Sun and Fun 2019, What did you think?

FloridaPilot

FloridaPilot

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I always post yearly about Sun and Fun and here are some takeaways and this is my opinion on the event:

#1. It felt like I didn't see too many airplanes in the sky like in previous years. 4 Years ago the Light Sport market was booming and there were a lot of airplanes in the sky not so this year.

#2. Population was as good as ever a lot of people attended this year which was great.

#3. Mooney seems like it's disappearing I didn't notice them until I was going to ice cream. They didn't have big signs this year and I almost overlooked them.

#4. The bigger airplanes, twins and turboprop parking was very bare this year even on the Saturday

#5. I've fell in love with the P51 again.

#6. I tried a Philly "Cheese steak" from one of the tents and it sucked. They need to get better food options out there, (Other than the Doughnut stand). Bring some food trucks in or something.

What did you folks think of the event?

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#1 I thought the forums were great. Standing room only in the ones I was attending.

#2 Crowds were huge.

#3 Blue Angels were terrific per usual.

#4 The LSA area is too far away from the rest of the show. It's almost like being put in detention. If I exhibited LSA, I'd insist on being in the regular display area.

#5 Main food tent lines weren't too long. Food was decent. Sweet potato waffle fries might have influenced my thoughts on that.
 
Huge crowds...
Flying was curtailed due to the Angels, and how long they went on, at least on a Thursday. Plenty of flying in Paradise city. A lot more warbirds, modern and otherwise, than I have seen At SnF in years past.
Fewer working planes this year, but I think that was due to no spare ramp space.
Agree, the crowds were huge, the renewed economy is driving that.
Found the best spot on the field to watch the Angels. What a blast. Hint: it is not on the Show Line.
Tents and buildings were full of shoppers.
The Red Baron “surprise” attack was the coolest air show act I have seen in several years.
On Friday, parking and camping was almost full, with only a few spots open, all of the way out to the FBO.
 
Cluemeister said:
#1 I thought the forums were great. Standing room only in the ones I was attending.

#2 Crowds were huge.

#3 Blue Angels were terrific per usual.

#4 The LSA area is too far away from the rest of the show. It's almost like being put in detention. If I exhibited LSA, I'd insist on being in the regular display area.
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Do you think LSA is dying?

I had a Philly Cheesteak and I took one bite and it was raw inside, it wasn't cooked very well. I kindly took it back and the second one was worse.....I said forget it it's not worth the time and I threw it away I couldn't eat it. I like the Doughnut tent by the D Hangar. Lines were long and they seem to be growing too which is great. Better food options would be a plus, Carnival food is not too bad but there are a lot more options out there compared to 45 years ago.
 
Forgot to mention,

I also saw Martin Pauly (You tube guy with the Bonanza). Seemed like a nice guy
 
FloridaPilot said:
Forgot to mention,

I also saw Martin Pauly (You tube guy with the Bonanza). Seemed like a nice guy
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What about 8mike Alfa, stevokanevo and MzeroA? Pauly is neat, but those guys bring in the subscribers and views.
 
It was my first time and I enjoyed it. Visiting the airplane displays, seeing some of the vendors (and YouTubers), running into some old friends, and meeting some long-and-new-term online friends for the first time.

Volunteering at AOPA Pilot Protection was interesting in terms of seeing the kind of questions asked. Not surprisingly, many about the details of BasicMed, but a smattering of other regulatory ones. Even one asking to explain an instrument procedure chart note. Then there was the 91 year old active pilot who told story after story.
 
Unit74 said:
What about 8mike Alfa, stevokanevo and MzeroA? Pauly is neat, but those guys bring in the subscribers and views.
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Not Steveo, but MA, Mzero (who really reminds one of Tony Robbins in person), Baronpilot, Niko, Josh 101, and FlightChops (who is still working on that instrument rating!)
 
STILL.... working on that rating. Is it just me? When I watch his vids, I can’t help but think he is always on Valium.
 
Cluemeister said:
#4 The LSA area is too far away from the rest of the show. It's almost like being put in detention. If I exhibited LSA, I'd insist on being in the regular display area.
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AGREED! LSAs are not ultralights, so I really don't see why they share the same area. The same suppliers and products apply to both LSA and non-LSA aircraft.

But either way, they need to get consistent. I was looking around the LSA area hoping to see a Vashon Ranger but without success, then lo-and-behold I saw them in the regular display area. The Tecnam and Sport Cruiser displays were in the regular display area as well, as was Vans. It seems like LSAs are split between both areas.

Other notes:

Looked like a good turn-out, at least on Friday.

Pilot Mall used an outdoor display area this year and didn't do as elaborate a store setup as in years past. I think this let them display more merchandise, but it didn't offer as good an excuse to hide in the air conditioning for a while! :)

I had a quick conversation with Kermit Weeks about when he might re-open Fantasy of Flight, and he said maybe 3 or 4 years, which is a shame as it's been closed for several years already. He said he's trying to find a way to make it sustainable, and I'm sure that's a real challenge. I used to really enjoy the attraction, and when my son was young he loved going there.
 
