March 30, 2012 SUN 'n FUN Today

TODAY’S SPONSOR SPOTLIGHTThe Thunderbirds arrived in grand style yesterday afternoon. The team will perform today, Saturday and Sunday.

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March 30, 2012 SUN ’n FUN Today - www.sun-n-fun.org FREE

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

Today’s HighlightsAvBid Aircraft Auctions

Begins at 10 a.m.

Photography ContestKicks Off

Night AirshowTakes off at 7 p.m.

Table of ContentsPiedmont ribbon cutting...........................................3Stallion 51 Day ........................................................... 4To Oshkosh or bust ....................................................4Jeppesen debuts GA portal ....................................6Familiar frame, different name ...............................8A captivating scene .............................................. 10UND donates 172 to CFAA ................................... 12Say again? ................................................................ 14Explorer Post bounces back ................................ 16SUN ‘n FUN’s officials superstore ........................... 17‘FIFI’ lands at SUN ‘n FUN..................................... 20Tune in to SUN ‘n FUN Radio ............................... 25Flying High Coffee fuels SUN ‘n FUN ................. 26Flying Musicians perform .................................... 27AvBid Auctions return ........................................... 31International Visitors Tent .................................... 31Florida Air Museum ................................................ 32Parts Exchange ....................................................... 34Congressman to host Town Hall Meeting ....... 36Scenes from the Splash-In................................... 44What’s happening today ....................................... 46Piper looks to the future ........................................ 48A fun day ................................................................... 49Tougher than a tornado ......................................... 54

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Piedmont Hangar ribbon cutting

Called out by FAM Director James C. Ray, Central Florida Aerospace Academy students in attendance at the ribbon cutting of the Piedmont Hangar, stand to hear Ray tell them, “I get my rewards in your future suc-cess.”

Ernie Sanborn, Florida Air Museum (FAM) Vice President and wife Joyce, Gow Fields, Lakeland mayor, James C. Ray, FAM Director, Bo Davis, Pat Hill, FAM Board Chairman, and John Burton, FAM president, cut a ceremonial red rib-bon Wednesday, opening the Piedmont Hangar Aerospace & Technology Lab immediately east of the Davis Center Wednesday night.

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PLEASE REMEMBER TO RECYCLE

lifeisflying www. .com

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Life is Flying


ISSuE 4 — FRIDAy MARCH 30, 2012

PuBLISHERSJohn “Lites” Leenhouts

Ben Sclair

EDIToRIAL STAFFMeg Godlewski

Janice Wood

ADVERTISInGLarry Price

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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.

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

Stallion 51 kicks off a year-long cele-bration of the company’s 25th anniversa-ry at SUN ’n FUN, highlighted this week with “Stallion 51” Day.

To close out the day, Stallion 51’s founder, Lee Lauderback, will fly his P-51 Mustang, “Crazy Horse,” in the air-show. (Look for an in-depth story on Lau-derback and the company in tomorrow’s SUN ’n FUN Today).

Meanwhile, Lauderback reports that Stallion 51 has expanded its flight opera-tional syllabus to include an introduction to unusual attitude training utilizing its specialized L-39 Turbojet.

“It is an educational and exhilarating flying experience at the controls of this dual-cockpit, dual-control jet fighter that includes base-line UAT maneuvers, in-cluding aerobatics,” Lauderback said.

This new program utilizes a highly modified L-39 that includes state-of-the-art avionics, allowing Stallion 51 instruc-tors to provide participants an introduc-tion to the basic principles and techniques of unusual attitude prevention and recov-ery, he elaborated.

The introductory UAT program takes approximately three hours and includes a preflight briefing and customized flight profile based on individual expectations and experience. Participants then conduct a walk around pre-flight of the L-39 to become familiar with the aircraft and its systems, followed by a cockpit briefing.

Once in flight, instructors guide partici-pants through the UAT introduction; from basic handling and slow speed maneuver-ing through high performance aerobatics.

Following the flight, instructors review the participant’s in-flight video taken from the on-board camera system that records all audio and video. The high-resolution color video includes three different cam-era views, inner-cockpit communication and residual engine sounds to document the experience so that it can be reviewed and shared with others.

The new program is an introduction

to the more advanced UAT training pro-gram already offered by Stallion 51. The full program includes extensive ground briefing covering aeromedical and aero-dynamic principles of unusual attitude recovery and a two-flight syllabus of both VFR and IFR flight training. The addi-tion of the UAT program compliments the company’s P-51 Mustang and T-6 Texan orientation and training flight services of-fered by Stallion 51.

Find out more at Stallion 51’s exhibit on the Warbird Ramp.

Stallion51.com

It’s Stallion 51 Day

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Wednesday at SUN ’n FUN, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association reported that it has become the latest media partner with Build-A-Plane, supporting the Kids Across America campaign, created to help children make the trip to Oshkosh, Wis., for the Experimental Aircraft Association’s 2012 AirVenture.

Under the campaign, kids are charged with finding sponsors to fund each mile they travel to AirVenture. The one raising the most money wins a private pilot license training course, donated by Redbird Flight Simulations. The runner-up wins a one-week vacation in the Bahamas, and there are many other great prizes, which will be

presented at a special award ceremony at AirVenture.

“AOPA feels strongly that it should do all it can to make access to general aviation a reality for more people of all ages,” said President Craig Fuller. “This partnership with Build A Plane is another avenue that allows AOPA to continue to show the value of general aviation and help it thrive.”

Kids can travel to Oshkosh by virtu-ally any means, including private airplane, commercial aircraft or automobile. Partici-pants have between now and noon on Sat-urday, July 28, to arrange as many spon-sors as they can.

BuildAPlane.org.

To Oshkosh or bust

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Cessna Aircraft donated $25,000 on be-half of Cessna employees to benefit the Veterans Airlift Command on opening day of SUN ’n FUN.

The Veterans Airlift Command (VAC) is a nonprofit organization that provides free transportation for injured veterans. Cessna has designated a Citation Mustang, named “American Patriot,” to fly VAC missions. The donated funds were raised through Cessna employee purchases of 2,152 com-memorative Citation Mustang, American Patriot limited edition T-shirts.

The VAC (VeteransAirlift.org) provides free medical or compassionate transporta-tion for wounded veterans and their fami-lies through a national network of aircraft owners and pilots. The organization’s pri-ority is to assist veterans of Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan).

“Many of our veterans return from com-

bat facing devastating injuries and long-term rehabilitation. Many times, they are recuperating hundreds of miles away from family. Our goal at VAC is to be that bridge that brings families together to help our vet-erans heal,” said Walt Fricke, VAC found-er and air boss. “We are fortunate to have Cessna join us in providing our wounded warriors with this crucial service.”

The fundraising campaign was con-ceived and executed by Cessna employees. “We wanted to demonstrate the pride we felt in the Citation Mustang product, and also wanted to figure out a way to show support for the VAC and their mission,” said Ashley Parks, Cessna employee and project coordinator for the American Pa-triot T-shirt fundraising campaign. Cess-na employees ran the project and raised $25,000 for the VAC.

A VAC mission on Saturday, March 31,

will bring Sgt. Adam Kisielewski of Fred-erick, Maryland, to SUN ’n FUN. Sgt. Kisielewski joined the Marine Delayed En-try program during his junior year in high school, when he was only 17. He served at Camp Pendleton and was selected for the prestigious “Yankee White” squad, part of the U.S. Marine Corps Security Forces hand selected to serve the President direct-ly at Camp David.

Kisielewski rejoined the Infantry af-ter his tour at Camp David, and was de-ployed to Iraq. He was severely injured by an IED explosion while on foot patrol. His wounds required a complete amputa-tion of his left arm, and the amputation of his right leg just below the knee. He was medically retired from the USMC and has since worked as a project officer for the U.S. Army’s Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center at Fort Deter-

ick, MD. Kisielewski’s role was to enable government funded projects to develop rel-evant cutting edge technologies that would aid US service men and women injured in conflict areas.

In 2006 Kisielewski began volunteering much of his free time to Operation Second Chance, a nonprofit that assists wounded and ill service members and their families. In March of 2010 he left his job with the Army and began working for Operation Second Chance full time as Vice President. He is pursuing his private pilot’s license, and has already performed his first solo flight.

Find out more about Veterans Airlife Common on the Warbird Ramp or at Cess-na’s exhibit next to the FAA Building.

Cessna employees rally for VAC

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On Thursday at SUN ’n FUN Jeppesen officials unveiled a new web portal for general aviation pilots called MyJeppesen.com. It will go live April 17, said David Wright, the company’s director of GA cli-ent management.

MyJeppesen.com provides pilots with access to global graphic and text weather information, subscription management, product information, and customer support. “This is a one-stop shop,” he said, noting that Jeppesen has more than 107,000 GA customers around the globe.

Delivered through an intuitive interface that is personalized by customers to reflect individual preferences, MyJeppesen.com streamlines the online Jeppesen experi-ence through a single point of reference for pilots from flight planning to tech sup-port. The new portal provides consolidated access to weather and Jeppesen informa-tion on any web-enabled device, he said. There’s also information on training, air-shows, and more.

“The easy to use, customized MyJeppes-en.com represents a simplified approach for managing Jeppesen account information through a single click,” said Tim Huegel, director, Jeppesen Aviation Portfolio Man-agement. “Our general aviation customers will be able to access trusted Jeppesen glob-al weather and data more efficiently and learn of new developments related to their interests. Further capabilities are planned for future upgrades to the MyJeppesen.com portal to enhance the flight preparation pro-cess for our customers.”

Find out more at the Jeppesen exhibit in Hangar C , Spaces 17-21.

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By MEG GoDLEWSKI

For some aircraft it’s the (air)frame, not the name that sells it. Such is the case with the Polish-built AT-4, an airframe that was introduced to the American market a few years back as the GOBOSH (which stands for Go Big Or Stay Home) 700.

GOBOSH went out of business in 2009, but the AT-4 has returned to America, marketed by Aero AT-USA at Northamp-ton Airport (7B2) in Northampton, Mass.

The design has not changed significant-ly from its days as the GOBOSH, notes Aero AT CEO Walter Jankowski.

“The pedigree for the AT-4 comes from the AT-3, which is a fully certified air-plane,” he said. “The AT-4 is manufactured to meet the Light-Sport Aircraft rule. One thing that makes the AT-4 different from many of the other LSAs on the market is that it is a full metal airplane. Many of the newer aircraft are composite.”

The AT-4 on display at SUN ’n FUN this week arrived in the United States in January.

Although the AT-4 is still pretty new in the states, “We are building momentum,” said Aero AT-USA’s Greg Trzaska. “We just need people to know we are here.”

Like its predecessor, the AT-4 sports winglets. Access to the cockpit is by lift-ing the bubble canopy and putting a foot on the wing. You won’t find a side-step on the AT-4, said Jankowski, explaining

that the side-step was done away with because there had been times when two people stepped on the steps and the air-plane pitched up, banging the tail.

Another refinement is the addition of an annunciator light on the canopy. Because the bubble is made of metal and compos-ite and so light, extremes of heat and cold can cause it change shape slightly. When this happens, there is the chance the can-opy won’t be completely latched prior to departure, company officials note.

“The light is a safety to let you know if the canopy is not fully latched. Also, the mechanism to open and close the canopy has been redesigned for smoother opera-tion,” Jankowski explains.

Sitting in the cockpit you may feel a little like you’re in a sports car. If you’re vertically impaired you’ll probably want a cushion or two behind your back to be able to reach the pedals.

At the top of the panel on the left is a line of caution and annunciator lights.

These lights call the pilot’s attention to necessary information, such as fuel sta-tus, engine operating parameters, canopy status and, to the far left, a stall warn-ing light. Beneath the lights are a pair of Garmin 300S screens.

There are two throttles, one far left, the other in the center, so if you’re a pilot who is more comfortable with your right hand on the throttle and left hand on the stick when you’re in the left seat, you’re all set.

Just above the airspeed indicator and altimeter you’ll find an air vent. One of the downsides of the bubble-type canopy is that they tend to get rather warm in the sunnier climates.

Both the flap actuator and the trim wheel are located on a pedestal. For extra safety, there’s a fire extinguisher next to the pilot’s left leg.

Company officials are optimistic that the AT-4’s rugged construction and ramp appeal will attract new owners. According to Aero AT-USA’s Pete Merski, an order placed at the show could be filled in two to three months, “including the shipping time from Poland,” he said, adding that the company also provides support for the GOBOSH owners in the United States who are probably wondering if they have orphaned aircraft.

