said. “All of these things can co-mingle and co-exist. SUN ’n FUN will not ever be inter-rupted.”

The airport received a $2 million grant from the Florida Department of Transpor-tation to renovate the first floor of the for-mer FBO, adding ticket counters, a bag-gage claim, and accommodations for the Transportation Security Administration.

It also got a $2.4 million FAA grant, plus another $1 million from FDOT, for improvements to the airport, including expanding the ramp and taxiway im-provements designed to alleviate complex geometric intersections and improve the safety of taxiing aircraft at the airport.

“The taxiway coming out of the termi-nal area used to steer you into a convo-luted spot,” Conrad said. “This has been

identified as a ‘hot spot’ with a potential for runway incursions. These improve-ments will correct that.”

It also will provide for the straighten-ing of another taxiway coming out of the T-hangar area. “If you are not paying at-tention, the current layout allows for an aircraft or vehicle to go right across the runway without realizing it,” he said, not-ing that second taxiway project is slated to begin after SUN ’n FUN.

The airport is also building a seven-acre pond. “In Florida, every time you build an impervious structure, you must build a pond,” he said, explaining everything north of runway 9-27 will drain into the 20-foot-deep pond. “We took out 210,000 cubic tons of dirt. We’re also building em-bankments to deter wildlife.”

And the big news announced during SUN ’n FUN is that the airport is prepar-ing to break ground on a 40-acre solar farm on the far west side of the airport. The 5.5 megawatt solar farm is expected to generate more than 216 million kilo-watt hours of solar energy over the next 25 years.

The large panels will be at the end of the runway, but pilots shouldn’t worry, Conrad said. “The panels don’t reflect light, but rather pulls in it, so they are not a hazard for aviation,” he explained.

The solar farm will be a big boost for the airport’s bottom line, giving it a $200,000 credit off its $270,000 annual utility bill,

he added. “That is a huge deal for us,” he said. “It will help makes us more solvent and self-sustaining.”

But with all the activity going on at the airport, Conrad notes the most important development is the opening of the Central Florida Aerospace Academy.

“The stars are aligning for us,” he said. “There are tremendous opportunities for aviation at this facility, but the CFAA is the most exciting development. I can’t de-fine what that will mean for the airport or the community, but we can dream and I think it’s going to be big.”

He added there’s been talk of adding glider operations to the airport so the stu-dents can get involved at a younger age.

“We need to keep the airport vibrant and continue to push,” he said. “We’ve got to get the youth engaged.”

lakelandAirport.com

The busiest airport in the world

RTC raffles networking memberships

The new aviator networking website, FabulousFlying.com, is providing Recur-rent Training Center (RTC) with comple-mentary memberships in the Fabulous-Flying Layover Club, to be raffled off at the end of this week’s fly-in.

The founder of the website, Nina An-derson, has attended King Air recurrent training at RTC and it helped her secure employment flying a KA200. In apprecia-tion she is providing the memberships to RTC.

Stop by RTC’s booth in Hangar C, Space 54, and drop your business card or sign up.

gENE CONRAD

From new FBO to a solar farm, the future looks bright for lAl

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Standard & custom placards,

custom circuit breaker overlays

along with instrument &

switch panels.


Best Indoor Commercial Display: Jeppesen, Hangar C, Space 7-8, 19-21

Best Outdoor Commercial Display: Aviat, MD-30C, MD-31B

Antique (Before 8/31/45)Outstanding Aircraft: 1942 Taylorcraft

L-2A, Mark Watson, Pensacola, Fla.Silver Age Champion: 1930 Con-

solidated Fleet YPT-6A, Mark and Mary White, Vero Beach, Fla.

Classic (9/1/45 to 12/31/55)Best Custom Classic 0-100 hp: 1946

Aeronca 7AC, John Murray, Tampa, Fla.Best Restored Classic 0-100 hp: 1947

Piper J-3 Cub, Terry Robertson, Boynton Beach, Fla.

Outstanding Classic Aircraft: 1948 Cessna 140, Kelly Bare, Lakeland, Fla.

Outstanding Classic Aircraft: 1946 Piper PA-12, Mark Zander, Pawling, N.Y.

Outstanding Classic Aircraft: 1947 Cessna 195, Calvin Arter, Mulberry, Fla.

Contemporary (1/1/56 to 12/31/70)

Best Custom Contemporary: 1964 PA-24-250 Comanche, David Lessnick, Henderson, Nev.

