Sun N Fun Redux

We had worked at the hotel until noon that Easter Sunday, but -- with the
plane loaded and fueled the night before -- we were actually off the ground
by 1 PM, a new world's record. We figured we'd make a leisurely day of it
by stopping overnight in Jim Fisher's Muscle Shoals, to see if we could bum
Easter dinner off Jim and his lovely wife.

It wasn't meant to be.

Our first couple of hours in the air were beautiful, but as we pushed
farther into Tennessee the visibility was slowly dropping, and the
temperature was hovering around the freezing level. The ceiling was still a
purported 3100 feet, with visibility 10 miles, according to the closest
AWOS -- but that was obviously bogus. Long tendrils of moisture hung down
from the low clouds, and it was quickly becoming "Oshkosh VFR" -- 1.5 miles
clear in each direction.

Time to switch pilots. Mary's tolerance for such conditions is notoriously
(and wisely) low, while my higher hours and IFR training (although still no
IR) have made me more comfortable with marginal VFR. Thus, we found
ourselves landing in Paris, Tennessee for a fuel and potty break, less than
an hour short of our expected destination of Muscle Shoals.

What we found in Paris on a Sunday afternoon was a friendly airport dog, but
not even a bathroom available for Mary and Becca to use. Luckily the
self-serve gas pump worked just fine, and we were soon on our way once
again, now with your intrepid author at the controls.

It soon became apparent that conditions were going downhill, and Muscle
Shoals was in doubt. Flight service (thank goodness for cell phones) had
told me that we would be able to make it south as far as Lewisburg, but
beyond that was "unlikely," as a large low pressure center was moving into
the area. We decided to assess things when we got to Lewisburg.

For once the briefer's pessimism was valid, and I soon found myself in and
out of the bases, with lowering visibility. The AWOS at Lewisburg promised
good VFR just ahead, but again this turned out to be mighty optimistic.
Although we picked up no ice, the low freezing level had me keeping an eye
on the thermometer, and we landed in Lewisburg in a driving, cold rain.

The lad at the FBO could not have been more friendly and helpful, helping us
to carry our bags, tying us down for the night, and throwing us the keys to
the courtesy car -- for the night! He then told us about the two hotels in
town, gave us directions to a couple of restaurants, and we were on our way.
By the time we left the airport it was pouring icy rain, with a 400 foot
ceiling and 1/3 mile visibility.

After a pleasant night in Lewisburg, we awakened to more of the same --
absolute clag. The Weather Channel wags were yakking about the "cut-off
low" that was settling over Nashville, and the "amazing, rare, winter-like
weather" the South was experiencing. We were dumb-founded as we watched
the rain turn into big, heavy snowflakes.

We had left Iowa -- for THIS?

It soon became apparent that -- although it IS the "walking horse capital of
the world" (whatever *that* is) -- there was no "there" there in Lewisburg.
So, we rented a car and headed 40 miles north, back to Nashville, where we
spent the next 48 hours watching the weather and having an absolutely
fabulous time! The Grand Ole Opry has attracted an amazing variety of
businesses and attractions, and we visited them all -- from the Tennessee
War Museum downtown, to the State Historical Museum, to the Opryland Hotel
(our entire hotel, grounds and all, would fit easily into just one of their
atriums!) with its 85-foot fountains that "perform" to music.

Although fun, this wasn't what we had come for, and we were getting fidgety
as we went to bed Tuesday night, STILL in a driving rain/snow storm. The
snow had actually stuck to the grass for a couple of hours, giving Tennessee
an unwelcome "December-in-Iowa" feeling...

We awakened Wednesday morning to the most amazingly azure blue sky I have
ever seen! Just 40 minutes east of us the rain and snow continued, but the
big cut-off low had FINALLY spiraled its way out of there -- and the path to
Florida lay open and clear before us!

Poor Atlas had been sitting outside in a driving rain for three days -- the
first time he'd been really soaked since Oshkosh last year. Luckily, I
found no water in any of his four gas tanks, although the inside was a bit
on the musty side, with wet carpeting on the passenger side. He fired right
up, though, and we were soon climbing strongly into the clear Tennessee sky,
despite our immense load. A 235 horsepower engine just can't be beat on a
trip like this.