You can find the AT-4 in Paradise City, just across the road from the Vintage Air-craft area.

A familiar frame, a different name

Pete Merski and and Greg Trzaska with the AT-4

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By ConnIE SuE WHITE, Flying managing editor and guest writer

The scene of the Martin family relax-ing Wednesday morning next to their just restored 1946 Fairchild, is captivating for more than one reason. A young family camping at SUN ’n FUN next to an antique airplane they flew nine hours from Penn-sylvania to be at this year’s fly-in speaks volumes in that it is exactly what general aviation needs to see more of to survive.

Jonathan Martin, who spent 5,000 hours

of the last four years restoring this beautiful antique, has made fostering a love of avia-tion in today’s youth his mission beyond his family. He founded and runs the Future Aviators Summer Camp out of the airport he manages, New Garden Flying Field in Toughkenamon, Pennsylvania.

“If you look around, today’s pilots are getting older and older,” he says matter-of-factly. “We need to keep general aviation alive by getting youth involved.”

In its fourth year, the day camp for kids 8-15 has expanded from one week to two

weeks and Martin’s goal is to beat last year’s record attendance of 60 campers by at least 40. The program includes introduc-tory flights, personalized logbooks for each camper, hot air balloon rides, and a field trip to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The results of Martin’s program are starting to show. He soloed two of his first-year campers in January for their 16th birthdays.

If you were to guess that Jonathan and Rachael have high hopes for their own kids to carry on their love for general aviation,

you’d be right (jokingly, Jonathan says they don’t have a choice but to be involved). J.J., 6, can already hold altitude and turn to headings his Dad calls out and, for the mo-ment, his 4-year-old sister Alyssa is happy to go along for the ride.

“Once J.J. can reach the rudder pedals, he’ll be able to do it all,” beams Rachael.

And in years to come, maybe there will be not just two, but three generations of Martins, sitting under the wing of a newly restored antique at SUN ’n FUN. We can only hope.

A captivating scene

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The University of North Dakota is known for its aerospace studies and its students contributions to aviation. On Wednesday, UND made another type of contribution: The donation of a Cessna 172 to the Central Florida Aerospace Academy. The Cessna 172 will be used by students in the avionics program.

UND donates 172 to CFAA

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EAA’s Hints for Homebuilders video series, which has more than 245 videos, has surpassed 2.5 million plays by avia-tors worldwide.

The series, hosted by experienced air-craft builders for builders of all levels, was introduced in March 2008. Since then, the variety and depth of the videos have continued to expand to meet the de-mand in every facet of homebuilding.

“For nearly 60 years, EAA has been the resource for those who build and restore their own aircraft,” said Char-lie Becker, EAA’s manager of member products. “The Hints for Homebuilders series has been successful beyond our expectations, as builders find the series the perfect way to build their own skills. This series build on EAA’s knowledge and information tradition that began with such legends as Paul Poberezny and Tony Bingelis.”

The complete Hints for Homebuilders series is available at EAAVideo.org.

Also available at that website is a pre-view of EAA’s new instructional DVD on TIG welding of 4130 chrome moly (chromoly) steel for aircraft construc-tion. This increasingly popular welding method has been featured for several years in EAA’s SportAir Workshop se-ries, but now has a video version of that instruction available with Wyatt Swaim, known as “Mr. TIG” with more than 30 years of experience.

Orders for DVD are now being taken online in the “Featured Products” section of ShopEAA.com.

Find out more at EAA’s exhibit on the grounds in the Northeast exhibit area.

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How many of us, as pilot or passen-ger, have stared down at the open ocean below, and wondered, “What would I do right now if my engine just quit?”

Dr. Dick McLaughlin and his daughter Elaine got the unfortunate opportunity to find out as the engine in their SR22 slowly lost oil pressure, then completely seized up miles from the nearest land while en route from Miami to Haiti.

Fortunately for them, their aircraft was equipped with a BRS designed airframe parachute. After deploying the rocket-deployed parachute at 2,300 ft MSL, they floated down to within two miles of Andros Island. Being prepared for water emergen-cies, they deployed the inflatable raft, and as water poured into the cockpit, exited the aircraft and awaited rescue. Fortunately, again, a USCG helicopter was nearby, and both Dick and Elaine were pulled aboard and brought to safety ashore.

Dick will be at SUN ’n FUN Saturday, March 31, at 10 a.m. in the Florida Air Museum, to share his story. A question and answer session will follow his pre-sentation.

By JAnICE WooD

Throughout his years as a musician Ravi the Raviator ran into a lot of musicians who had hearing problems — mostly the weekend warriors who played in bars.

The professional musicians knew better, which is why he worked with Sennheiser to create a hearing protection package for those part-time musicians.

Once he started flying, he was surprised at the number of pilots who had suffered hearing loss.

“I encountered more deaf pilots than rock and rollers,” he said.

Already sponsored by Sennheiser on his Rejuvenating Aviation lecture series, Ravi added a section to his talks on hear-ing loss. He’ll offer his insights today at 11 a.m. at the Florida Air Museum in his lecture, “Say Again? A Musician’s Insight

to Pilot Hearing Loss” sponsored by Sen-nheiser S1.

“There’s no excuse for pilots to have hearing loss,” he said. “It’s an unneces-sary gamble with the quality of life.”

He brings up a startling statistic: By the age of 50, pilots have lost their hearing five times more than the general popula-tion. “And the worst part is once it’s gone, it’s gone,” he said.

Pilots need to wear hearing protec-tion not only when they fly, but also on the ramp. He also says kids should have hearing protection at airshows and when around airplanes.

“It’s a real safety issue,” he said. “Fly-ing is risky enough without putting one of our prime senses at risk.”

Ravi, who is a motivational speaker dedicated to rejuvenating general avia-tion, will also speak at 12:30 p.m. today

at the museum, in a presentation titled “Live Your Dream;” Saturday at 11 a.m. in Room 8 of the Central Florida Aviation Academy on the topic, “How to Get More Flight Students,” and Saturday at 1 p.m. back at the museum in a talk titled “From Strings to Wings — Tales of a Flying Mu-sician.”

What would you do?

Say again?

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Aircraft Spruce and Specialty Co., a sponsor of the 38th Annual SUN ’n FUN Fly-In, is offering a number of show spe-cials all week at its exhibit in Hangar B, Spaces 1-9.

The AeroShell team also will be at the booth Saturday from 2:15 to 2:45 p.m. for autographs and to meet the public.

Among the many specials the company is offering this week include: Get an Air-craft Spruce bottle water with your order of $150 or more. One per customer. While supplies last.

Receive free ground shipping on or-ders placed at the Aircraft Spruce booth (Does not apply to oversized or hazardous goods)

Update your 196, 296, 396, 495, 496, 695/696, 795/796 for $40.

Looking to upgrade your headset at SUN ’n FUN? Bring in your old one to trade in. This applies to new headsets over $750 and there’s just one trade-in per headset. Aircraft Spruce will make an of-fer on your old headset right at the booth. The headset must be in working condition and will be inspected at the show, officials note.

Aircraft Spruce is also offering 10% off all PTI Specialty Paints at the show, as well as a $400 mail-in rebate on Av-MAP Satellite Navigation. Customer must purchase the EKP-V GPS, send in rebate form and any old aviation GPS to AVMAP to receive the $400 rebate.

There are several more specials, so head to Hangar B to check it out.

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By MEG GoDLEWSKI

If your airplane — the one you spent hours building — was destroyed by a tor-nado at a fly-in, you might be reluctant to go back to that event. Not so for the mem-bers of Explorer Post 491, who lost their Kitfox III in last year’s tornado.

The kids, who spent a year building, the plane, had sold sweepstakes tickets throughout that year and were ready to give the plane away on the closing day of last year’s SUN ’n FUN, recalls Lance Akers, marketing director for the post. “Then a few days ahead of that, the tor-nado hit. The airplane was not insured. It was an absolute travesty when it was destroyed.”

Much has happened since then, says Akers. For starters, the post has moved from Birmingham, Ala., to Fort Myers. Fla. Also, more kids have joined the pro-gram.

“We also had over 20 students join be-cause they heard about what happened,” he said. “They heard that kids had built this aircraft and they wanted to do it too.”

There wasn’t much left of the Kitfox after last year’s storm, but even that has been a learning experience, he says.

“The students who were involved in the project initially have learned how to deal with adversity. When you are building an airplane you are always going to encoun-ter something you don’t expect. These kids are learning to reverse engineer the whole aircraft. They first had to tear it

down, then determine what parts could be used and what couldn’t. They learned how to build with perfect parts and now they had to understand how to take things apart to salvage parts.”

Akers has nothing but appreciation for the aviation community, because the morning after the tornado, people were coming by what was left of the Explorer Post display and donating money.

“We raised just short of $10,000,” he said, noting “Kitfox owners and the avia-tion community really stepped forward.”

“Unfortunately, the airplane’s propeller was windmilling when it hit the ground, which meant that the engine had to be torn down and inspected,” he says. “So that $10,000 was just the start of our re-building fund. We are still raising money We still need a number of parts and new instruments and a whole lot of miscella-neous things, but we are definitely mak-ing a lot of progress.”

Although the Explorer Post needs to raise funds for their project, they are at SUN ’n FUN this year helping raise mon-ey for another group, Southwest Florida Honor Flight, an organization that flies World War II veterans to Washington, D.C., free of charge so that they can see the World War II veterans memorial.

“The World War II veterans did not re-ceive a memorial until 2004 and by then 65% of them were already gone,” Akers says. “Currently less than 12% remain.”

You can find Explorer Post 491 on the Warbird ramp.

Explorer Post bounces back

2011: Explorer Scout Jeffery Mannien and Lance Akers, the post director of marketing, pose with the Kitfox III built by the members of Explorer Post 491. After the tornado, the Kitfox was a pile of twisted metal. The students are rebuilding the aircraft.

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How safe do you want to be?NTSB Board Member Earl F. Weener

will speak in the FAA Production Studio in the FAA Building today at noon. His topic: “How Safe Do You Want to Be While Flying?”

Lost and FoundDid you lose something? The Lost and

Found is located across from the main gate in the Volunteer Center.

March 27-April 1, 2012 Sun ’n Fun Today - www.sun-n-fun.org 17

In addition to the complimentary In-ternet Cafe co-located with the Tourism Information Center near Sunset Grill and in Hangar E, guests can get wireless In-ternet access for a fee from BrightHouse Networks, a SUN ’n FUN sponsor.

WiFi access is $9.95 for one day or $29.95 for the week. Stop by the Internet Cafe for more information.

TEXT UPDATESWant to keep up with everything that’s

going on around the airshow grounds?You can get event updates by texting

SNFUPDATE to 69050 and weather alerts by texting SNFALERT to 69050. You can stop the texts by texting STOP to 69050.

PILOT BRIEFING CENTERCome to the Pilot Briefing Center next

to the showers by the Vintage Headquar-ters for the latest information on taxi pro-cedures, field opening and closing sched-ules, availability of tie-downs, fly-by information, demonstration ride staging, information relative to the grass strip, and radio frequencies.

WEATHER BRIEFINGSeveral self-briefing weather stations

provided by XmWx Satellite Weather are available at Vintage, Homebuilt, Light-plane, Warbird and Choppertown HQs, Aircraft Camping Registration, GA Park-ing, Seaplane Parking, the Pilot Mall store, and the Florida Air Museum.

Stay in the know

Look for a lot of new products this year at PilotMall.com, the “Official Aviation Superstore of SUN ’n FUN.”

“We have over 300 new products,” said Neil Glazer, president of PilotMall.com, which sells more than 4,000 products on-line and has operated the 4,000-square-foot retail store located across from Han-gar B for four years.

Glazer notes that he and other company officials spent the last year finding new things for the store, including more gift items, more toys, and even some aviation art. “There’s a lot of cool new stuff,” he said.

But don’t worry: The store will still car-ry official SUN ’n FUN merchandise, as well as Thunderbirds merchandise. And because the weather last year was so bad, PilotMall.com still has a supply of 2011’s official merchandise for those pilots who didn’t get a chance to get here.

