Sun'nFun fly-out hotels

[DanH]

Thinking of doing something different this year....flying out of KLAL each evening to some other central Florida airport with handy accommodations...a hotel, motel, bed and breakfast, whatever. Must be 40 airports within 15 minutes. Even Cedar Key is only 30 minutes by speedy RV.

How about it? Anyone care to suggest airports with beds close by?

[AAflyer]

I bet if you offer to share some fiberglassing techniques, there'll be plenty of builders who will pick you up and give you a place to stay!!!

[Vlad]

Great idea Dan! Turbo Eddie flies to the show every morning and back home every night. Either fling wing or RV. I followed him couple times...

[BCP Boys]

What time are you thinking about coming and going out?

[JDA_BTR]

That's a really good idea. How hard is it to get in and out of Lakeland each day? In the AM arriving might not be bad (I'm an early bird), but seems a short window to get out when the airshow ends....

[jrs14855]

Winter Haven is convenient with lots of hotels.

[mturnerb]

Without doing much research, a few that come to mind:

KOCF (Ocala)
KLEE (Leesburg)
KBKV (Brooksville)
KISM (Kissimmee - mucho Disney hotels)
KTIX (Titusville - cool air museum on the field)
KMLB (Melbourne - lots of small hotels around there)
KZPH (ZephyrHills - don't know what kind of hotels around there but it's one of those old training fields with great runways in a very interesting small town)
KVDF (Tampa Exec - near I75/I4/I275 so lots of hotels nearby)
KSPG (Whitted Field in St. Pete - near Interstate 275/175 and Tropicana Field)
KSRQ (Sarasota)


Some of these are > 15 mins, most less than 30 from KLAL (KTIX requires some maneuvering through/under/around Orlando Class B)

Jesse Saint is at Dunellon (X35) and he offers some accommodations, but I don't know if there's much nearby in terms of other services

[roadrunner20]

Originally Posted by JDA_BTR

That's a really good idea. How hard is it to get in and out of Lakeland each day? In the AM arriving might not be bad (I'm an early bird), but seems a short window to get out when the airshow ends....

Flying in before 9:00 you usually sequence in without a hold around Lake Parker.
I usually fly in on Thursday & Friday.

Departures from HB transient area is very quick especially when using 09. You get to cut the line.

[logansc]

My friends and I often fly in to Zephyrhills. Good airport, plenty of parking, rental cars available (call in advance), many hotels and good restaurants. We usually stay at the Microtel. No charge for parking at KZPH if you buy fuel, IIRC.

The drive in to Lakeland in the morning takes maybe 25-30 minutes and with your rental car there, you can leave any time and take in some of the other airports and sights in the area. Plant City is also excellent and even closer---the Van's factory guys fly out of Plant City for their demo flight program. They have a constant stream of RV's coming and going all day, every day.

[DanH]

Originally Posted by JDA_BTR

That's a really good idea. How hard is it to get in and out of Lakeland each day? In the AM arriving might not be bad (I'm an early bird), but seems a short window to get out when the airshow ends....

In theory, there's a two hour window each evening, 5:30 to 7:30. Typically evening arrivals can push the deadline, but not departures. They release the departures before opening the approach from the Lake Parker hold. It all goes out the window given a T-storm or bent airplane, so I'll probably throw a tent in the baggage hole.

My buddy Stan and I will probably land about 1400Z Tuesday, spend two nights, and head back to Alabama Thursday evening. Got truck business Monday and Friday. Ms Patti and my sister staked out next Saturday and Sunday for the Dogwood Festival in Atlanta, and old married guys know you never **** off your wife and your sister at the same time.

What I'm looking for here is something like the hotel at Watertown WI, just south of OSH.....a Holiday Inn Express 300 paces from the tiedown.