Then, an amazing thing started to happen. As we climbed to our cruising
altitude of 5500 feet, I noticed our airspeed slowly increasing. We
normally climb out at around 100 knots, to maintain visibility over the
nose -- but our ground speed was at 130, and climbing! By the time I
leveled out at 5500, our ground speed was an amazing 190 knots -- a 48 knot
tailwind!

Plans to stop for lunch were soon abandoned, as it became apparent that a
direct flight to Lakeland would take less than 3 hours! The weather gods
were finally smiling upon us, and we happily engaged the autopilot and began
to review the Sun N Fun NOTAM.

Arrival procedures into SNF are simple and straight-forward: Fly west
between the smoke stacks of the powerplant on the shores of Lake Parker.
Continue west over the strobes, and hang a left. Continue South while
monitoring ATC, who will identify you. As with the OSH arrivals, keep your
mouth shut and answer with a vigorous wing rock when called upon. Turn East
onto a right downwind if landing on Rwy 27, or West onto a left downwind if
landing on Rwy 9.

ATIS was reporting that they were using Rwy 27. We soon found that our
glorious tailwind was also a wicked 35 knot, gusty crosswind at ground
level. As we descended through 3000 feet on approach to LAL, the
turbulence began in earnest, and we were soon being tossed around pretty
good. Luckily, the temperatures were cool, and the kids have become steeled
to such conditions over the years -- their breakfast remained internalized.

Falling in line and parting the smoke stacks, we turned left at the strobes,
following the Cessnoid ahead. The controller identified first him, then us,
and we responded with an enthusiastic wing rock made all the more violent by
the turbulent air. The controller then said the magic words: "We will call
your downwind, base, and turn to final..."

Somewhat surprised, I figured he was doing this to keep the pattern in
tight. Last year we had noticed that the landing pattern had occasionally
grown to absurd lengths, with downwind stretching almost beyond visual range
at times. So, I simply did as asked, following the Cessna 140 ahead.
Separation was good, as I awaited his call...

When he finally called my downwind, I was practically above the runway --
this was REALLY going to be a close pattern! The only way we were going to
make this work was if he stretched our downwind leg out a bit -- NOT. When
he called my turn to base, we weren't even abeam the numbers yet. In fact,
we were only about 2/3s of the way down the runway.

Racking a heavily-laden Atlas into an impossibly tight, descending right
turn, the 35 knot quartering crosswind started to push me even farther
toward the runway -- this was not good! Sun N Fun takes Lakeland's Rwy 27
and splits it into two parallel runways, left and right -- with 27R normally
being the taxiway for 27L. As I was landing on 27R they were also using
27L, meaning that I had traffic off my left side landing on the parallel
runway. This was the direction the wind was pushing me -- right into the
traffic pattern for 27L!

The only solution? Tighten the turn. Soon I was turning tighter than I
had EVER turned in the pattern before, with a wicked, turbulent crosswind
making our lives more interesting by the second, pushing us farther to the
south. Despite my best efforts, I overshot my turn to final, and racked it
around just a smidge tighter, trying to feel for that ragged edge where the
stall-spin-crash scenario would make itself apparent. My 13 year old son,
normally so stoic in the back seat, let out an astonished "whoa!" as we
finally pulled the runway back into view in front of us...

Just as I rolled wings level, I spotted the Cherokee out of the corner of my
eye, landing on Rwy 27L, just off my port side. Had I not performed my
"knife-edge" turn to final, we surely would have traded paint. Fighting the
gusty crosswind all the way down, I wondered aloud if the controller was a
pilot, knowing the answer...

Rattled, but none the worse for wear, we were directed to our campsite, off
the departure end of Rwy 27L. This turned out to be a wonderful spot, as
the winds favored runway 9 for the rest of the show, giving us a ringside
seat for all the fun arrivals to follow! As it turned out, a lot of pilots
were delayed by the weather, and many chose not to fly in on Wednesday with
the winds so unfavorable. But the pattern was full from Thursday morning
on, often exceeding what we have seen even at Oshkosh, as hundreds of
bottle-up pilots finally made it into Lakeland. The resulting "air show"
was worth the price of admission alone!