One item that was particularly popular last year was the “I Survived the SUN ’n FUN Tornado” T-shirt, which sold out in minutes after going on sale just two days after the tornado. This year, the shirt will be available in a sapphire blue. Last year’s shirts were only available in gray.

The store also carries a full line of pi-lot supplies, charts, books, headsets, and transceivers.

Besides the store, PilotMall.com will operate four merchandise tents around the grounds: Near the new Kid Zone by the main admission window, in front of the Sunset Grill, near the VIP seating area, and near the Warbird Ramp. There also will be a mobile cart driving through the grounds with merchandise for sale.

PilotMall.com also is featuring several free giveaways to the first 1,000 custom-ers, including ball caps, key chains “and other pilot swag,” Glazer said.

The store also will feature an exhibit by Angel Flight Southeast, including the opportunity to find out more about the group’s Texas Hold’em fundraiser, slated for Saturday, March 31.

The store will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the fly-in.

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The United States Air Force Thunder-birds military jet team will perform Fri-day, Saturday and Sunday. The team is ex-pected to arrive Thursday around 3 p.m.

“We are delighted that the Thunderbirds will return to the skies over Lakeland, knowing the remarkable impact their

appearance made on all our guests and friends throughout Polk and Hillsborough Counties in 2008 and 2010,” said SUN ’n FUN President and CEO John “Lites” Leenhouts.

The Thunderbirds (officially named the U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration

Squadron) perform precision aerial ma-neuvers demonstrating the capabilities of the Air Force’s high-performance air-craft to people throughout the world. The Thunderbirds squadron is an Air Combat Command unit composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, three civilians, and more than 130 enlisted personnel performing in 25 career fields. The air demonstration is a combination of formation flying and solo routines.

The four-aircraft “Diamond Formation” demonstrates the training and precision of the Air Force pilots, while the solo air-craft highlight the maximum capabilities of the F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” the fighter jet employed by the Thunderbirds team.

The Thunderbirds perform approxi-mately 30 maneuvers during their demon-strations. The entire Thunderbird perfor-mance, including ground and air routines, runs about an hour and 15 minutes.

In addition to their responsibilities as the official U.S. Air Force aerial demon-stration team, the Thunderbirds are part of America’s active combat force. If re-quired, the team’s personnel and aircraft

can be quickly integrated into a fighter unit at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, where the F-16s can be made combat-ready in less than 72 hours.

Thunderbirds to dazzle crowdsExpanded jet box requires campground evacuation

During the Thunderbirds’ demon-strations, the FAA requires everyone to evacuate the area north of Yel-low Line on Poberezny Road in the campground.

Campers will be advised of when they must vacate the area by SUN ’n FUN officials, but should expect to have to do this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.

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The Commemorative Air Force brings one of its stars, “FIFI,” the last airworthy B-29 Superfortress, to this week’s air-show.

With a place of honor on the Warbird ramp, “FIFI” will be open for ground cockpit tours, when not in operation. Tours are $5 for adults and $2 for children 5-12. World War II and Korean veterans can tour the bomber for free, as well as active duty military.

The bomber also will be giving rides during the show. The B-29 holds 10 pas-sengers — four in front (including the bombardier) and six in the rear gunner’s compartment. Passengers in the gunner’s compartment are not able to move to the front of the aircraft because the bomb bay separates the two cabins. Passengers must be at least 12 years old.

Rides will be offered Wednesday through Sunday. Check at the Commemo-rative Air Force tent on the Warbird ramp for available times. Rides range in price from $595 to $1,495, depending on where you sit.

The Commemorative Air Force is also bringing its RISE ABOVE Traveling Ex-hibit to SUN ’n FUN. The one-of-a-kind exhibit, dedicated to the Tuskgee Airmen, is housed in a 53-foot customized trailer with sides that slide out to create a 30-seat climate-controlled movie theater with a 180° screen.

The original movie, “RISE ABOVE,”

‘FIFI’ lands at SUN ’n FUN

Country music star Aaron Tippin after his checkout in “FIFI.”

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is certain to entertain as well as educate viewers, CAF officials note.

In the movie “RISE ABOVE,” a young student with the dream of becoming an astronaut finds out that his new friend fought in a long-ago war as a pilot. He also learns that the man had to overcome many obstacles to reach his goal and that any goal worth having is worth working for. Tuskegee Airman Col. (ret) Charles E. McGee plays himself. “Col. Mac” holds the U.S. Air Force record for most combat missions — 409 over three wars.

The movie highlights who the Tuskeg-ee Airmen are and how they overcame so many obstacles to be allowed to train and fight as the first black U.S. Army Air Corps pilots. The film also features the

story of the more than 14,000 other black men and women who trained hard to sup-port the pilots. The courage and determi-nation they all exhibited in the 1940s as they rose above adversity to meet their goals still has the power to inspire Ameri-cans today. In addition, the movie will give viewers a thrilling feel for what it’s like to fly a P-51C Mustang!

“RISE ABOVE” was created by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Adam White of Hemlock Films.

Admission to the RISE ABOVE Trav-eling Exhibit, which is on the Warbird Ramp, is free with on-site registration of a valid email address.

RedTail.org, CommemorativeAirForce.org

The Commemorative Air Force is also bringing the Red, White & Loud Tour starring Aaron Tippin to SUN ’n FUN.

The country music star will take to the stage in the AOPA Pavilion Thursday at 8 p.m. His concert is sponsored by Scotts Miracle-Gro.

Known for his patriotic songs, Tippin is a platinum-selling recording artist and songwriter with 13 albums and more than 30 singles, including “Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagles Fly,” “You’ve

Got to Stand for Something” and “Kiss This.”

A long-time pilot, Tippin soloed on his 16th birthday. He became a commercial multi-engine instrument-rated pilot by the age of 18 and his also helicopter-quali-fied. A certified aircraft and power plant mechanic, he owns a 1941 Stearman, a 1946 J3 Cub and 1959 Helio Curior — all in flying condition. He also is qualified to fly the B-29 “FIFI.”AaronTippin.MusicCityNetworks.com

Country music star Aaron Tippin in concert


When the Black Diamond Jet Team performs during this week’s airshow, you may see the crowd react a bit more en-thusiastically. That’s because the Black Diamonds are Lakeland’s “home team,” based right here at Lakeland-Linder Re-gional Airport (LAL).

The team’s fleet of five L-39s, two MiG-17s, as well as their maintenance and support personnel, are headquartered in hangar and office space in the old Piper Aircraft building.

Last year, the team performed at SUN ’n FUN under the name Heavy Metal Jet Team. But when Gene Conrad, the man-ager of LAL, approached the team about relocating to Lakeland — after getting the backing of City Hall and the SUN ’n FUN management team — the jet team moved here permanently.

Since landing in Lakeland, the Black Diamond Jet Team has added another air-craft to its routine. In addition to the four aircraft precision formation of L-39s, the team also features two solo performers flying MiG-17s.

The L-39 formation is led by Lt. Colo-nel Jerry “Jive” Kerby, USAF (retired). Civilian Jared “Rook” Isaacman flies the right wing, while Doug “Tut” Demko takes the left wing position. The slot po-sition is flown by Major Sean “Stroker” Gustafson, USAF Reserve, while the dy-namic L-39 position is taken by Major John “Slick” Baum, USAF. Captain Dale

“Snort” Snodgrass, USN (retired) fills the lead solo position at the controls of a MiG-17, while his opposing solo pilot

is Commander Mike “Buick” Eberhardt, USN (retired).

The Black Diamonds are slated to per-

form in every airshow this week, except Thursday.

BlackDiamondJetTeam.com

Black Diamond Jet Team: The Home Team


Dr. Harrison H. Schmitt, one of three crew members of Apollo 17, the fi-nal historic mission that concluded the Apollo program, will speak Wednes-day at 8 p.m. in the AOPA Pavilion.

His presentation commemorating the 40th anniversary of that mission is spon-sored by Nikon.

Apollo 17’s crew was the last of 12 hu-mans to step on the surface of the moon. The mission concluded the Apollo pro-gram, which spanned nine years from 1963 to 1972.

Schmitt served as Apollo 17’s Lunar Module Pilot. He joined two other NASA explorers on the mission, Eugene A. Cer-nan, Commander, and Ronald E. Evans, Command Module Pilot.

Schmitt was the first scientist-astronaut to land on the moon. Over the course of 75 hours on the lunar surface, he and Cernan set up six automated research sta-tions, gathered 243 pounds of material, and used the lunar rover vehicle to cover 30.5 kilometers of the lunar surface.

Schmitt has had a storied career as ge-ologist, pilot, astronaut, administrator, businessman, writer, and U.S. Senator. He has been inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame and the International Space

Hall of Fame and has received honorary degrees from eight U.S. and Canadian universities.

Dr. Schmitt is co-founder and chairman of Interlune-Intermars Initiative, Inc., cre-ated to advance the private sector’s ac-quisition of lunar resources and Helium-3 fusion power.

He also is the author of “Return to the Moon,” which describes a private en-terprise approach to providing lunar he-lium-3 fusion energy resources for use on Earth.

The book will be available at the pre-sentation and Schmitt will be available for autographs.

Commemorating Apollo 17

Dr. Schmitt on the moon during the Apollo 17 mission.

A new attraction this year is the Mobile Mountain Aviation-Themed Kid Zone, just east of the Main En-trance.

The Kid Zone features jump cas-tles, and a state-of-the-art combina-tion that features a full rock climbing wall and a 200-foot zip line.

Meanwhile, other SUN ’n FUN Youth Activities are based at the new Piedmont Hangar, east of the Tom Davis Educational Center. This area is filled with a variety of interesting aviation-based activities, SUN ’n FUN volunteers said.

Children of all ages will be fasci-nated by the flight simulator lab fea-turing the HotSeat Flight Simulator. Visitors also can enjoy multimedia presentations and movies.

Plus, no visit would be complete without an opportunity to try out the Kid Air II or Scamp, always popular attractions.

And, just in case anyone is hungry, hot dogs and snacks are available.

School tours also begin and end in the Youth Activities Area, allow-ing hundreds of students, teachers, and chaperones to experience a ma-jor aviation event, many for the first time.

Check out the new Kid Zone


Part of the festivities this week includes a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Marine Corps aviation.

Marine Corps aviation took off May 22, 1912, when First Lieutenant Alfred Cunningham was assigned to Annapolis, Maryland, for flight training, followed by First Lieutenant Bernard Smith. Those two Marine officers became the first of a long line of Marine aviators.

While the first Marine aviators flew in the Navy’s B-1, designed by the Wright brothers, today’s pilots fly a variety of aircraft, including the Bell AH-1W Co-bra, the CH-46 Sea Knight, the MV-22 Osprey, and the Sikorsky CH-53 Stallion, as well as the F/A-18 Hornet, the EA-6B Prowler, and the AV-8B Harrier.

As part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary, The Parris Island Marine Concert Band will perform Tuesday eve-ning at 8 p.m. at the AOPA Pavilion next to the Florida Air Museum. The 50 mu-sicians will perform selections including patriotic marches, overtures, and instru-mental solos.

MILITARY AIRCRAFT ON DISPLAY

Military aircraft expected to be on dis-play this week include the C-130J Hur-ricane Hunter, KC-135 Stratotanker, F-16C, T-34, F-5, MH-53 Sea Stallion, T-38, F-18, T-45 Goshawk, C9B Skytrain, and F-18C.

Celebrating 100 years of Marine Aviation

MV-22 Ospreys, with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to launch off the flight deck of USS Bataan.

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Want to stay on top of all the happenings at SUN ’n FUN? Tune in to SUN ’n FUN Radio on 1510 AM or listen worldwide 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.

New this year is “Today’s Highlights with Lites,” with new SUN ’n FUN Presi-dent John “Lites” Leenhouts, who will be on each day with updates about the fly-in.

Also new is “The Voices of Vintage.” A special location has been set aside in the Vintage area for a mock “old time studio” where SUN ’n FUN Radio volunteer host Jack Neubacher and others will chat with various guests about owning, restoring and flying vintage aircraft.

Returning this year is “The 99’s Pres-ent,” featuring the 99’s special guests, in-cluding the World War II Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP).

Women in Aviation also will return this

year with its special segment, “Women Shine at SUN ’n FUN.”

“AOPA’s Special Guest” will feature a special guest each day, including an ex-tended interview with AOPA President Craig Fuller on Thursday.