Best Restored Contemporary: 1959 Piper PA-22, Kevin and Zachary Weidner, Bunker Hill, Ill.

Outstanding Transport Aircraft: 1958 Eastern Airlines DC-7B, Historical Flight Foundation, Miami

SeaplaneGrand Champion: 2001/1947/2010

Thunderbee 001, Buzz & JJ Hale and Chas. R. Joy, Victor, Mont.

Best Float Plane Fabric: 1953/2003 PA-18 Amphib, Mike Fuller, Orlando, Fla.

Best Amphibian Metal: 1983 Lake Renegade, Bill Schmaltz, Deerfield Beach, Fla.

Best Float Plane Metal: 1971 C182P, William Kitchen, Windermere, Fla.

RotorcraftOutstanding: 2008 Helicycle, Bill

Hyde, Miami, Fla.

Light Sport AircraftGrand Champion: 2011 Evolution

Trike, Larry Mednick, Odessa, Fla.Reserve Grand Champion: 2008

Warner Sportster, Michael Walicke, New Port Richey, Fla.

Best Commercial: 2011 AL3C, Ameri-can Legend Aircraft Co., Sulphur Springs, Texas

Special Award for Innovation: 2008 Electra Flyer, Randall Fishman, Vero Beach, Fla.

Outstanding New Design: 2011 Apache X2 Sport, Michael Theeke, Wild-wood, Ga.

Outstanding Fixed Wing: 2011 Phoe-nix U15, Jim Lee, Satellite Beach, Fla.

Best Materials Kit: 1997 FP202 Fisher Flying Products, Eric Adams, Lakeland, Fla.

Special Award Safety Practices: 2007

Allegro, B Bar D Aviation, Sanford, N.C.

UltralightGrand Champion: 2011 Airbourne T-

Light, Russell Duncan, Asotiw, Wash.Reserve Grand Champion: 2010

Nirvana Rodeo, Jared DeWitt, Nokomis, Fla.

Best Commercial: 2011 Belite Super-trike, James Wiebe, Wichita, Kan.

Innovations: 2011 Hovery Hovercraft, Alberto de Castelli, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Best Type Trike: 2011 Skycycle, Mi-chael Theeke, Wildwood, Ga.

Outstanding Fixed Wing: 2011 Lucky Stars, Mark Stull, Christoval, Texas

HomebuiltGrand Champion-Plans: 2008 Mar-

rero Acey Deucy, Edgar Marrero, Enter-prise, Ala.

Grand Champion-Kit: 2011 Rans S-75 Courier, Rick McBride, Centreville, Va.

Reserve Grand Champion-Kit: 2010 Vans RV-10, Greg Hale, Tulsa, Okla.

Best Classic: 1975 Thorp T-18, Lee Walton, Houston, Texas

Best Composite: 2007 Questair Ven-ture, Tom Losey, Ft. Myers, Fla.

Best Metal: 1984 Thorp T-18, Bob Highley, Lakeland, Fla.

Best Fabric: 2009 Pientpol, Frank Metcalf, Villa Rica, Ga.

Best Interior: 2010 Glasail Super #SRG, Randy Pinkston, Wadesboro, N.C.

Best Workmanship: 2010 Rans S-7S Courier, Thomas Chapman, San Antonio, Texas

Best Auto Engine: 2010 Titan T-51 Mustang, Travis Gier, Naples, Fla.

2011 Award Winners

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Mark Watson of Pensacola, Fla., both won and lost on his first trip to SuN ’n FuN. His 1942 Taylorcraft l-2 won the award for Outstanding Aircraft, Antique, but was heavily damaged in Thursday’s tornado.

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Mark Stull debuted his eighth original ultralight design in Paradise City at this year’s SUN ’n FUN.

“This is my first with a tractor engine,” he said of Lucky Stars III. “It was a wor-thy challenge, significantly different from my previous designs, and includes a cou-ple fun and interesting experiments.”

First flown in January, the ultralight is fabricated almost entirely from 2024-T3 aluminum. The most striking feature of the ultralight — the ring tail — has no aerodynamic advantage, he said. “It’s just for fun,” he said. “People go to air shows to see something new and different. I fig-ured I’d give them their money’s worth at SUN ’n FUN. I enjoy trying experimental things on an ultralight that you can’t get away with on a faster plane. The ring tail is exactly that.”

Stull notes that the whole tail tilts on a universal joint in any combination of pitch and yaw, serving as elevator and rudder. “The ring’s structure came out amazingly stiff, strong, and light, with eight com-pression ribs joining the leading and trail-ing edge tubing hoops,” he said. “I made the ring extra large to give it ample con-trol authority and added a small hydraulic damper to keep the tail’s high momentum from swinging beyond intended yaw de-flections.”