Setting up the tent in a 40 mph wind was an adventure in itself. We finally
assigned the kids corners to sit on, while we assembled poles. We
discovered that the saw-grass of Florida is actually tough (and sharp)
enough to cut right through the bottom of a tent, even with a ground cloth!
We will be patching several holes before OSH this year. Once set up we
ventured off to find the exhibit buildings and tents, and thoroughly enjoyed
the rest of our day.

Nightfall came, and we were astonished at how quickly the heat of the day
simply evaporated. With virtually no humidity in the air, the sun's heat
instantly dissipated, and we found ourselves in Florida wearing long pants,
sweaters, and winter coats. Than night the temperature dipped to 28
degrees, and we awakened to FROST the next morning! Welcome to Florida!

Temperatures gradually moderated throughout our stay, but I never wore
shorts the entire time we were in Lakeland. Camping conditions were more
akin to the high desert, with warm days and cool nights -- VERY
un-Florida-like. But at least the bugs were eliminated.

We spent much of our time working the booth at Gary Elshoff's "Flying Colors
Glass" display. Gary is the artist who created our stained glass windows,
and we always try to help him so that he can get some time away from the
booth. His windows have really become a centerpiece of the inn, and our
enthusiasm helps sell his windows to others. His glass has taken on
something of a cult following, and it's fun meeting the "movers and shakers"
behind the scenes who come to see his stuff.

One high point of our time at the booth was meeting this newsgroup's very
own Bob Moore. Bob is a former Pan Am pilot who is quite active on these
groups, and he kindly gave us a CD-Rom with some Pan Am posters and photos
on it. We chewed the fat for close to an hour, and it was good to put a
face with a name. Thanks again, Bob -- and don't forget to send me those
Rogue's Gallery pix!

High Points of SNF
*******************************
To follow are some random high points of Sun N Fun, in no particular order:

- The first 1000 pilots received a cool "I flew into Sun N Fun 2004" hat.
It even fits my fat head!

- The food at Sun N Fun is terrific. Margaritaville -- a tent/restaurant
set up to mimic Jimmy Buffet's Caribbean lifestyle -- is the best place to
hang out. They make a wonderful "Rum Slushy" that makes sleeping on the
ground MUCH nicer! :-)

- The Jimmy Buffet imitators were VERY good. The music was great!

- The strawberry malts at SNF are to die for...

- The new Adamjet is VERY cool...although I'll never fly one.

- The new Extra 500 is slick...

- Piper's new Avidyne glass panels, combined with the Garmin center stack,
is too cool. I like it better than the G1000, simply because everything
isn't combined into a single point of failure.

- The FAA was demonstrating their new uploaded live radar pictures. This
service is now available up and down the entire Eastern seaboard of the US,
and simply uploads whatever radar image is being depicted on ATC's radar, in
real-time, to your airplane. On the Apollo MFD they were using, it clearly
showed every airplane flying into SNF, and could overlay weather, etc.
When this thing goes nationwide it will render on-board radar obsolete, and
will really bring GA into the 21st century.

- The corn roast in the camping area is the best deal on the grounds. For
three bucks you get two ears, and it's like tasting August in April.

- The Goodyear blimp's nightly performance was fun. Every time I see that
thing, they've added another thousand lights!

- There is a SNF vendor serving fresh-baked cinnamon rolls every bit as good
as Cinnabon. Breakfast -- usually so bleak at OSH -- is a real treat at
SNF.

- Cell phone weather! I can't believe I had to go all the way to Florida
to find out that I can get pilot's weather on my Verizon cellphone for just
$9.95 per month! It has live, animated weather radar, METARs, TAFs, weather
maps -- everything you need, and all on your cell phone! I signed up for
it immediately, and am already using it all the time.

- We finally met Bob & Linda Morgan! They were at their booth, selling
Memphis Belle paraphernalia, when we stumbled upon them. We have emailed
back and forth dozens of times since opening our "Memphis Belle Suite" --
but we've never had the chance to meet them in person. When they found out
who we were, it was like "old home week", and we took a bunch of pictures
and Bob signed the kids hats. When we were leaving, Linda handed us a bunch
more stuff for the suite, all gratis. Wonderful folks!

- I found the Davtron digital clock I've been looking for at Sarasota
Avionics -- for under list price! Woo-hoo!

- The cool temperatures made walking all day much easier.