The station also will feature interviews with SUN ’n FUN sponsors, vendors and advertisers, guests and aviation luminar-ies, as well as remote broadcasts of the daily and night airshows, remote broad-

casts of select evening programs, and much more, Shallbetter said.

Also returning this year are live pod-casts. Tuesday will be Jeb Burnside, Dave Higdon and Jack Hodgson, the voices of The Uncontrolled Airspace Podcast (UCAP). Wednesday will be Flight Mon-keys and The Pilot’s Flight Podlog.

Thursday will be The Pilot’s Journey and the premiere of Powered Sport Fly-ing. Friday is the annual aviation podcast feature, The Gathering of Aviation Pod-casters (or The GAP), a kind of open mic night for aviation podcasters, Shallbetter explained.

Saturday is the virtual podcast, “Not at SUN ’n FUN 12” and the Stuck Mic Av-Cast. Wrapping up the week of podcasts will be UCAP on Sunday morning at 10 a.m.

“The SUN ’n FUN Radio volunteer

staff does its best to bring you all the happenings at SUN ’n FUN, but we need your help,” Shallbetter said. “Please let us know of any special events, interest-ing stories, or neat people you think we should cover for our radio listeners. You can come by the studio, which is on the end of Club House Row, near the Sunset Grill, email [email protected], or message us on twitter @SnFRadio.

“Special thanks to Dave Pascoe and LiveATC.net for sponsoring the audio streaming (as well as streaming several Air Traffic Control frequencies) on Live-ATC.net/SNF, The Uncontrolled Airspace Podcast for sponsoring the station’s high-speed Internet, Sennheiser for providing equipment support, the SUN ’n FUN staff, and a very special thanks to the SUN ’n FUN Radio volunteer staff, who make it happen,” Shallbetter concluded.

Tune in to SUN ’n FUN Radio

SUN ’n FUN Workshops can help you learn all the skills necessary to build your own plane or work on any other project that uses the same tools and techniques.

Experienced instructors guide you through the techniques for each skill and answer your questions about specific projects.

Many of the workshops are approved by the FAA for credit towards the an-nual requirements for IA renewal and the A&P Awards Program. To get credit for attending, pick up a time sheet at the in-formation booth and have the Workshop Instructor sign it.

Workshops are ongoing from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Workshops area, which is near the Buehler Restoration Center and the Florida Air Museum.

Workshops are held on everything from Engines, Aircraft Woodwork, Avionics/Electrical, Basic Sheet Metal, Cable Swaging, Composites, Computer Work-shop (flight planning to GPS navigation to computer-aided design), Fabric Cov-ering, Metal Shaping, Propeller Carving, and Welding.

In the evening, stop by the Compass Rose in the Core Area and stargaze during the Astronomy workshop.

Handicapped Services

Handicapped Services is located on the west side of the Admissions building in the Main Admissions Plaza. Information is available concerning all accessibility concerns.

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The folks at Flying High Coffee have prepared 500 pounds of top-grade coffee beans for this week’s airshow.

The company, founded by a pilot, is the new official coffee of the airshow.

“We’ve carefully combined a very special blend of top-grade coffee beans to bring to Lakeland,” notes Rob Rig-gen, the founder and president of Flying High Coffee, which donates a portion of its profits to non-profit aviation education efforts. “We chose three Arabica varieties from Central and South America to create a full-bodied and complex, yet accessible, cup of coffee for people to enjoy during the week.”

The company is serving brewed hot and iced coffee from three locations: Near the Main Gate, just east of the FAA building towards the flightline, and in Hangar E, where the location includes a sit-down WiFi cafe. Riggen expects to serve be-tween 8,000 and 12,000 cups of coffee during the week.

Riggen, who is a CFII and lover of fine coffee, has a personal goal of doubling the donation his company gave to the Able Flight and Girls With Wings programs in 2011. He also hopes to add another aviation not-for-profit benefactor to his program of funding aviation charities via coffee sales.

“The intention all along of Flying High Coffee is to provide stable and depend-able streams of funding to our not-for-

profit programs,” Riggen says. He esti-mates that millions of dollars of profit are “pumped out” of the aviation industry each year through aviation’s voracious appetite for caffeine. “If we can brew and sell all 500 pounds of our ‘#SnF12 Blend’ we will be in good shape for advancing our program.”

Besides selling coffee by the cup, Fly-ing High Coffee also will be selling coffee for pilots to take home. You can buy the whole beans or have the folks at Flying High Coffee ground the beans for you.

FlyingHighCoffee.com

Flying High Coffee to fuel SUN ’n FUN

The company combined three va-rieties of Arabica coffee beans to bring to the show, as well as de-signed a special label.


The Showcase Fly-Bys are featured daily from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m.

This is an opportunity for manufactur-ers and individuals to display their aircraft in the air in the Fly-By pattern at show center while having it described over the public address system.

Pilots and their announcers are given

a briefing at the Fly-By and Showcase Briefing building. Briefings are daily at 8, 9, and 10 a.m. and include a description of the Fly-By pattern, staging and launch-ing times. The Showcase crew will be on hand to stage, launch, and recall each air-craft on a discrete radio frequency.

Each aircraft or group of manufac-

turer’s aircraft have exclusive use of the Fly-By pattern for 6 minutes while their representative extols its virtues over the PA system. The same planes can fly on multiple days if times and slots are avail-able, and they usually are, SUN ’n FUN officials said.

Want to get a bird’s eye view of the

show, but don’t want to fly yourself? Try Ride Hoppers. You can fly with Fred Ca-banas in a Pitts Special; Mike Ginter in a T-6, Steve Oliver in a New Standard; or with Otto in a helicopter.

The Ride Hoppers tents can be found near the Warbird ramp. There is an extra fee for the rides.

See the latest in the air with Showcase Fly-Bys

Celebrate music and aviation all week with The Flying Musicians Association.

Members of the organization will be playing throughout the week at a variety of venues, including the Sunset Grill and the Sennheiser S1 Stage at the Corn Roast (near the campgrounds).

Flying Musicians Association member Ravi will be the opening act for Aaron Tippin’s “Red, White & Loud” concert Thursday at 8 p.m. at the AOPA Pavilion near the Florida Air Museum, while an-other member, Jeremy Brady, will be the opening act for Saturday’s Abbott & Cos-tello evening.

Another member, Elgin Wells, will perform the National Anthem at the be-ginning of the airshow Thursday through Saturday, while Friday he takes to the skies, performing his aerobatic routine in the Night Airshow.

Members also will present a number of forums and seminars throughout the week, so check the daily schedules.

Just added to the schedule are kid jam workshops at 10 a.m. each morning Tues-day through Saturday. Kids are invited to bring their musical instruments, including band instruments, to the Sennheiser S1 Stage near the Corn Roast, and learn how to jam, said John Zapp, FMA founder.

The musicians also will be playing near the three Flying High Coffee locations, at the Main Gate, just east of the FAA build-ing towards the flightline, and in Hangar E, which is a sit-down WiFi cafe. The idea is create a coffee house atmosphere at the coffee shops during the week.

Anyone interested in learning more about the association can approach the musicians at any of the venues or go to FlyingMusicians.org.

Flying Musicians to perform all week

02010

Pipkin Rd.

VeteransWelcome Plaza

The NEWKid Zone! SUN ‘n FUN

Welcome Center

Judges

Forums

Tram Depot

AircraftAircraft

Aircraft

Light PlaneExhibits

CampgroundHost

East Campground(Light Plane Camping)

Parts Exchange

Airshow Central

Supported By: Cleveland Wheels & Brakes

General Auto Parking

Central Florida

Aerospace

Academy (CFAA)

(Forums will be held in the

CFAA Classrooms)

Special Activities Tent 3

Media & ExhibitorParking

FoodserviceParking

GENERAL PARKING

Youth WorkshopsKids Activities

CAMPER REGISTRATION

Shipping Services

Aircraft CampingRegistration

AVBID AIRCRAFT AUCTIONSOVERNIGHT AIRCRAFT CAMPING

Special ActivitiesTent 2 Special Activities

Tent 1

MORE CAMPINGAND CAMPER EXIT

North Exhibits

Flight DeckComm Center

North EastExhibits

Florida Air Museum Pavilion Brought to you by:

YELLOW LINE INDICATES CAMPGROUNDTHUNDERBIRDS EVACUATION

20124175 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

ENTRANCE

ENTRANCE

EXIT

Club House Row

A

B

C

D E

F

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EXHIBITSHOMEBUILT AIRCRAFTLIGHT AIRCRAFTROTORCRAFTSEAPLANESVINTAGE AIRCRAFTWARBIRD AIRCRAFTATM

CAMPING

CAR RENTAL

FIRST AID

ICE

MOBILITY RENTAL

PAYPHONES

SHOWERS

TRAM STOPS

XMWX WEATHER STATION

RESTROOMS

YOU ARE HERE

SUN ’n FUN Drive

Map Locations

Designated Smoking Area

FOOD LOCATIONSSee Key Below

EXIT

INTERNATIONAL

FLY-IN & EXPO

Official Generator

Hangar E

Supported by:

Official Souvenir Merchandise Tents

Seaplanes

HEAVY AIRCRAFT PARKIN

G

Admissions (D-4)Aerobatic HQ (F-2)Aircraft Auctions – AvBid Aircraft AuctionsAir Operations (G-2)Blood Mobile (E-4)Camping – RV’s, Tents (A-1,2), (B-1,2), (G-4), (H-4)Camper Registration (C-4)Corn Roast and Sennheiser S1 Stage (C-2) Emergency Aircraft Assistance (H-3)Emergency Response Team (C-1), (G-2)Exhibits, Commercial (D-2,3), (E-2,3,4)Exhibits, Light Plane (F-4)FAA (E-3)Flightline Tours (E-2)Handicapped Hospitality (D-4)Homebuilt HQ (E-2), camping – see mapInternational Visitors Center (D-4)Supported by: The Islands of the Bahamas & Gulf Coast Avionics

Internet Cafe (C-2), (D-3) Supported by: Pacific Coast Avionics

Ladies Pavilion (C-2)Lightplane HQ (E-4)Lost & Found (D-4)Maintenance Facility (B-2)Media Center (C-4) Sponsored by: NIKON

Newspaper – SUN ’n FUN Today (D-4)Online Ticket Redemption (C-4), (D-4), (F-3)Parts Exchange (C-2)PilotMall (D-3)Preferred Airshow Seating (E-2)Radio Station (E-3) Supported by: Brighthouse

Rotorcraft HQ (H-4)School 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-3,4)Special Activities Tents - (C-4), (D-4), (F-2)SUN ’n FUN Fly-In HQ (D-4)SUN ’n FUN Library & Archives (D-3)Sunset Grill (D-3)Tourism Information (D-3) Supported by: Central FloridaVisitors & Convention Bureau

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

TAXI

WAY

FOX

TRO

T

TAXIWAY DELTA

TAXIWAY ECHO

VIP InformationCenterOnline Ticket

Redemption

PARKINGLocated in Lindbergh LotLocated in Lindbergh Lot

PreferredParking

Motorcycle Parking

New!

TAXIWAY PAPA

PreferredAirshow Seating VIP COURTYARD

Cl u b

Nikon MediaObservation Deck

(media only upper deck)

17

MAIN ENTRANCE

ADMISSIONS

12

5

1

2111

413

7

6

86

1

7

93 15 2

10

1 7

11

1819

1422

12

23

02010

Pipkin Rd.