The aerodynamics of the ring are un-usual, according to Stull. All of the air that flows through the inside of the ring is deflected to the angle of the ring. But the outside of the ring acts like a giant wing tip, spilling much of the air, rather than deflecting it. “I had to make the ring large enough in diameter so plenty of air would flow through it,” he said. “A ring is very

stall resistant, allowing unusually high angles of attack, but has more drag than a conventional tail.”

The ultralight is powered by a Kawa-saki, 340 cc snowmobile engine, de-rated to about 25 hp with a 24 mm carburetor, he said, adding he had to make his own intake manifold to adapt the little carbu-retor. It cruises between 40 mph and 60 mph true airspeed, and stalls at 29 mph with the flaps up and 27 mph with the flaps down.

“All in all, this new plane was a fun, educational, and worthy challenge to de-sign, build, and perfect,” he said. “It took some significant modifications to make it all work. Everybody smiles when they see the ring tail. I’m smiling too.”

Stull doesn’t sell plans or kits, noting “I design, build, and fly ultralights just for fun.”

Ring Tail makes its debut

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Camera system at gulf Coast Avionics

Light Sport Group is partnering with Gulf Coast Avionics to distribute its A/V-ator HD GPS aviation camera system at this year’s SUN ’n FUN.

The A/V-ator GPS records in-flight video at 1080P resolution, while record-ing audio with Light Sport Group’s pro-prietary noise-reduction circuitry featur-ing impedance-matching technology. The new GPS model allows for speed, alti-tude, and position data to be encoded with the video. Included software allows users to play back flights, edit video, and share their videos online.

You can see the system yourself in Han-gar D, Spaces 28-33.

Introducing the ProBalancer Sport

•Affordable•Providescorrectiveweightsolutions,notjustavibrationmeasurer

•CalibrationtraceabletoNISTstandards

•Easytouse•Analyzerlearns,providingbettersolutionsonfutureruns

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SouthAmericaATA

Pedro [email protected]

Tel: 55-11-6909-9445

ProBalancer Sport, the pacesetter for LSA propeller balancing industry. A must for every aircraft builder and maintainer.

NEW!

Australia,Indonesia,NewZealandandAsia

Vibrotech AviationTom Little

[email protected]: 61-2-43-223-229

EuropeAero Tecs NVLuc Stultjens

[email protected]: 32 (0)11 424 066

UnitedStates,MexicoandCanadaEdmo Distributingwww.edmo.com

Tel: 1-800-235-3300

SouthAfricaSky-Tech Aircraft Support

Heinz Van [email protected]

Tel: 27-11-973-4443


Engines - 6950

CAMDRIVE 500 helical gear reduction units. 3 ratios, 2 offsets, $13,975.00. Firewall Forward Aero Engines.www.firewall.ca 705-754-9743.

Insurance - 7400

Carrio Aviation Insurance: Providing Aviation Insurance for More Than 30 Years -- 800-344-4359

We can competitively insure almost any aircraft/pilot combination through one of our many "A" rated insur-ance companies. We also specialize in Life Insurance. Mobile, Alabama. www.carrioaviationinsurance.com

Restaurants - 8720

HUNGRY? BEEF’O’BRADY’S is here to feed to you. We have the best wings and burgers in town. Free Deliv-ery 863-646-7757. Visit beefobradys.com for a menu.

Real Estate/Airport Property - 9650

South Carolina - 9650

NORTH OF Hurricanes, south of snow: 3300 turf. 10mi to Myrtle Beach. 1acre. $75,000.Low taxes/insurance, “free DVD”. 843-602-8220. www.hardeeairpark.com See at

Sun N’ Fun. booth#99.

20 WORDS $44, $1.25 / WORD OVER 20Bring form below left to SUN ’n FUN Today office

in the SUN ’n FUN Radio building.

C L A S S I F I E D S

Classifieds Order FormDeadlines 3 p.m. daily

1 ___________ 2 _____________ 3 ___________ 4 _____________ 5 ___________ 6 _____________ 7 ___________ 8 _____________ 9 ___________ 10 ____________11 __________ 12 ____________13 __________ 14 ____________15 __________ 16 ____________17 __________ 18 ____________19 __________ 20 ____________21 __________ 22 ____________23 __________ 24 ____________25 __________ 26 ____________

What’s happening todayFORUMS

10:05 a.m.1 Fabric covering the Poly-Fiber way,

Doug Smith2 Airpark living: Dream or disaster?