- SNF has set up a small Nature Trail board walk, with displays of Florida
fauna and flora. It's a real nice change of pace from the roar and
spectacle of the air show.

- There is a playground at SNF for the kids to play on! This turned out to
be a great break from the action for the kids.

- This was our first long trip on our new seats, and, wow -- what a
difference! Last year we just about died of "sore-butt," while this year
we were absolutely comfortable after spending 13 hours in the plane. New
seats are worth every penny they cost.

- This was our first long trip with the Lightspeed Twenty 3Gs, and they were
marvelous. Comfortable, quiet, with bass and treble boost for the CD
player. A real treat to wear, even after so many hours.

- On the way home we were in the middle of no where, talking to Huntsville
approach, when they called out "traffic, 9 o'clock, your altitude,
converging..." Looking around we saw nothing, but ATC went on to say that
"the computer shows your targets merging in 2.5 minutes" (which I thought
was pretty neat!) -- so we kept looking. At last I spotted a small dot on
the horizon, ever so slowly moving our way. Through the binoculars I could
see that it was an older Mooney, and that we were just a smidge faster than
he was. It was cool to be in a fixed-gear Cherokee 235, and be told by ATC
that the Mooney was "no factor -- you're pulling away from him..." (Of
course, he's burning 10 gph to my 15, but still... :-)

Low Points of SNF
*******************************
- The Number One low-point of SNF was the seaplane base -- or rather, our
inability to see it. After searching for some time we finally found the
bus loading area to take us to the seaplane base. The OSH "splash-in" is
always a favorite place for the kids, so we were determined to find it this
year at SNF -- even though they seemingly did their best to make it hard to
find. After waiting 35 minutes for a bus that runs without a schedule, the
driver finally pulled up and off-loaded -- only to haughtily announce that
she had "worked five hours straight and was *required* to take a break" She
then slammed the door in our faces, and drove away. Shaking our heads in
disbelief, we (and dozens of others) walked away -- and never did get to the
seaplane base.

- Arrival rules at LAL are very lax, by comparison to OSH. At OSH, if
you're not on downwind at 8 PM, you are NOT allowed to land -- period. And
no one can leave or arrive until 7 AM the next morning. This rule makes for
a wonderful camping experience. At SNF, on the other hand, airplanes were
arriving until well after dark, and were allowed to leave as early as 5:30
AM. Being camped in a tent off the end of the runway, this is not a good
thing.

- Car campers at LAL are actually given preferential position over fly-in
campers. This is perhaps unavoidable, due to the design of the airport, but
it's very odd indeed to have drive-in campers closer to the flight-line than
pilots are.

- Expensive food! Although the food selection is great, the prices are
absurd.

- Camp store rip off. Last year the camp store was run by some non-profit
organization, was well-stocked and fairly priced. This year it was run by
"Cheech and Chong" (even my kids were joking at how stoned they were!), and
the shelves were virtually bare. Worse, the only beer they sold was
Budweiser -- for FIFTEEN DOLLARS a 6-pack!

- Golf card mayhem. Last year we coined the term "IIGICs" (Idiots In Golf
Carts) to describe the hundreds of golf carts that tried to run us over
every day. This year they have added some "golf cart only" trails that
helped some -- but not enough.

- 28 degrees in Florida? Snow in Nashville? 'Nuff said.

- Gas lines. At OSH, you put a card on your prop, and the gas truck comes
to fill you up. In Lakeland, the gas trucks don't come to you -- you must
come to THEM. This, of course, makes for a terrible traffic jam, and is
totally illogical and inefficient. The driver told me it was because
"campers had open fires out there" which made fueling unsafe -- but last
year they told me it was because the ground was too soft.

- When it comes to vendors, it ain't OSH. I was not able to find any seat
belts for my plane at SNF. I was also not able to find anyone selling or
displaying the Boom Beam. And we found very little artwork for the hotel
while we were there. The selection just isn't what you get at "the Big
One."

All in all, it was a wonderful, grand adventure. Sun N Fun is a terrific
way to end the monotony of winter, and we all had a great time. The trick
with a journey of this length is to be flexible and roll with the punches,
cuz Spam Can travel in early spring just ain't all that reliable.

Ironically, we came home to temperatures in the 80s, with high humidity --
must like Florida!
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck ) wrote:

snip
All in all, it was a wonderful, grand adventure. Sun N Fun is a terrific
way to end the monotony of winter, and we all had a great time.