VeteransWelcome Plaza

The NEWKid Zone! SUN ‘n FUN

Welcome Center

Judges

Forums

Tram Depot

AircraftAircraft

Aircraft

Light PlaneExhibits

CampgroundHost

East Campground(Light Plane Camping)

Parts Exchange

Airshow Central

Supported By: Cleveland Wheels & Brakes

General Auto Parking

Central Florida

Aerospace

Academy (CFAA)

(Forums will be held in the

CFAA Classrooms)

Special Activities Tent 3

Media & ExhibitorParking

FoodserviceParking

GENERAL PARKING

Youth WorkshopsKids Activities

CAMPER REGISTRATION

Shipping Services

Aircraft CampingRegistration

AVBID AIRCRAFT AUCTIONSOVERNIGHT AIRCRAFT CAMPING

Special ActivitiesTent 2 Special Activities

Tent 1

MORE CAMPINGAND CAMPER EXIT

North Exhibits

Flight DeckComm Center

North EastExhibits

Florida Air Museum Pavilion Brought to you by:

YELLOW LINE INDICATES CAMPGROUNDTHUNDERBIRDS EVACUATION

20124175 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

ENTRANCE

ENTRANCE

EXIT

Club House Row

A

B

C

D E

F

H

G

I

J

K

L

EXHIBITSHOMEBUILT AIRCRAFTLIGHT AIRCRAFTROTORCRAFTSEAPLANESVINTAGE AIRCRAFTWARBIRD AIRCRAFTATM

CAMPING

CAR RENTAL

FIRST AID

ICE

MOBILITY RENTAL

PAYPHONES

SHOWERS

TRAM STOPS

XMWX WEATHER STATION

RESTROOMS

YOU ARE HERE

SUN ’n FUN Drive

Map Locations

Designated Smoking Area

FOOD LOCATIONSSee Key Below

EXIT

INTERNATIONAL

FLY-IN & EXPO

Official Generator

Hangar E

Supported by:

Official Souvenir Merchandise Tents

Seaplanes

HEAVY AIRCRAFT PARKIN

G

Admissions (D-4)Aerobatic HQ (F-2)Aircraft Auctions – AvBid Aircraft AuctionsAir Operations (G-2)Blood Mobile (E-4)Camping – RV’s, Tents (A-1,2), (B-1,2), (G-4), (H-4)Camper Registration (C-4)Corn Roast and Sennheiser S1 Stage (C-2) Emergency Aircraft Assistance (H-3)Emergency Response Team (C-1), (G-2)Exhibits, Commercial (D-2,3), (E-2,3,4)Exhibits, Light Plane (F-4)FAA (E-3)Flightline Tours (E-2)Handicapped Hospitality (D-4)Homebuilt HQ (E-2), camping – see mapInternational Visitors Center (D-4)Supported by: The Islands of the Bahamas & Gulf Coast Avionics

Internet Cafe (C-2), (D-3) Supported by: Pacific Coast Avionics

Ladies Pavilion (C-2)Lightplane HQ (E-4)Lost & Found (D-4)Maintenance Facility (B-2)Media Center (C-4) Sponsored by: NIKON

Newspaper – SUN ’n FUN Today (D-4)Online Ticket Redemption (C-4), (D-4), (F-3)Parts Exchange (C-2)PilotMall (D-3)Preferred Airshow Seating (E-2)Radio Station (E-3) Supported by: Brighthouse

Rotorcraft HQ (H-4)School 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-3,4)Special Activities Tents - (C-4), (D-4), (F-2)SUN ’n FUN Fly-In HQ (D-4)SUN ’n FUN Library & Archives (D-3)Sunset Grill (D-3)Tourism Information (D-3) Supported by: Central FloridaVisitors & Convention Bureau

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

TAXI

WAY

FOX

TRO

T

TAXIWAY DELTA

TAXIWAY ECHO

VIP InformationCenterOnline Ticket

Redemption

PARKINGLocated in Lindbergh LotLocated in Lindbergh Lot

PreferredParking

Motorcycle Parking

New!

TAXIWAY PAPA

PreferredAirshow Seating VIP COURTYARD

Cl u b

Nikon MediaObservation Deck

(media only upper deck)

17

MAIN ENTRANCE

ADMISSIONS

12

5

1

2111

413

7

6

86

1

7

93 15 2

10

1 7

11

1819

1422

12

23

Fly into Kissimmee Gateway Airport for the ultimate in aviation history thrills. Check out our warbird museum, and watch a Luftwaffe fighter restoration in progress. Then strap into a T-6 Texan for an adventure flight, or conquer the sky in a P-51 Mustang—or sit side by side with a friend in an open cockpit biplane and see the sites of Orlando.

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The SUN ’n FUN Splash-In will once again be held at Fantasy of Flight on Lake Agnes in Polk City, Florida.

The Splash-In, an event dedicated to seaplanes and float flying, is held every year as part of the fly-in.

A few years ago, Fantasy of Flight owner Kermit Weeks invited the sea-planes to his facility and it has been there ever since.

This year’s Splash-In will be held Thursday, March 29.

The Splash-In site at Lake Agnes will be operational Wednesday, March 28, through Friday, March 30.

There will be a fly-by briefing at 9 a.m. March 29 for seaplane pilots who want to participate in the fly-by, slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. All seaplanes in the fly-by will fly from Lake Agnes to Lakeland-Linder Regional Airport, home of the SUN ’n FUN campus.

After returning from the fly-by, pilots will compete in a variety of contests, in-cluding water-bombing and spot landing. Friday, March 30, has been designated the rain date for the Splash-In festivities.

A seaplane banquet will be held, rain or shine, Thursday, March 29, in the Fantasy of Flight banquet hall. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased online at Sun-n-Fun.org.

Find out more about Fantasy of Flight and Kermit Weeks’ collection of airplanes at FantasyOfFlight.com.

Splash-In at Fantasy of Flight


AvBid Aircraft Auctions has teamed with SUN ’n FUN for two live aircraft auctions on Friday, March 30, and Sat-urday, March 31. The two-day event will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is located on the south side of Lakeland Linder Re-gional Airport near Chopper Town.

AvBid will offer a variety of Light-Sport Aircraft (LSA), turbine, piston sin-gles, and light twins. Also up for bid will be several vintage and collector aircraft from the Florida Air Museum. New this year is the addition of aviation memora-bilia items, according to AvBid officials.

Many aircraft will be offered absolute to the last and highest bidder, with no minimum bid, auction officials note.

The AvBid auction facilities include

ramp space for more than 100 aircraft, in-door seating, plasma screen monitors for previewing aircraft information, and live video streaming for bidders who are un-

able to attend the auction in person. Av-Bid also offers live one-on-one bidding with a personal bid assistant via telephone during its auctions.

“Our auctions are patterned after the auto auction industry with each aircraft being brought through a showroom han-gar and presented to potential buyers. The aircraft’s specifications are shown on large flat screen monitors as the auction-eer describes the aircraft in detail,” said Sam Sirani, AvBid’s operations manager.

Potential bidders have ample oppor-tunity to inspect the aircraft prior to the auction and most aircraft have their logs digitized for online viewing. AvBid uses a quick closing process that allows buyers to accept delivery in as little as 24 hours, officials add.

For more information and to see the air-craft slated for this week’s auction, go to AvBid.com.

AvBid Auctions returns to SUN ’n FUN

Located near the main gate, SUN ’n FUN’s International Visitors Center pro-vides a “home away from home” for the hundreds of international visitors who come from around the globe to participate in the airshow each year. Each year, 30 to 40 multi-lingual volunteers greet more than 1,000 visitors representing more than 60 countries.

“At any given time, visitors may hear five to eight languages being spoken in the tent, including German, French, Por-

tuguese, Spanish, and Japanese,” says Michele Van Dorn, International Visitor chairperson.

The center provides assistance with ev-erything from medical needs, hotel and transportation arrangements, and trans-lation services. There is also a message board so international guests can post messages ranging from planes for sale to saying hello to someone they met last year.

This year, Gulf Coast Avionics will

sponsor the International Welcome Party, which will be held Friday, March 30, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the International Pavilion, located next to the Florida Air Museum. All registered international visitors are in-vited to attend.

“Every year we see more and more in-ternational visitors attending the show,” said Gulf Coast Avionics’ Rick Garcia. “They are a significant part of the total at-tendance and many of them come looking to fill specific needs from various exhibi-

tors and vendors. We feel it is important to make this special hospitality available to them.”

Gulf Coast Avionics will also support the international attendance by giving away a limited number of T-shirts and hats at its booth in Hangar D, Space 28-33. A gift redemption card will be included in the international visitor registration pack.

In addition, Gulf Coast Avionics will have its interactive showroom open and staffed during the show.

International Visitors Tent is ‘home away from home’

Phot

o by

Meg

God

lew

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By JOHN BURTON President, Florida Air Museum

This past year has been exciting and challenging at the Florida Air Museum (FAM). Exciting because we added and/or enhanced several exhibits, expanded our educational activities, and added a new facility to our campus: the Piedmont Hangar Aerospace & Technology Lab.

Challenging because we continue to face an increase in the demand for educa-tional programs offered through FAM at a time when our nation — and the world — continue to recover from a prolonged economic recession. Even so, our suc-cess in our first year operating under our new charter has been simply outstanding. Highlights of the past year are clearly in-dicators of more great things to come.

The new “Aerospace & Technology Lab” at the Piedmont Hangar is put into use daily. This 4,000-square-foot facility provides a multi-functional teaching en-vironment, a computer lab, teacher work-space and support facilities for the adja-cent Tom Davis Education Center. Thanks to a generous donor’s additional support, we’ll also be receiving a kit aircraft that will become the focus for our “hands-on” educational activities in this new space.

Education programs presented at vari-ous locations throughout the year reached more than 10,000 elementary and middle school students, sharing our focus on sci-

ence, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Under the leadership of our edu-cation team supported by volunteers, we enhanced FAM’s STEMtastic program-ming, including Saturday Camp; a School Holiday series of camps; and an extensive summer camp program. We’re also in the final stages of launching two web-based outreach efforts with engaging curricu-lum modules and online learning with our unique STEMtastic teaching concept.

Destination Aviation is truly our mar-quee program and 2011 was a huge suc-cess. This intense summer experience

stimulates a true aviation experience for participants. After several days of study, field trips and classic instruction in flight principles, the program culminates with a cross-country flight. Demand for this unique approach to teaching has extended from our original youth target to now in-clude a special weekend camp for adults.

Guided tours and daily admissions con-tinue to advance as guests marvel at the unique collection of aircraft and memo-rabilia at FAM. Records continue to fall as attendance during SUN ’n FUN — and year round — continues to climb.

Aviation Expressions continues to be one of the most interesting and enduring programs at FAM. During the fall and winter months, we’ve entertained some of America’s most outstanding aviators as part of this exciting Speaker Series.

The annual “Wings ’n Things” Week-end held in November also proved to be a huge success. We moved the popular Fri-day evening program to Hangar E where we thrilled the kids (and many adults, too) with a presentation on space by Astronaut Dr. Lee Morin. The remainder of the weekend combined camping, merit badge work for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and a chance to take a first flight in a GA air-plane for hundreds of young people.

The “Future Eagles Aviation Club” is one of the many programs that reflect the close ties between FAM and the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA).Students in grades 8-12 meet on a weekly basis and explore every aspect of aviation through hands-on activities, plus guest speakers, field trips, flight simulators, community service projects and more. Open to all students in the region, this program is certain to grow.

FAM’s Restoration Club is gaining mo-mentum. Students get hands-on experi-ence in aircraft construction, restoration and maintenance, including working on engines, fabric covering, and more.

This has been a banner year — and we’ve only just begun!

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The crowds on the flightline are expect-ed to be bigger this year due to the ap-pearance of the Thunderbirds. 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 display 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 diagonal. A stake inserted on a diagonal 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 air-craft tie-down. Instead of a single stake in the ground, there are three at different angles. As the name implies, it resembles a claw when used properly. According to pilots who use them, they are easier to in-stall and remove, yet provide sturdier pro-tection than the one-stake varieties. Make sure gust locks are installed correctly.

Do not leave anything near your air-plane that can be thrown, such as a foot-ball or a Frisbee, a model glider or even extra tie-down stakes. Also don’t leave

any cleaning products that have a spray trigger around. One unsupervised kid is all it takes to do damage. Put these items out of sight.

Be careful of the position of your pro-peller. In camping areas experienced campers recommended that you turn the propeller so the blades are vertical. Some-one walking between rows at night is less likely to hit the blade.

In adverse weather, such as high winds, do not try to “save your airplane.” If the wind is blowing hard enough, the plane could flip over and land on you. The air-craft can be replaced. You can’t.

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 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 in-stead of on footpaths, and could step into the line of a wing.

Supervise the refueling of your air-craft.

Protect your planeGetting up close to an airplane is

privilege, 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, watch-• es, belt buckles, cell phones and cameras. These can accidentally scratch or even tear the skin on an aircraft.Do not sit on aircraft.•

Behave yourself!

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Check out the Parts Exchange in Hangar E

Do you need a particular part for that restoration project in your hangar? Is the sport of the hunt for that item part of the fun for you?

If the answer is yes, then you should stop by the Parts Exchange (PX), located in Hangar E.