Noel Marshall3 Covering with Waterborne products:

Why choose Stewart systems? Marjie Stewart

4 Survival basics: Could you be a survi-vor? Brett Stoffel

5 The flight for the human spirit, Mi-chael Combs

6 Safely & enjoyably flying the North Atlantic, Edward Carlson

7 High density altitude@the seashore in the winter, Fred Herbert

8 The Spin, Johnny White9 A&P Certification: National Aviation

Academy, Mick Campeau10 HKS 700T, 4-stroke turbochargers

709cc 77-80 hp, 127lbs., Frank Porter

11 Becoming a Sport Pilot in 20 hours, Katie Morales

11:05 a.m.10 Save for auto engine forums, Pat

Panzera

FAA Forums in the Production Studios in the FAA Building

8:30 a.m. Aerobatics in Your Plane: Can You & Should You? Steve Wolf

10 a.m. Stall Spin Prevention, Diego Alfonso

11:30 Flying The Islands Of The Baha-mas, Leonard Stuart & Greg Rolle

1 p.m. FAASTeam: Flying in Florida’s Airspace, Dennis Whitley

AUTHORS CORNEROpen 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily at the

museumJaimie Dodson, “Flying Boats & Spies,”

“China Clipper”Lou & Nancy Fabbri, “From Here To

There”CarolAnn Garratt, “Upon Silver

Wings”Bill Guenon, “Secret and Dangerous:

Night of the Son Tay P.O.W Raid”Allen Morris, “The Rogue Aviator”

The authors also will give lectures throughout the week at the Florida Air Museum. Please check at the museum for a schedule of the speakers.

AIR SHOW Chuck Aaron Aeroshell TeamBlack Daggers Blue AngelsKirby Chambliss Matt ChapmanMichael Goulian John MohrGreg Poe Trojan HorsemenF-22 Raptor Demo Patty WagstaffGary Ward

All schedules subject to change

Impact a HeroA new video helps aircraft owners sup-

port disabled veterans, even as it educates viewers about the benefits of business aircraft to citizens, companies and com-munities nationwide. And while the video, produced by Universal Weather & Avia-tion, Inc., of Houston, concentrates on how companies can donate business aircraft to transport veterans being honored through the “Impact a Hero” program, individual aircraft owners can help as well.

Impact a Hero is a non-profit organiza-

tion created to provide a way to support veterans and their families. The organiza-tion hosts an annual “Impact a Hero Week-end,” in which veterans from across the country are flown to a single location for a weekend focused on honoring the soldiers’ bravery, heroism and personal sacrifice.

General aviation airplanes can be the optimal mode of transport to the event for the many veterans whose injuries and disabilities make it difficult or impossible for them to travel by commercial airlines. “Metal detectors don’t work very well for a man with 300 pieces of shrapnel still in his body or severe burns or missing limbs,” said Kellie Green, Universal’s volunteer coordinator for events. “The ordeal of try-ing to get through the rigid, impersonal security screenings is no way to treat our wounded warriors.”

Universal’s 11-minute video provides details of the organization’s weekend event, along with first-hand testimonials from veterans who were only able to at-tend the event by flying on a business air-plane.

“A number of these wounded veterans would have no other means of traveling to and from Houston to attend,” Ralph Vasa-mi, Universal Weather & Aviation CEO, said. “It’s just too difficult for them, with the extent of their injuries, from a comfort level, to go via airlines, or drive, or any other means.”

Vasami’s company donates its one busi-ness jet in support of the event each year. The company’s airplane also helps get veterans to treatment locations through Operation Mend, a partnership of medical centers in Texas and California.

More than 40 wounded veterans will be honored at the 2011 Impact a Hero Week-end, which takes place in Sugarland, Tex-as, from June 4–6.

ImpactAHero.aero

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As another year of SUN ’n FUN draws toward a close, AOPA is already looking forward to the AOPA Aviation Summit, to be held earlier than usual this year, from Sept. 22-24, in Hartford, Conn.

“The AOPA Aviation Summit brings together pilots, aircraft owners, aviation businesses, students, and policy makers,” said AOPA President and CEO Craig Full-er. “It is the perfect opportunity to ‘Rally GA’ and promote the many benefits — and, frankly, the fun — of flying yourself, whether for business or personal reasons.”