I enjoyed your narrative. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
Someday I hope to get the courage to attend one of these large fly-ins.

--
Peter

I enjoyed your narrative. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
Someday I hope to get the courage to attend one of these large fly-ins.

OSH and SNF represent the best part of flying, IMHO. It's truly wonderful
to see GA in great numbers, and to camp with people who think, breathe, eat
and sleep aviation like we do!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

When do we get your story about your flight down and back?

Rod
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:8TQgc.27583$ru4.26599@attbi_s52...
I enjoyed your narrative. Thanks for taking the time to post it.
Someday I hope to get the courage to attend one of these large fly-ins.


OSH and SNF represent the best part of flying, IMHO. It's truly
wonderful
to see GA in great numbers, and to camp with people who think, breathe,
eat
and sleep aviation like we do!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

When do we get your story about your flight down and back?

Um, the main post in this thread IS that story. Or did your ISP swallow the
original post?

The flight back was totally uneventful this year. However, the flight down
took us three days, as we sat out the snowstorm in Tennessee...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Sorry, I'll have to reel this thread backwards to find it.

Rod

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:wCRgc.28122$yD1.70478@attbi_s54...
When do we get your story about your flight down and back?

Um, the main post in this thread IS that story. Or did your ISP swallow
the
original post?

The flight back was totally uneventful this year. However, the flight
down
took us three days, as we sat out the snowstorm in Tennessee...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Peter R. writes:

I enjoyed your narrative. Thanks for taking the time to post it.

I'll second that. Who needs to go when Jay's writing the post-mortem?

Someday I hope to get the courage to attend one of these large fly-ins.

Peter, I flew in to Oshkosh for the first time this summer in an
Aircoupe (I had attended OSH a few years before, driving in). I too
wondered if I had the right stuff, but decided I didn't want to end up
65 years old and still wondering.

The key is preparation. Read the NOTAMs and other online material,
understand it, visualize it. Also, nothing wrong with having a more
experienced pilot in the right seat. I flew solo but with a group of
Coupes, which made it a lot of fun.

I'm not sure I'll fly in again--not being a big fan of airshows--but
sure am glad I did it at least once.

Bob Fry ) wrote:

Peter, I flew in to Oshkosh for the first time this summer in an
Aircoupe (I had attended OSH a few years before, driving in). I too
wondered if I had the right stuff, but decided I didn't want to end up
65 years old and still wondering.

The key is preparation. Read the NOTAMs and other online material,
understand it, visualize it. Also, nothing wrong with having a more
experienced pilot in the right seat. I flew solo but with a group of
Coupes, which made it a lot of fun.

Bob, thank you for your advice. Preparation and having another pilot in
the right seat would indeed be the ticket,

--
Peter

Bob, thank you for your advice. Preparation and having another pilot in
the right seat would indeed be the ticket,

I'll "Second" the second pilot recommendation.

Having Mary in the right seat, re-reading the NOTAM to me as we approach LAL
(or OSH), is standard operating procedure for us. This last-minute review
is very helpful, and keeps me on the straight and narrow when my head is on
a swivel, and I'm trying to maintain spacing behind a Cessna 120.

A second pilot is also good for spotting traffic, tuning radios, and just
double-checking whatever you're doing. There's a LOT going on during those
last five minutes before landing at a big airshow, and two heads are
definitely better than one.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

In article XJ9hc.23854$hw5.38823@attbi_s53, Jay Honeck
wrote:

Bob, thank you for your advice. Preparation and having another pilot in
the right seat would indeed be the ticket,

I'll "Second" the second pilot recommendation.

Having Mary in the right seat, re-reading the NOTAM to me as we approach LAL
(or OSH), is standard operating procedure for us. This last-minute review
is very helpful, and keeps me on the straight and narrow when my head is on
a swivel, and I'm trying to maintain spacing behind a Cessna 120.

A second pilot is also good for spotting traffic, tuning radios, and just
double-checking whatever you're doing. There's a LOT going on during those
last five minutes before landing at a big airshow, and two heads are
definitely better than one.

And let's not forget the kids in the back with the incentive of 25
cents/plane spotted. My kids may a couple bucks each just on the
arrival.