The PX opens to the public at 9 a.m., Tuesday, March 27. Hours of operation through April 1 are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sales stop at 12 noon, Sunday, April 1.

Items for sale come from individuals and aviation businesses from around the country.

All items must be related to aviation. Traditionally that means you’ll find every-thing from parts to books and tools at the tent. State law prohibits the acceptance of tires or batteries.

In previous years, misfortunes caused by hurricanes and other weather-related events boosted the number of damaged aircraft, which meant a wide selection of airframes and parts, according to PX vol-unteers.

All transactions are cash only, as there is no way to run credit cards at the Parts Exchange. However, there are a number of cash machines on the show grounds.

In previous years, people who were af-ter larger ticket items, such as part of an airframe that cost $300, made daily trips

to the cash machines until they had the right amount of cash to make the pur-chase, according to volunteers.

Consignors willing to take a personal check will make a notation on the tag af-fixed to the item, volunteers noted.

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SUN ’n FUN and Nikon are hosting a photo contest for attendees to share their visions of flight.

To enter the contest, register online at EventBrite.com (http://sunnfunnikonpho-tocontest2012.eventbrite.com) and then meet Friday, March 30, at the Central Florida Aerospace Academy located on the SUN ’n FUN campus, across from the Florida Air Museum. Registration is lim-ited to 35 people.

Contestants will receive a briefing on contest rules and categories. You must have your own camera, as well as access to a computer and Internet to submit your images. Three entries are due no later than 10 p.m. on Friday, March 30, from each participant via email for judging.

Winners will be announced Saturday, March 31, at 9:30 a.m. by Nikon avia-tion photographer Bill Fortney and José Ramos, SUN ’n FUN’s resident photog-rapher. The grand prize is a Nikon P7100 camera. There will be other prizes as well.

A few of last year’s winners are pic-tured here.

AN AIRSHOW OASISTake a moment from your hectic day

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The entrance to the Nature Trail is be-hind Hangar E.

Calling all shutterbugs

Peter Funk, founder of B & F Technik and designer of the exciting FK12 Comet and popular FK9 light sport aircraft, will be attending Sun-n-Fun 2012, Thursday and Friday. See the Comet with the new Lycoming AEIO-233 and the FK9 in the Hansen Air Group booth (N7&19) near hangar D. The Comet and Lycoming AEIO-233 will also be displayed in the Renegade Light Sport booth (SE 21) in the southeast aircraft display area.

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U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), per-haps one of the most ardent advocates of GA in the U.S. House of Representatives, will host an “Aviation Issues” Town Hall-style meeting Saturday, March 31, from 9:30 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. in the production studio of the FAA Building.

Top leaders from GA’s alphabet groups, including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Asso-ciation, General Aviation Manufacturers Association, National Business Aviation Association, and the Commemorative Air Force, are expected to attend the meeting

as well, according to SUN ’n FUN offi-cials.

Graves, a long-time pilot who owns a Stearman and is restoring a rare Beech Model AT-10, is co-chair of the General Aviation Caucus, sharing duties with Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.). Founded in 2009, the GA Caucus is one of the largest cau-cuses in the House of Representatives, with 167 members. The mission of the caucus is to educate the entire Congress on the importance of general aviation to both national transportation and our econ-omy.

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.

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 FAA-ProductionStudios.com. Click on the “View Safety Seminars LIVE” link on the home page.

Congressman to host Town Hall meeting

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The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lind-bergh Foundation will hold its third annu-al Lindbergh Foundation Day and Avia-tion Green Alliance Forums on Thursday, March 29. A series of hour-long forums and panel discussions will be held at the Central Florida Aerospace Academy start-ing at 9 a.m.

“This full day of forums will highlight exciting developments where aviation and the environment intersect, as well as pro-vide an historical retrospective of where we’ve come from, and what lies ahead in the future of aviation,” said Lindbergh Foundation board member and forum or-ganizer John Petersen. “We are especially

pleased that 2012 Lindbergh Award Re-cipient, Dr. Forrest Bird, and Erik Lind-bergh will be joining us as featured pre-senters for this year’s program.”

“The topics covered this year are at the very core of the Lindbergh Foundation’s desire to encourage solutions, acknowl-edge progress and communicate ideas that affect general aviation,” said Erik Lindbergh. “My grandparents would have been intrigued to have heard these lively and informative sessions, all of which ad-dress aspects of the past, present, and fu-ture of aviation.”

Later that day, the Lindbergh Founda-tion will hold its 35th annual awards cer-

emony at nearby Fantasy of Flight, hon-oring Dr. Forrest Bird as 2012 Lindbergh Awardee, and James Ray as this year’s Spirit Award winner.

“This is a particularly significant year for the foundation,” noted Chairman Lar-ry Williams. “We are celebrating the 35th anniversary of the Lindbergh Foundation, as well as the 85th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s New York-to-Paris flight.”

The Lindbergh Foundation Day pro-gram schedule includes:

9 a.m. Will You be Flying in 2022? Half of GA will be Grounded, presented by Rj Siegel, CEO, LoPresti Aviation En-gineering;

10 a.m. The Future of Aviation: A Futurist Looks Toward the Horizon presented by John Petersen, founder, The Arlington Institute;

11 a.m. Making Flying Environmen-tally Friendly: A Review of 35 Years of Progress, a roundtable review presented by Lindbergh Foundation Directors Larry Williams (CEO, BRS Aerospace) and Da-vid Treinis, Vice Chairman, Lindbergh Foundation;

12 p.m. From Aircraft Oxygen Sys-tems to Infant Ventilators presented by Dr. Forrest Bird, a veteran pilot and pio-neer of the respirator industry;

1 p.m. Electric Airplanes: What’s Happened, What is Coming, presented by Erik Lindbergh, LEAP Electric Flight Program, and Electric Aircraft Develop-ment Alliance (EADA). LEAP includes the LEAP Electric Flight Program and the

LEAP Education Program. Inspired by the legacy of Erik’s grandfather Charles Lindbergh, the X-PRIZE Foundation and pioneers throughout history, LEAP was founded to stimulate the ingenuity of modern innovators, Lindbergh said. LEAP does this through video showcas-ing, international events, prize philanthro-py, and its education nonprofit.

EADA’s mission is to advance the de-velopment of electric flight. It is support-ed by an international alliance of those involved in electric flight from kitplane manufacturers to multinational corpora-tions, from pilots to engineers, to students, from amateurs to professionals, officials explained.

The Lindbergh Foundation is a non-profit organization that focuses on techno-logical breakthroughs to address aviation-environmental issues. Its programs are devoted to supporting, honoring, and edu-cating individuals, through three major programs: the annual Lindbergh Award, presented to individuals for significant contributions toward balancing nature and scientific innovation in their work; the Lindbergh Grants program, which provides grants in amounts up to $10,580 (the cost of building the “Spirit of St. Louis” in 1927) for research or education projects that will make contributions to the technology/environment balance; and a variety of educational events, including the new Aviation Green Alliance.

LindberghFoundation.org, ElectricFlight.net

Third Annual Lindbergh Foundation Day Thursday


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The 2012 FAASTeam Safety Stand-down — Loss of Control: Don’t Be Sur-prised, Be Prepared! — makes its debut during this week’s airshow.

The General Aviation Joint Steering Committee identified loss of control-inflight as the #1 cause of fa-tal general aviation accidents over the last decade. Consequently, this year’s FAASTeam Safety Standdown of-fers a multi-layered ap-proach to help pilots re-duce the risk of an inflight loss of control.

The recently videotaped program is hosted by FAA Research Psychologist Dr. Katrina Avers and includes inter-views with FAA Director of Flight Stan-dards John Allen, accident survivor Bar-ry Hyde, and three loss of control subject matter experts, including Dr. Janeen

Kochan, a human factors research scien-tist and Designated Pilot Examiner, who discusses aeronautical decision-making issues; FAA airworthiness expert Steve Keesey, who addresses aircraft preflight issues and introduces the FAA’s new Ad-vanced Preflight Program; and CFI Rich Stowell, a seven-time Master Instructor and the 2006 National Flight Instructor of the Year, who talks about techniques for recovering from loss of control events.

“This program is incredibly rich with practical information, and includes natu-ral breaks where program participants can engage in discussion before moving on

to the next scenario,” said the FAASTeam’s Kevin Clover. “This is the best Standdown program the FAA has produced to date.”

The 2012 Safety Standdown will debut March 31, in the FAA Building starting at

11 a.m. The program will then be pre-sented at more than 90 locations across the country in April. Feature articles by the on-camera talent will also ap-pear in the March/April edition of FAA Safety Briefing magazine, and addition-al resources will be made available at FAASafety.gov.

Safety Standdown debuts this week

Sporty’s has created a mobile app for the 2012 show, which is now available for both Apple and Android devices.

The app can be downloaded free at Sportys.com/Apps, through the iTunes App store, or Google Play (formerly An-droid Market).

New this year is an interactive exhibi-tors list with detailed hangar and exhibit area maps. When you click on an exhibi-tor’s company name, you will instantly see a map pinpointing the exhibitor’s lo-cation on the show grounds.

“This feature is so useful in that you no longer have to figure out what something like C-090 means as a location,” said Sporty’s Vice President John Zimmer-man. “You’ll be able to see quickly on a map where you want to go.”

The complete SUN ’n FUN NOTAM is included for arrival and departure proce-dures, as well as a local airport directory and special FBO offers. It works for in-flight reference as it does not require an Internet connection, he added.

Another new feature allows you to pull out the exhibitors, seminars, workshops and other activities you don’t want to miss and compile the list into a “My SUN ’n FUN” section. The app also has plenty of maps, including the convention grounds,

the campgrounds, an aerial map, Splash-In map, and more.

The app works on all Apple devices, including iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Another version of the app is designed for Android users, including tablets and the Kindle Fire.

Free SUN ’n FUN app available from Sporty’s

“This is the best Standdown program

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— FAASTeam’s Kevin Clover

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Hot air balloons will be showcased ear-ly Saturday morning with a spectacular balloon launch.

Pilots participating in this launch are seasoned airshow veterans from around the world. Hot air balloon pilots carry an FAA-issued pilot’s license in the Lighter than Air category. In addition to pass-ing the traditional written tests, a pilot is specially trained in balloon mechanics, safety, procedures, and the unique flight characteristics of balloons. Rated as pri-vate or commercial, pilot competence can only be attained by extensive experience in actual flight, officials note.

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 per-mitting, balloons will be launched in a traditional “Hare and Hound” race. This involves chasing 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 winning balloon is the one that lands clos-est 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.

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Ever wonder what’s involved in mak-ing your aircraft an award winner at SUN ’n FUN?

The first step is to get in the game. When owners register their aircraft at ar-rival, they can request a Judging Registra-tion Form. To be eligible for judging, the aircraft owner must be a member of the Florida Air Museum or the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), said Leonard Kress, chief judge at SUN ’n FUN. There is no charge to register for judging.

The SUN ’n FUN judges follow the cri-teria outlined in the Official EAA Judging Standards Manual, which is available at AirVenture.org, he added.

“Our judges are judging the aircraft based on their experience as aircraft build-ers, restorers, and aircraft maintenance technicians as to what constitutes quality, authenticity and safety,” Kress said. “Rest assured that all the judges are veterans in their respective areas.”

Kress notes that the time it takes to judge an aircraft varies.

“In some cases it is obvious that the air-craft, although a nice airplane, just does not meet award-winning standards. The time spent will minimal,” he said. “In other cases it is obvious that an aircraft is a real prize and much time is spent going

over the airplane. The better it is, the more time it takes. When two or more aircraft are very nice in the same category, much time will be spent to ensure that the most deserving aircraft wins.”

Want to increase your chances of win-ning? Kress offers these tips: “Be there when it is judged. Be prepared to explain questionable areas. Make sure that it is clean. Have the aircraft opened up so the judges can see all the aircraft’s qualities. Have presentation documentation, such as pictures, aircraft paperwork, etc., handy. Have proof of authenticity, if it applies. Old airplanes may have many mods. In many cases, we are looking for aircraft as they came out of the factory when they were built. Authenticity is King.”

Warbird judging has been suspended this year by the EAA Warbirds of Ameri-ca, who have conducted the Warbird judg-ing for a number of years at SUN ’n FUN. In recent years, participation in the War-bird judging program at SUN ’n FUN has declined, association officials said.