Half Fast said:
AGREED! LSAs are not ultralights, so I really don't see why they share the same area. The same suppliers and products apply to both LSA and non-LSA aircraft.

I had a quick conversation with Kermit Weeks about when he might re-open Fantasy of Flight, and he said maybe 3 or 4 years, which is a shame as it's been closed for several years already. He said he's trying to find a way to make it sustainable, and I'm sure that's a real challenge. I used to really enjoy the attraction, and when my son was young he loved going there.
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I was told by an LSA manufacturer that they wanted to be near the ultralights at OSH. They want to capture the pilots flying ultralights and convince them they can buy a 'real' airplane. I know many of us thought that a 182 landed on the ultralight field and it turned out it was an LSA designed to look a lot like a 182.

As far as Kermit goes... I've had some interesting conversations with him. He told me Fantasy of Flight would never be the same and wouldn't be about aviation. It will still have the planes, but it will be about whatever you want it to be. He said it will be bigger than Disney World and draw the largest crowds. And that was the least crazy part of our conversations!

Aeropilot Legend 600
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Lowflynjack said:
I was told by an LSA manufacturer that they wanted to be near the ultralights at OSH. They want to capture the pilots flying ultralights and convince them they can buy a 'real' airplane. I know many of us thought that a 182 landed on the ultralight field and it turned out it was an LSA designed to look a lot like a 182.
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I don't really follow that logic. I'm sure the guy with a powered parachute knows he can get a pilot's license and buy a $150,000 N-numbered airplane. I suspect the biggest group of LSA prospects is the group of PPLs without a medical, followed by SPs.


As far as Kermit goes... I've had some interesting conversations with him. He told me Fantasy of Flight would never be the same and wouldn't be about aviation. It will still have the planes, but it will be about whatever you want it to be. He said it will be bigger than Disney World and draw the largest crowds. And that was the least crazy part of our conversations!
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Hmmmm...... Makes me wonder whether Kermit still has his medical. :)


Love that Legend! That's a beautiful plane. I sat in one at the Sebring Expo and really liked it. I think it's the only new LSA I've seen that has a yoke. It's surprisingly roomy.
 
FloridaPilot said:
Do you think LSA is dying?
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No, but it's not growing as quickly as it once was. CubCrafters used to deliver 50 new aircraft per year, and now it's down to something like half that. Still, the number of Sport Pilot certificate holders is growing, albeit slowly.
 
I had a good time.
Looked at a lot of planes.
Talked to a few vendors.
Went to a few seminars which were decent. One was by @Brad Z on Basic Med.
Said hi to @TomHaines. Thanked him for what he and AOPA does. :cheerswine:
Talked to writer Jamie Beckett for a few minutes. Nice guy.
Chastised Alyssa Cobb for flying my future Super Cub (below) far too much. She was kind enough to laugh at my joke. Well she thought it was a joke. I was serious! :D
I thought the food was ok but overpriced.
Blue Angels... meh. So they have thrust and make noise. Whoopeee!
Mike Goulian puts on a much better show. Amazing performance!
Even the warbirds just flying by were more enjoyable to watch than the jets.
Plenty of LSAs in the main area including amphibs. Arranged a demo flight in the Super Petrel which was fun.
Didn’t see or meet any YouTubers. Probably wouldn’t know one if I saw one.

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Did two days,vendors seemed to be down. Didn’t see many twins this year. Food was passable,high priced. Was not impressed with the new piper trainer. Overall I was pleased. Haven’t missed one in 20 years.
 
I didn't notice Icon this year. Were they absent, or did I just miss them?
 
GeorgeC said:
Interesting that there was no news on the rumored LSA weight increase.
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The guy I talked with at the Vashon display seemed to think it would happen soon. Apparently that's part of Vashon's marketing plan, because the plane simply does not have enough useful load at 1320. He told me the plane was designed to a higher number, but I don't recall what the number was.
 
Half Fast said:
I didn't notice Icon this year. Were they absent, or did I just miss them?
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I didn’t see them this year or last. I also went to seaplane-a-palooza at Tavares on Sunday before SNF and they weren’t there either.
 
I think Icon is less interested in attracting pilots and more interested in attracting high end boaters. Their marketing strategy of late is visiting highly traveled water ways and marinas and fewer airports and flyins.
 
SkyDog58 said:
I didn’t see them this year or last. I also went to seaplane-a-palooza at Tavares on Sunday before SNF and they weren’t there either.
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They weren't at the Tavares event last fall, either. They were at Sebring, but it was a very minimal display.
 
Didn't attend but I too think the blue angles are a little over hyped. Then again I get tired of the 1+ hour warbird demonstrations as well. I much rather see biplanes, super decathlon, and other unique acts than the same airplanes fly by over and over again.
 