The AOPA Aviation Summit will con-tinue to host one of general aviation’s pre-mier trade shows, with hundreds of ven-dors filling the Connecticut Convention Center’s exhibit hall, offering everything from aircraft, engines, and avionics to pilot supplies and even jewelry.

Airportfest, the aircraft display and hands-on activities area, will take place si-multaneously at Hartford-Brainard Airport (HFD), a great example of a downtown GA airport. AOPA anticipates that there will be some 100 aircraft on display, ranging from light-sport aircraft to business jets. At the center of it all will be the grand prize in AOPA’s 2011 Crossover Classic Sweep-stakes, a completely refurbished 1974 Cessna 182, which is currently on display outside the AOPA Tent. AOPA will pres-ent the aircraft to this year’s lucky sweep-stakes winner during the summit. There will be free shuttle bus service between the

convention center and Airportfest.The educational opportunities that pilots

have come to expect are still there as well — more than 60 hours of seminars. Safety education from the AOPA Foundation’s Air Safety Institute, tips on frugal flying and places to fly, and help keeping your medical certification are all being offered. And once again the AOPA Aviation Sum-mit will host the Light Business Airplane Conference with special seminars designed especially for those who use their light GA aircraft for business.

A Night For Flight returns, with din-ner, entertainment, and an online auction to raise money for the AOPA Foundation to help fund crucial initiatives to promote and protect general aviation. Other social events, including a Rock ’n Rally that sup-ports the Rally GA initiative on the steps of the Old State House in the middle of downtown Hartford, are in the works.

And for those unable to get there, AOPA will once again offer AOPA Live, an online opportunity to see and hear from aviation’s leaders on a whole range of topics impor-

tant to pilots, from policy and politics to function and fun.

So save the date. Sept. 22-24, in Hart-ford, Conn. We‘ll look forward to seeing you there!

And remember, there’s still time today to top by the AOPA Tent next to the Pilot-Mall store, across from Hangars A and B, and take the Rally GA Challenge. Answer a couple of questions about how we can rally GA and you could win one of two AOPA duffel bags.

Save the date for the AOPA Aviation Summit

Coffee funds flyingRob Riggen, owner of Flying High

Coffee, and Lynda Meeks, founder of the Girls With Wings program, met dur-ing SUN ’n FUN to firm up a deal where Flying High Coffee will help fund Girls With Wings scholarships. Girls With Wings is a non-profit organization de-signed to inspire girls to achieve their full potential.

Flying High Coffee commits a mini-mum of 15% of profits back to youth in aviation grant and scholarship programs. “We are actively investigating what the funding needs of grassroots programs are and re-evaluating the profit contri-bution from sales of coffee and how it is distributed,” notes Riggen.

Flying High Coffee seeks to fund such programs by leveraging the rev-enue from coffee sales in aviation. Ac-cording to statistics, 79% of the U.S. population consumes coffee, with 54% drinking more than three cups per day. Riggen estimates that gross coffee sales in aviation is on the order of $200 mil-lion annually. “Brisk coffee sales in the aviation industry provide a perfect way for everybody to rally GA and ‘pay it forward’ to a new generation of pilots and aviation consumers,” he said.

Riggen observes that aviation people are already buying and consuming vast quantities of coffee on a regular basis. Flying High Coffee provides a mecha-nism to direct profits from those coffee sales into aviation programs rather than

into the hands of shareholders of large corporations. “We have a choice — we can send the profits from our coffee con-sumption to non-aviation companies or we can direct profits back into aviation at the grassroots level, funding wonder-ful not-for-profit programs like Lyn-da’s,” he said, adding, “there are dozens of fantastic groups executing on the call to rally and grow general aviation. All they need is a steady source of fund-ing. This solution leverages the masses so that everybody can contribute a little and it will add up to a lot.”

The coffee, from Arabica beans, is sold by the pound and can be shipped in whole bean or ground form. For more information, go to www.flyinghighcof-fee.com or www.girlswithwings.com.

Images from SUN ’n FUN

Photo by Arthur Mullis

Photos by John Slemp

Photo by Arthur Mullis


SEE THE FUTURE AT SUN ‘N FUN BOOTH 0011-800-4-CESSNA | WWW.CESSNATTX.COM

Slide into a new Cessna Corvalis TTx and you’ll fi nd the future of aviation

has done more than make an early arrival, it’s moved well past expectations.

Take it up once, and you’ll fi nd it’s more than a new way to fl y – it’s the only way.

CORVALIS TTX

WELCOME TO THE FUTUREX

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04/03/2011