“The SUN ’n FUN aircraft judging team plans to continue to judge aircraft as it has in the past, always trying to improve the quality of our work,” Kress noted. “We are hopeful that Warbird judging will resume with minimal delay.”

Judging airplanes:Is yours a winner?

You’ve just spent a wonderful day at SUN ’n FUN and are ready to fly home.

During your preflight inspection you notice the nose strut of your mighty Cess-na 182 is completely flat. All is not lost — one quick call to the Emergency Main-tenance Team can get you on your way.

The team doesn’t do big repairs, but can help with smaller repairs, such as replac-ing fluids or charging a battery. Most of the volunteers are Airframe and Power-

plant mechanics so they can at least tell you which tool you will need to borrow to take care of the problem. Tools are kept in the emergency repair kiosk, which is at the approach end of Runway 5. Inside the mobile building are tools the team loans out to pilots to help them get their aircraft back into the air.

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 volun-teers can tow it to one of the FBOs at the airport for more extensive repairs.

JUST YOUR TYPEThe Type Clubs tent is located adjacent

to Vintage Headquarters.Members of organized clubs dedicated

to a particular aircraft are in the Type Club Tent, ready to answer your questions.

Angel Flight Southeast, which coordi-nates free air transportation for children and adults with medical or compelling humanitarian needs, will host a charity Texas Hold’em Tournament March 31 on the airshow grounds.

For more than 25 years, Angel Flight Southeast has been helping people throughout Florida and the Southeast. All pilots donate their time, aircraft, fuel and experience for each mission, so there is never a charge to the patient. Last year the organization coordinated more than 2,500 missions throughout the six state region it serves.

Proceeds from the tournament go direct-ly to Angel Flight Southeast’s mission.

The tournament will be held at the Cen-tral Florida Aerospace Academy on the Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL). Cost per player is $90, with early regis-tration of $45 if registered by March 27. Registration, which begins at 5:30 p.m. on the day of the tournament, includes entry to the event, dinner and initial chips.

You can find out more at PilotMall.com or call 352-326-0761.

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The Sky Arrow is back in production.Magnaghi Aeronautica, one of the larg-

est Italian aerospace groups, has put the popular high-wing tandem seat Light-Sport Aircraft back into production. The Hansen Air Group, based in Kennsaw, Ga., is the North American distributor for the Sky Arrow.

The design is coming back to produc-tion with some improvements, such as state-of-the-art avionics and larger fuel

tanks for greater endurance, according to company officials.

The Sky Arrow comes in several ver-sions, including homebuilt, LSA, or with an adaptive kit to make it flyable by a dis-abled pilot.

You can get more information at the Hansen Air Group display in the North Exhibit area, Spaces 7 and 19.

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Sky Arrow returns

By BEn SCLAIR

Bruce King has been coming to SUN ’n FUN since 2003. “It’s a thrill like few oth-ers,” said the man from San Antonio.

Each trip has been in a plane of his own creation and this year he flew in the second prototype of his BK1. The first was a tail-dragger, this is a tricycle.

He built everything not made in factory.The BK1 is (or will be) a plans-built

aircraft capable of operating in the Light Sport category. As configured here at the show, a Great Plains VW1835 powers the plane with a build cost less than $10,000.

For a closer examination, head out to Homebuilt Parking (row 6) or stop by BKFliers.com for more information.

BK1 debuts

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William J. Meyer, also known as “Flangehead,” Rotorcraft chairman for more than 25 years, passed away Jan. 1 in Jacksonville, Florida, from lung cancer.

Everyone is invited to attend a short

memorial service for Flangehead in the Rotorcraft area, also known as Chopper-town. His wife and friends will be gather-ing for the service, which begins at 12:45 p.m.

Memorial Service Today

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All this week at the Piedmont Aero-space and Technology Lab Hangar close to the Florida Air Museum, you’ll see kids, ranging in age from toddlers to mid-dle-schoolers, having a lot of fun while learning about aviation.

The Kids Programs include 12 work-shops in the new hangar, from ham radio operations to motors, to building rock-ets out of straws, reports Joyce Sanborn, SUN ’n FUN’s education coordinator.

All the activities are based around STEM — science, technology, engineer-ing and math — in a program branded STEMTastic by SUN ’n FUN and the Florida Air Museum, which sponsors the education programs.

There are two full-motion simulators, plus the ever-popular Scamp, a one-place airplane that kids can actually sit in to get the feel of a “real” airplane, she said.

The new hangar is proving to be quite a gathering place for the next generation of aviators. More than 200 kids showed up on opening day and by Wednesday work-shops for Saturday were already booked. “But don’t worry, we’ll always find room for the little ones,” Sanborn adds hastily.

But all the activity won’t end on SUN ’n FUN’s closing day. Educational activities are year-round, ranging from the STEM Saturday camps, held the second Saturday of each month — next month is all about motors and engines — to summer camps for kids ranging in age from 7 to 18. The younger kids attend a day camp, while the older kids attend Destination Aviation, a residential camp where SUN ’n FUN volunteers and officials actually teach the kids to fly.

Those camps have attracted kids from all over the U.S., as well as a few foreign countries, Sanborn reports. The kids go through a ground school, make a trip to FlightSafety, and end the week making a cross-country flight.

“We’ve actually had 11 year olds put

the airplane into position, takeoff and land without the instructor touching the controls,” she says with pride.

An expansion of that program began a few years ago when the kids’ parents said they wanted in on the fun as well. Now SUN ’n FUN offers two adult camps — one in October and one in February — for adults who want to take to the air.

The SUN ’n FUN campus is also home to a Future Eagles Club, made up of stu-dents from the Central Florida Aerospace Academy, as well as a Restoration Club, where the kids learn how to restore air-planes and exhibits for the Florida Air Museum.

For kids who can’t make it to the SUN

’n FUN campus, the staff and volunteers take the show on the road, making pre-sentations in schools. They’ll often bring along a Kitfox on a trailer so the school-children can see an airplane up close. These programs are free to the schools — all the teacher has to do is ask for them to make a presentation, Sanborn says.

If you have little ones, be sure to make the trek up to the Piedmont Hangar, which is just past the Florida Air Museum. The programs run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

And you might want to make the trek even if you don’t have kids — seeing the youngsters delight in the airplanes and all the activities will bring a smile to your face.

Nurturing the future of GA

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AeroCrafters of Alabama, LLC209 Hangar RoadGadsden, Alabama, 35904 "We Have the Passion for Aviation"

AeroCrafters of Alabama, LLC provides Build Assistance and Repairs forExperimental and Home built Aircraft. We also provide Avionics & Firewall Forward Installation. Our Professional sta� has over 25 years in the aviation �eldand will provide the highest quality service and make your project educationaland fun.

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5 bedroom/4.5 bath, 2 garages, Poolspa, Gameroom, Movie Theatre, Boat Dock863 646 1242 Phone • www.floridalakesidehome.comLocated Minutes from the Lakeland Regional Airport


9 a.m.Room 1: What’s new at Van’s Aircraft, Scott RisanRoom 2: Ultralights…True grass roots flying, Carla Larsh3: Buying your first Aircraft, Ja-son SchappertRoom 4: Continental small engine maintenance and repair, Don SwordsRoom 5: Ultimate Aircraft Buy-ing Guide, Scott Sky SmithRoom 6: Fixed Pitch propeller care & maintenance, Jim FixRoom 7: Flying the Aspen Evo-lution Flight Display System & Connected Panel, Scott SmithRoom 8: Designing the perfect paint scheme…The perfect look for your AC, Craig BenettRoom 9: Personal Flying…How safe do you want to be? E. F. Weener NTSBRoom 10: Revmaster 85hp R-2300 & 110hp R-3000, Patrick PanzeraRoom 11: The Sonex, Waiex, Xenos and Onex: Sport Pilot De-signs, Jeremy Monnett

10 a.m.Room 1: Flying with the iPad, Bret KoebbeRoom 2: Real Estate with Run-ways “Live the Dream” Kathie Beatty & Carol VandervlietRoom 3: How to prepare for your 1st emergency landing, Fred HebertRoom 4: A comparison and re-view of all of today’s fabric cov-ering systems, Jon GoldenbaumRoom 5: Instrument Approach Review, Joe MubarakRoom 6: FAR Refresher for Pilots (Biennial Review Ground Training), John BodiceRoom 7: Luscombe Associa-tion, Doug CombsRoom 8: Troubleshooting Pre-cision Fuel Injection, Clif IvesRoom 9: Are you insurable? Bob MackeyRoom 10: Installing Mazda Rotary and other alternative en-gines, Tracy CookRoom 11: LSA Repairman-Maintenance or Inspection rat-ing? Carol & Brian Carpenter

11 a.m.Room 1: Flying to and around Alaska, Tony TurinskyRoom 2: Welding tips and tricks for the homebuilder, Jody CollierRoom 3: Rotor Track and Bal-ance, Kelsey WoodRoom 4: What it takes to fly Competition Aerobatics, Patty WagstaffRoom 5: Quick-Build/Super affordable STOL aircraft design, Jeron SmithRoom 6: AOPA/EAA 3rd class medical exemption request, Kris-tine Hartzell/David OordRoom 7: Luscombe restoration & maintenance, Doug CombsRoom 8: 21st Century Super Cub: The Super 18 Kit Family, Mark EricksonRoom 9: Electric Aircraft De-velopment Alliance [EADA], Neil CosentinoRoom 10: 100-hp 6 cylinder air cooled Corvair engine, William WynneRoom 11: Becoming a Sport Pilot in 20 hours, Nathan McLaughlin

12 p.m.Room 1: Flying the Caribbean: Everything you need to know, Jim ParkerRoom 2: Brain Fog 101: Why do we crash? Nina AndersonRoom 3: Second-owner home-builts, Chad JensenRoom 4: Bail Out seminar, Al-len SilverRoom 5: Maintaining and re-storing Short Wing Pipers, Steve PierceRoom 6: Airparks, the selection process, Ron HeidebrinkRoom 7: Weather in the cockpit, Glen Gray/Joe Millard/Chris CarrRoom 8: Old bold pilots and the finer points of risk management, Jason MillerRoom 9: Aircraft Sheet metal for Plans Built Airplanes, Marc BourgetRoom 10: Converting Geo/Su-zuki Auto engines 60-115-hp for aircraft, Jeron SmithRoom 11: STOL series airplanes from Zenith Aircraft Co.,Sebastian Heinz

1 p.m.1: Choosing the right EIFS for your homebuilt, Ryan Deck2: Taming the Tailwheel, Jim Guldi3: young Eagles…What’s the next step? Brian O’Lena4: Getting started with Aircraft Woodwork and Glue, Vic Boyce5: navigating Special Use Air-space, Lt. Col. David Paulsgrove6: Twenty of the best places to fly, Michael Combs7: Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) Licensing Process, Thom-as D. Black8: Is Mexico safe for the U.S. Pilot? Jim Swickard9: Aircraft Sheet Metal for Plans Built Airplanes, Marc Bourget10: 2 and 4 cylinder VW con-versions, Scott Casler11: Backcountry LSA: The Super 18 LT, Mark Erickson

What’s happening todaySUN ’n FUN 2012

FORUMS are held at the Central Florida Aerospace Academy across from the Florida Air Museum

Volunteers are near all the en-trances and exits to help you find the right classroom for the forum you are seeking.

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7:30 a.m. non-Denominational Church Ser-vice with Missionary Aviator at Florida Air Museum AOPA Pavilion.

10 a.m.-1 p.m. AvBid Aircraft Auctions

10 a.m.-12:30 Showcase Fly-bys

FAA FoRuMS In the Production Studios in the FAA Building

9 a.m.: Be Aware: The Science of Situ-ational Awareness, Susan Parson, FAA Flight Standards Service10 a.m. Wright Brothers Master Pilot Awards, Fred Kaiser, FAASTeam Pro-gram Manager11 a.m.: Charles Taylor Master Me-chanic Awards, Fred Kaiser, FAASTeam Program Manager12 p.m. Personal Flying: How Safe Do You Want to Be? Earl Weener, NTSB board member1 p.m. Meet the FAA, Doug Murphy, FAA Southern Regional Administrator

FLoRIDA AIR

MuSEuM FoRuMS10 a.m.: Jose Ramos, SUN ’n FUN’s Official Photographer discusses what it’s like to photograph some of America’s most recognized front-line military air-craft and his latest “assignment” at SUN ’n FUN.11 a.m.: Ravi the Raviator: “Say Again? A Musician’s Insight to Pilot Hearing Loss” Ravi has performed on stages at volumes that rival those of a jet engine. Yet, throughout his experience as a musician and pilot, he has encoun-tered more hearing impaired pilots than rock and roll guitarists! In this educa-tional yet entertaining session, Ravi ex-plains the differences and similarities of his two passions, the important role that hearing plays and what measures he takes to preserve this sense vital to both activi-ties. Sponsored by Sennheiser

1 p.m.: John Burton/Ernie Sanborn, Florida Air Museum, “Dreams for Tomor-row,” A look back at the accomplishments of the past year and an exciting glimpse into what the future holds for the Florida Air Museum and its expanding education programs.