Basic Med affects LSA. If you can go Basic Med, you would not, likely, be interested in an LSA. New folks that have never haled a medical certificate is all that they are left with.
 
A couple of observations from being there Wed/Thurs:

Airplane population seemed to be down slightly.

Vendors seemed SLIGHTLY more aviation oriented. Some years it seemed like the sunglasses, random non-aviation doo-dad vendors was a higher percentage.

Several "old school" vendors have greatly reduced display areas. The combination of Beech and Cessna plays a big part of that, but a small Mooney presence, and limited participation of small vendors American Champion and Maule seems to play into that as well. The biggest displays were from TBM and Pilatus, and those were for multi-million dollar aircraft. From what I heard, several vendors are down to a "one show per year" schedule, and that show is Osh. Tecnam had a pretty good display in the main area, though.

The feeling I got from Piper is that they're into fleet sales only.

Coincidentally, anyone else see the news of the "rebranding" of SnF? They've dropped the "fly in" part and went with "Aerospace Expo", and to quote from the blurb in AvWeb "Renaming this iconic aviation event reflects our mission to engage, educate and accelerate the next generation of aerospace professionals”. "The new branding pays homage to the past while looking forward" and “As we look to the future and where aerospace technology is taking us, we want to ensure that we're best positioned to continue to be a part of it.”
It's important to understand that SnF is not an EAA event like Oshkosh, so the SnF folks can do what they want, but this didn't give me any warm and fuzzies.
 
Unit74 said:
STILL.... working on that rating. Is it just me? When I watch his vids, I can’t help but think he is always on Valium.
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Isn't an IR in Canada more difficult than here in the US?
 
Grum.Man said:
Didn't attend but I too think the blue angles are a little over hyped. Then again I get tired of the 1+ hour warbird demonstrations as well. I much rather see biplanes, super decathlon, and other unique acts than the same airplanes fly by over and over again.
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This is me as well. I really don't watch much if any of the airshow when I go to SNF or to Osh. Reason? Most of it I've seen dozens of times before - same acts, nothing really new. What I WILL watch is "unusual" stuff - the Jet-powered Waco, the Yak-110, a cub doing aerobatics. If somebody brought back Bob Hoover's routine I'd watch that. Anything that isn't pretty much the same as last year. Maybe that makes me a crusty, un-impressible codger, I don't know, but, for instance, I've seen the Thunderbirds about every year (a lot of that due to being in the Air Force) at some event or another for the last 30 years (in the same airplane still), so there's not much new there.

Rather, I go to the events for the friends, camaraderie, social events, check out new products, see new airplanes, etc. The airshow, to me, is just an excuse for all the other stuff to be brought together.
 
RussR said:
This is me as well. I really don't watch much if any of the airshow when I go to SNF or to Osh. Reason? Most of it I've seen dozens of times before - same acts, nothing really new. What I WILL watch is "unusual" stuff - the Jet-powered Waco, the Yak-110, a cub doing aerobatics. If somebody brought back Bob Hoover's routine I'd watch that. Anything that isn't pretty much the same as last year. Maybe that makes me a crusty, un-impressible codger, I don't know, but, for instance, I've seen the Thunderbirds about every year (a lot of that due to being in the Air Force) at some event or another for the last 30 years (in the same airplane still), so there's not much new there.

Rather, I go to the events for the friends, camaraderie, social events, check out new products, see new airplanes, etc. The airshow, to me, is just an excuse for all the other stuff to be brought together.
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You sound like me! In fact, I couldn't have said it better! Even being an EAA photographer, I find it hard to pay attention to the airshows. Luckily they have other photographers that like them!
 
Unit74 said:
What about 8mike Alfa, stevokanevo and MzeroA? Pauly is neat, but those guys bring in the subscribers and views.
Click to expand...

I saw all those guys before I saw MzeroA at OSH last year. He was working the booth. This was Pauly's first crack at it and I wanted to support him. Not bad for a first time.

midlifeflyer said:
Not Steveo, but MA, Mzero (who really reminds one of Tony Robbins in person), Baronpilot, Niko, Josh 101, and FlightChops (who is still working on that instrument rating!)
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I saw both MzeroA and Tony Robbins in person, they might have the height but they are nothing alike.

Unit74 said:
STILL.... working on that rating. Is it just me? When I watch his vids, I can’t help but think he is always on Valium.
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(Laughs) I had to google Valium.

Half Fast said:
I didn't notice Icon this year. Were they absent, or did I just miss them?
Click to expand...

Icon has been missing from Snf for 2 years now. I did see them at OSH last year...same tent they had at Snf a few years back.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Volunteering at AOPA Pilot Protection was interesting in terms of seeing the kind of questions asked. Not surprisingly, many about the details of BasicMed, but a smattering of other regulatory ones. Even one asking to explain an instrument procedure chart note. Then there was the 91 year old active pilot who told story after story.
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LOL, I think those same folks came by the FAA booth to make make sure the answers you gave were correct. I nearly lost my voice after chatting with pilots for a week.
 
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