Sun 'n Fun 2016 Trip Write-up

[bullojm1]

This marks the 10th year of of the ICON A5 being on display at an airshow I have attended.


The previous night Peter and I were out with Chad into the wee hours of the morning raising ****. We both decided to take a Siesta and watch the airshow from HBC.


Peter's shoe made for an excellent beer holder.


Oshkosh....It can't get here fast enough!


ugh....I can't take him anywhere!


The ground transportation at SNF is second to none. We were picked up daily no more than 10 steps from our campsite on the SNF trolley.


Crusing through the light sport/ultralight area.

[bullojm1]

Back to HBC for Friday Night Steak, Chicken and Salmon. For $15 you get to choose one. Waiting in line were a number of characters. This was one of the better T-shirts I've seen, and I approve of his beverage of choice. His identity is concealed to protect the innocent!


The steak was HUGE and out of this world. It was overflowing the plate.


The XtremeAir XA42 Aircraft Wraps plane showed up just after dinner and got a lot of attention. The quality of this wrap is amazing...as it should be since it's owned by the owner of Aircraft Wraps!



This is my favorite picture of SNF.

[bullojm1]

Saturday started of very calm. There were a number of hot air balloons out on the runway.


We were planning on starting our journey home today. As we were tearing down camp, my friend Bill Repucci showed up in his RV-9A. He showed off some really innovative tie-down stakes names Orange Screw


We couldn't leave without saying goodbye to our lovely and gracious host, Mary-Jane. He and her great team really set Sun 'n Fun's HBC apart from Oshkosh. There really isn't any comparison.


Our destination today was Gainsville, GA - just north of Atlanta. Peter went to The Citadel with a friend who lives up there, and he was willing to take in us for the night.


The Taxi out to the runway was a little frustrating because they just switched runways and the ground crew was disorganized.


A B17 snuck out in front of us and we needed to wait for it to do its run-up. No complaints on my behalf - it was amazing to be so close to such an amazing aircraft.


Cleared for takeoff!



We knew a headwind was in our future.

[bullojm1]

Frowny faces for the headwind.


We were being absolutely beaten up with the moderate-to-severe turbulence at 4,500'. We thought we would duck down lower to find lower headwinds and less turbulence. We did find lower headwinds, but the ride was down right uncomfortable down lower.


Back over Ocala.


Passing by Gainsville, FL and the University of FL off to our left.


The ride was really intolerable down at 3,500'. We went up to 5,500 which was OK, but still not great. We took a slight penalty with a bigger headwind, but it was worth it for the better ride.


Some traffic off to our east.


Recognize this spread? We did another fuel stop in Baxley on the way home. This place can't be beat!!



Next stop was Gainsville, GA - KGVL. On the way we saw a fire in the distance. You can see how strong the winds were today with how the smoke was being blown.


Baldwin County Airport (KMLJ) had a sweet runway which abutted the lake.

[bullojm1]

The turbulence was no joke today. A C172 driver reported the ride "REALLY Bumpy it SUCKED".


On the ground Peter's friend Justin picked us up in no time. We went off to the marina he kept his boat at to swing back a couple of Bud Heavy's, then it was off to the liquor store for some adult beverages and then Mexicen food. The placement of the Mad Dog 20/20 and Castrol Oil was TIGHT! I think the Castrol cost more money...but in all honesty for anyone who has ever had the disservice of consuming MD 2020, Castrol tastes better!


The evening was full of new friends, great food, some cocktails and reading children's books.

[bullojm1]

The temps this morning were chilly - 50 degrees outside, but the windchill made it seem 20 degrees cooler. It's amazing how fast Peter and I got accustomed the the wonderful FL weather!


Our gracious host for the past night, Justin.


Todays trip was straight forward. About 3 hours in flight with a slight tailwind.


The lakes around Northern Atlanta looked like a lot of fun in the summer! We might have to come back and make use of Justin's boat in the summer!


2.5 hours expected in flight at 7,500' with 7 kts on the tail.


The views over the Smokey Mountains were spectacular.



Crossing over Ashville, NC.


The hills were getting high, so we did too - we shot up to 9,500'.

[bullojm1]

Zoomin' at 183 kts (210 MPH).



We needed to duck down as the clouds were getting lowers.



Snow covered mountains to our east. Locals in MD said Saturday consisted of rain, snow, wind, thunder and lightening. It took all my willpower not to turn around and head for the FL Keys!



We stepped down to 5,500' as the clouds were coming down.


We ran into some very light precip.


We ran up the Shenandoah valley which made for a nice view. The ride home was completely different from the ride down in terms of scenery and terrain. It was great we took an excursion to Atlanta to split the trip up and get a more scenic ride home.


The last 20 minutes were bumpy at 5,500', but nothing compared to yesterday. However, I didn't bother to check the PIREPS's to see how the Cessna drivers thought it was! Great SNF! Can't wait for next year!!!

[Arie]

WOW ,great trip Mike. Thank you for the write-up !!!

[Weasel]

Man! yall had fun. I missed SnF this year

[Fearless]

Enjoyed you pirep of SNF. Haven't been for a number of years but recognized the place from you photos. You might give Vlad a run for his money on trip reports.