LADIES PAVILIon10 a.m.: Antique Jewelry from Jenny Walters. Bring your antique piece in and she’ll appraise it and provide you with helpful information about your treasures.11:30 a.m.: Joan Walton shares the new Jockey line for 2012.1 p.m.: Katherine Branch talks Pam-pered Chef.2 p.m.: Donna Roller, owner of DSO Soapery and Such features her soaps, hand creams and spa products made from natural ingredients.

EVEnInG PRoGRAMThe Friday Night Airshow: This year, the evening airshow will include the Aeroshell Team, Bill Leff, Steve Oli-ver, Roger Buis, Manfred Radius, Gene Soucy, Flash Fire Jet Truck, and Matt Younkin, followed by fireworks. Spon-sored by Fed-Ex.

MoVIEno movie tonight

Schedules are subject to change.

What’s happening todayAIRSHoW

Chuck AaronBlack DiamondsMatt ChapmanF-18 DemoKyle FranklinMichael GoulianHarrierLegacySoComStewart/MohrUSAF ThunderbirdsPatty WagstaffWarbirds

See our history and background!www.luscombesilvaire.com

call us 352-591-4417email [email protected]

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By JAnICE WooD

Piper CEO Simon Caldecott says 2012 doesn’t concern him.

“I’m focused on the long-term,” he said Wednesday at SUN ’n FUN. “I’m look-ing at 2013 and beyond.”

Since tak-ing over the top spot at Piper six months ago, Caldecott has realigned the company’s busi-ness, focusing on the M-Class planes and the trainers. “I want to get Piper heavily back into the training business,” he said.

One of the tough decisions recently made was shutting down the PiperJet de-velopment project. The Vero Beach, Fla.-based company has loaned the prototype to the Florida Air Museum — you can see it this week on the lawn in front of the museum.

“We consider it an important part of our research and development efforts,” Cal-decott said. “We felt it was only right that it stay here in Florida.”

Many of the engineers hired to work on the PiperJet are now tasked with looking at the company’s other products to see how they can be improved. “We need to

see what we need to do to keep them vi-able,” he said.

The engineers are also tasked with pre-paring for the transition to unleaded and alternative fuels, he noted. “They are talk-ing to the engine manufacturers about dif-ferent options,” he said.

Meanwhile, Piper continues to push the globalization of its sales and marketing team to develop new markets for the com-pany’s products. He noted that the compa-

ny recently delivered three Meridians in Europe, with another three on order. “We are already seeing the benefits of our new marketing strategy,” he said.

He noted that 2012 is “off to a good start. We are on track to have a strong close to the first quarter. The outlook is steady and the prospects are good.”

Also boosting the bottom line is Piper Aircraft Services-Manufacturing, which has done a lot of work for owners of older

aircraft. Caldecott also reported that the company has branched out into other in-dustries besides aviation, recently receiv-ing a contract from Triton Submarines, also based in Vero Beach, for approxi-mately $90,000 in machined parts des-tined for Triton’s submersibles.

Find out more at Piper’s exhibit on the SUN ’n FUN grounds in the Manufac-turer’s Display Area, Spaces 13, 14, 18, and 19.

Piper looks to the future...

Simon Caldecott

A free firmware update will be released April 10 for Baron Services’ Mobile Link device on April 10, officials said at SUN ’n FUN.

The Mobile Link allows XM WX Satel-lite Weather subscribers to display onboard weather data by running compatible apps on their mobile devices, including the iP-hone and iPad. Firmware update 2.0 will add support for additional XM WX data products, the certified XMD-076 XM WX receiver from Heads-Up Technologies, and the latest WxWorx receiver’s embed-ded GPS (Models WR-10 and WR-10BT only).

WxWorx on Wings customers using the WxWorx WR-10 or WR-10BT data re-ceivers have enjoyed the benefits of an in-tegrated WAAS-enabled GPS device. With the 2.0 firmware, the Mobile Link can access this internal device to display the user’s GPS position, along with weather conditions in compatible apps.

The 2.0 update will be available for down-load at BaronServices.com/MobilelinkUp-date to existing customers April 10, and will begin shipping embedded with all new Mobile Link units at the same time.

Setup instructions and tutorial videos will be provided on the page to assist cus-tomers through the upgrade process. Find out more at the XM WX exhibit in Hangar C, Spaces 24-26.

Mobile Link updated

Phot

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Joh

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Woo

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*Not all coverages or products may be available in all jurisdictions. The description of coverage in these pages is for information purposes only. Actual coverages will vary based on local law requirements and the terms and conditions of the policy issued. The information described herein does not amend, or otherwise affect, the terms and conditions of any insurance policy issued by Avemco. In the event that a policy is inconsistent with the information described herein, the language of the policy will take precedence. 93% customer retention based on average 2011 monthly renewal data for the Direct Approach Aircraft Insurance Policy.

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TERMINAL SPACE with Aircraft Parking for rent. Kissim-mee Gateway Airport. Call Terry Lloyd. 407-518-2516

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Colorado - 96505,000’ RUNWAY on 2565 Acre Ranch. Close to I-25 & Colorado City. Post card views! $1,800,000 772-971-5157, 772-464-1994. Pics: www.DiamondStarRanch.com

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FLORIDA, OCALA, Leeward: 2 homes w/ large hangars, 3bed/2bath. $299K & 5bed/4bath $599K. owner 305-992-0812, [email protected]

NO MORE Winter. Direct Ocean Front Estate near Vero Beach/Florida. 5BR-5BA. $1,800,000. 772-971-5157, 772-464-1994. Pics:www.perfectbeachhouse.com Close to SunN’Fun. Come & see it.

ORLANDO AREA Aviation-properties, hangars, hangar-rentals, Some priced like bank-owned. Chandelle Proper-ties. Call Ron Henderson 407-712-4071 Keller Williams/Advantage II Realty www.chandelleproperties.com


By JAnICE WooD

“There are few days more fun than those when you take delivery of a new plane,” reported Jerry Gregoire, the force behind Redbird Skyport at the San Mar-cos Airport in Texas, who received the keys to the flight school’s first Seminole Wednesday at SUN ’n FUN.

The Skyport, which is a Part 141 flight school, is set up as a flight training labo-ratory, with Redbird officials testing new equipment and processes to make flight training more efficient.

The Skyport, which opened in Novem-ber, has had “no trouble attracting stu-dents,” Gregoire said. “We’ve booked all our slots through summer.”

Now the Skyport is ready for the next step: Multi-engine training.

“When I went looking for the right plane, it was a short distance,” he said. “I immediately landed on the Seminole. It’s a comfortable, cool-looking plane.”

Skyport officials will install test equip-ment on the Seminole to collect data, which Gregoire said will be shared with the entire flight training industry. “We’ll be testing and measuring things that peo-ple have never done before in this plane,” he said.

Gregoire has big plans for the Skyport — and some that should make Piper of-ficials very happy.

“I hope one day to walk out on the ramp and see Seminoles as far as the eye can see,” he said.

Find out more about the Redbird Sky-port in the North Exhibit area, Spaces 94, 95, 100 and 101.

A truly fun day

Phot

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iper

Photos fueled by Flying High Coffee


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Since being introduced to the Cirrus fleet, the DFC90 Digital Autopilot has received rave reviews from industry pundits and customers alike. Now, the DFC90 is being offered to anumber of aircraft and autopilot configurations as a simple plug & play solution. Since its introduction, it has become the number one attitude-based, digital retrofit autopilot sold intoaircraft in the last year. Please visit www.ilovemydfc90.com to see what pilots are saying abouttheir new autopilot. Call 800-AVIDYNE to find out if your aircraft is eligible for an upgrade.

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Photos fueled by Flying High Coffee


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The Sennheiser S1 Digital is the ONLY premium ANR headset to feature:

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“The S1, once it has re-sampled the cockpit sound, cuts down cockpit noise more than any other competitor” - The Aviation Consumer October 2011

by RAVI

At Sun ‘n Fun 2012

The Raviator

Say Again? A Musician’s Insight into Pilot Hearing LossFriday, 11:00 • Florida Air Museum

Live Your DreamFriday, 12:30 • Sun ‘n Fun/AOPA Pavilion

How to Get More Flight Students Saturday, 11:00 • Central Florida Aerospace Academy, Room #8

From Strings to Wings - Tales of a Flying Musician Saturday, 13:00 • Florida Air Museum

Also, catch Ravi on Thursday night, performing LIVEat 19:00 as he opens for Aaron Tippin!

THE QUIET REVOLUTION

LOOKING FOR THE BEST AVIATION HEADSET?EXCLUSIVE PRESENTATIONS

OFFICIAL PARTNER OF THE STOP BY THE SENNHEISER BOOTH FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE

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SUN ‘N FUN FLY-IN SUN ‘N FUN S1 $100 INSTANT REBATE

March 27, 2012 Sun ’n Fun Today - www.sun-n-fun.org 53March 30, 2012 SUN ’n FUN Today - www.sun-n-fun.org 53

Call or visit us online for new and overstock avionics, Cessna parts, Wipaire parts, de Havilland parts and other miscellaneous items.

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Looking for a hard to find part? We may have it!

Enter to Win A Bose A20 Headset with Bluetooth Visit Us at Booth MD-003D to Enter!


The hard-luck Husky that was so rude-ly tossed about in last year’s tornado re-turns to SUN ’n FUN in 2012 in perfect condition.

The grand prize in AOPA’s 2012 Tougher Than A Tornado Husky Sweep-stakes is parked in front of the AOPA Tent, which is near the hangars and the PilotMall.com store.

The keys to the Tornado Husky will be given to its new owner at the AOPA Aviation Summit in Palm Springs, Cali-fornia, in October.

The Tornado Husky was just a few weeks old and on its very first cross-country trip from the Wyoming factory when it was damaged in the 2011 twist-er. AOPA bought the airplane and flew it back to Wyoming, where the same craftsmen who built it returned it to bet-ter-than-new condition.

Since then, it has traveled from the Rocky Mountains of Montana to the rocky coast of Maine to promote general aviation and highlight some of the possi-bilities for flying adventures.

“The Tornado Husky is a frisky young pup that just brims with youthful energy and excitement,” said AOPA Senior Edi-tor Dave Hirschman, who has been man-aging the Tornado Husky. “You just point it where you want it to go and, like a real Husky, it obediently takes you there. It’s flown through the Hudson River corridor in the heart of New York City, crossed the

Great Plains, and topped some of the tall-est mountains in North America, and it’s only a year old.”

The Tornado Husky’s extra features include a Garmin GPSMAP 696 at the center of the instrument panel, XM Satel-lite Weather, a three-blade MT propeller, vortex generators, 29-inch Alaskan Bush-wheel tundra tires, a teak wood floor, and a leather interior.

The sweepstakes is open to all. The grand prize winner must be 19 years old at time of entry and either the grand prize win-ner or the winner’s spouse, son, daughter, mother, or father must hold at least a stu-dent pilot certificate as of July 31, 2011.

Anyone who is a member of AOPA on the last day of July will automatically be entered in the Tougher Than A Tornado Sweepstakes.

Additionally, AOPA members who are in the Automatic Annual Renewal pro-gram or who recruit new AOPA members will receive additional entries. Complete rules and eligibility requirements, as well as alternate methods of entry, are avail-able online.

So stop by the AOPA Tent next to Pilot-Mall.com, across from Hangars A and B, to see what could be your next airplane!

Sun, Fun, and a Crossover Classic

Visit the Cessna Exhibit at SNF 001, 002, and 004

Cessna Sun n Fun ad.indd 1 2/23/2012 8:24:52 AM



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March 30, 2012 SUN 'n FUN Today